The Creighton men’s soccer program enters the 2011 season under its third coach in the past three seasons. After Bob Warming left for Penn State, Harvard coach Jamie Clark came to Creighton and promptly delivered an MVC championship in his first (and only) year at the Hilltop. With Clark now at Washington, former National Coach of the year and NCAA Champion Elmar Bolowich left North Carolina to command the Creighton Bluejays soccer program.
Expectations are great. Bolowich’s first CU squad is picked as the preseason favorite to win the MVC title. Six of the 11 preseason all-conference team selections are Creighton players, including National Player of the Year candidates Ethan Finlay and Tyler Polak. The NSCAA lists Creighton #10 in its preseason rankings, after the Bluejays finished last year at #14 in their poll.
Bolowich and the Bluejays are poised to make a run at Creighton’s first National Championship. They start that quest Saturday at the ShinDigz National Soccer Festival against preseason #2 Akron, and then play another exhibition match Monday at #12 Notre Dame.
White & Blue Review caught up with Bolowich to talk about last weekend’s Blue-White scrimmage and the weekend ahead.
WBR: What did you get out of the scrimmage on Sunday?
Elmar Bolowich: I got a good look at a lot of the new guys that I have not really seen much of. They were recruited by Jamie Clark or Bob Warming so I was no very familiar with them coming into this season. I was happy with what I saw and it was good to see where they will fit.
WBR: The Blue team on Sunday seemed to mesh pretty well on the field; would you say that this group would be your starting 11?
EB: Yes, that could easily be our starting 11 if they all stay healthy. The great thing is that we have a lot of depth this year and the have the luxury of being able to interchange some good players.
WBR: Are there any newcomers to the team that could make an immediate impact?
EB: Sure. JT Seger and Jose Ribas are two guys that have the ability to play right away. But, we have some time to evaluate these players and see what we want to do.
WBR: There is a lot of buzz right now about Ethan Finlay and his preseason recognition. With the experience you have coaching some of the nation’s best players throughout your career, how do you keep him focused and grounded?
EB: Well, all the hype is from outside sources and you can’t really control that. He needs to put it all aside and focus on improving his game. He needs to work on his finishing, balance, and just getting stronger up top; and that is what I told him. He can’t let the hype consume him, but he knows that and he is fine about it.
WBR: Any update on his injury?
EB: Well, they ran an MRI Wednesday night and we are waiting to hear the results. He was feeling better today (Thursday) but he did not practice. It will be up to the training staff if he will play this weekend or not. He is day-to-day.
WBR: You have a few exhibition games this weekend against some good competition in Notre Dame and Akron. What do you hope to get out of these matches?
EB: We want to be competitive and we want to win. Playing teams like this early in the season really helps us measure where we are at as a program. In all my years at North Carolina, I always had a very tough and front heavy schedule because it helps you as a program. It allows us to evaluate where our short comings are and where we need to improve.