The No. 6 Creighton men’s soccer team hosts No. 14 Tulsa and Cal-Poly this weekend in Omaha. WBR caught up with head coach Elmar Bolowich before the Bluejays’ regular season opener against the Golden Hurricane. Here’s what he had to say:
WBR: The game against Nebraska-Omaha was a bit of a physical test for your squad. What, if anything, do you take out of that match?
EB: A lot of positives. We need to be more creative with the ball and play more behind on defense. I felt like we had a number of good opportunities and we were able to create a good number of chances. The negatives were the lapses on defense. We needed to be sharper on the back line. But, that is what the exhibitions are for. We need to find areas we need to improve on and perform better in the next game.
WBR: As we already mentioned, the game against Nebraska-Omaha was a bit physical, particularly the extra touches when Alex [Bolowich] had possession. Did you view the reaction by Alex a show of frustration or him showing some leadership and not putting up with the aggressive behavior?
EB: Well, we obviously do not want to get into fights, that is not who we are. We want to play a clean game and out play our opponents playing our game. With that said, I understand where Alex was coming from, as it was not the first time there was extra contact after he had possession. I do think he could have handled it a bit differently, and we did discuss that after the game.
WBR: With the two exhibitions behind you, do you see any changes moving forward in regards to lineups or positions?
EB: Just some position options. Bruno Castro was playing the left flank and we could move him around a bit if we wanted. We have a player in Fabian Herbers who could really play anywhere in the front six for us. It is really a growing thing, especially this early on.
WBR: We have seen a few options with the striker position and all options seem to be playing well. Do you have a leader at that position right now?
EB: Right now I would say that Zabarle Kollie and Carlos McCray and showing they can be starters up top but they both need to prove it every day. Neither can play the full 90 minutes, so we will always see both during a match. Also, we have Sean Kim on our bench that has good experience and bring in a fresh pair of legs. That is always a great thing to have.
WBR: What can we expect in your season opener against No. 14 Tulsa?
EB: They are a very good team and this should be a very entertaining game. They have the skill to play on the ground and also the ability to go direct with through balls over the top. They have great personnel and are very athletic. We fell to them 0-2 last year on the road so it will be nice to have them at our place.
WBR: And what should we watch for with Cal Poly on Sunday?
EB: They will be more physical and will be a good test for us. With the UNO game behind us, we will be more prepared for a physical opponent.