On the heels of a 3-1 home win over Columbia, the Creighton men’s soccer team ascended to the top spot in the national polls this week — just in time to hit the road for their first matches away from Morrison Stadium this season. Ahead of the Bluejays’ games against Old Dominion and William & Mary, WBR caught up with CU head coach Elmar Bolowich.
WBR: I know that you usually don’t pay much attention to rankings, but I have to ask you about Creighton’s No. 1 ranking this week.
EB: It is alright. It is an indication of our efforts and the fact that we have not lost a game yet. Those rankings can change very quickly so we just need to focus on our next opponent.
Creighton celebrates a score against Columbia (WBR/Mike Spomer) CLICK PHOTO TO BUY
WBR: Creighton is obviously well know and when you travel teams have you circled as a game to get ready for. Does the fact that there is a No. 1 next to your name enhance that at all?
EB: It does. Old Dominion, tonight’s opponent, put on their website right away that we were No. 1 and that they would be hosting us this weekend. They want to use it for marketing and to draw a bigger crowd, so it builds excitement.
WBR: You have ODU and William & Mary this weekend. What can you tell us about each team?
EB: Well, we played them both last year, so we have some familiarity with both programs. They are both very talented and well managed teams. I think that we will be in for some good games this weekend; it should be some good soccer. William & Mary will be hungry as they are coming off a loss to ODU last weekend, so we will definitely get their best shot.
WBR: I know you are short on time so this will be my last question, but could you comment quickly on the crowd and atmosphere last Friday night and the Socctoberfest event?
EB: That was fantastic. The student body really makes a big impact on the game with their chants and drums. It helps get the rest of the crowd going and creates a great environment for soccer. The biggest compliment is when you have opposing coaches and players commenting on the atmosphere after the game. When that happens, other programs hear about it and then want to play us here to get that experience for their players and we that allows us to bring in better opponents and top tier programs. They know that when they come to Morrison, they will get a great environment and clean soccer.