NCAA Tournament First Round Match
Creighton (9-8-2, 4-4-1 Big East) vs. Seattle Redhawks (10-8-4, 7-0-3 WAC)
- 7:00 p.m. Thursday, November 21, 2013
- Morrison Stadium // Live Stats
It has been an atypically rough season for the Creighton Bluejays men’s soccer program. The school’s late move into the Big East Conference caused what can only be described as a scheduling nightmare. Coach Elmar Bolowich intentionally scheduled a grueling non-conference slate with an eye toward a less-difficult Missouri Valley conference season. CU’s slate was the sixth-toughest in the NCAA this season, a degree of difficulty that helped the Jays end the season with an RPI of 17.
Numerous injuries also took their toll. Creighton lost starting senior forward Sean Kim for the season after only a month. In retrospect it was not immediately apparent just how much the Jays missed Kim. His intense work ethic and stamina opened up the field for midfielders Timo Pitter, Fabian Herbers ,and Bruno Castro to take aim at opposing keepers. With Kim gone, the Jays have struggled to score.
However, the most challenging aspect of Creighton’s season might have been the travel. The Jays had over seven flights this season, to destinations all across the Eastern seaboard.
Despite all of these obstacles the 2013 Creighton Bluejays were still able to accomplish the goal they set in early August: they qualified for the 48-team NCAA Tournament and can still reach a third straight College Cup.
Thursday’s match against the Seattle Redhawks is the first step for Bolowich and the Jays to address. The Redhawks boast an 11 game unbeaten streak, which spans back to October 11. Their last loss was to the national No. 2 overall seed Washington Huskies, a 0-2 result in Seattle.
Senior striker Miguel Gonzalez leads the Redhawks, accounting for nearly 33% of the team’s goals and points. The Washington native was named 2013 WAC Offensive Player of the Year. The Redhawks will also rely on Ian Hines-Ike, older brother of current Creighton standout Brendan. Ian Hines-Ike is a dynamic midfielder who has caps with the U.S. U20 National Team. For Creighton to be successful on Thursday the Jays will need to tighten the screws on these two players for sure.
The Redhawks are not the only issue worrying the Jays this week. Sophomore Christian Blandon and freshman Fabian Herbers are both likely out for this match due to injury concerns. Blandon, who has battle back issues over the last month, could likely be out the rest of the season. Sophomore defensive stalwart Brendan Hines-Ike is also battling an injury and Timo Pitter is finally shaking the virus that limited his minutes in two recent matches against Providence. Look for seniors Carlos McCrary and Sonny Makh as well as freshman Ricardo Perez to step up to fill these roles.
If the Jays are successful in grounding the Redhawks it would set up a rematch against former Creighton coach Jamie Clark’s No. 2 Huskies. Clark’s team enjoyed a tremendous season that included winning the Pac-12 conference tournament. Creighton defeated the Huskies last season at Morrison Stadium 4-2. If Creighton does advance the game would be played in Washington.
It’s going to be a chilly night at Morrison, so bring your blankets, hot chocolate, and spirit and help the Jays get back to the Cup.