The Creighton Bluejays men’s soccer team, under new coach Elmar Bolowich, will compete in their third and fourth games of the spring soccer season this Saturday in Denver, Colorado.
CU squares off against Air Force at 11 a.m., then play New Mexico at 4:30 p.m. Just a few months ago, the Jays and Lobos met in the NCAA Tournament. The stakes aren’t quite as high now, but both games give Bolowich a chance to coach his new team.
His team beat Denver 3-2 in Omaha two weeks ago, then travelled to Tulsa where CU and the Golden Hurricanes battled to a 2-2 draw. Bolowich and his team are spending the spring adjusting to the national championship coach’s fast and aggressive style of play, one that should prove entertaining for the fans at Morrison Stadium.
WBR sat down with Bolowich to discuss the team’s spring schedule, and how he’s adjusting to life on the Hilltop.
White & Blue Review: What sort of game can Creighton fans expect from your team?
Elmar Bolowich: We will bring an aggressive and attractive style of play. We are not simply focused on defense, but we are fortunate to have a strong defense in place. We will play to be in position to possess the ball.
You will win the game when you control the game. We will not simply play back and wait for the opponent to make a mistake; we will attack and force mistakes. I guess the best way to describe it is as an attacking defense. We will need speed at all positions, along with smart play.
When it comes to the offense, we will look to control the ball. If it takes two passes to get a shot, great. If it takes 15, then that is fine too. We need to play smart. With that approach there is the potential of vulnerability on defense. We will need to have speed in the back as well, for those teams that will try and simply play over our backs.
WBR: You have two teams on your spring schedule that made the NCAA Tournament last year, Tulsa and New Mexico. What’s the benefit to having some good competition like that this early in the year?
EB: First, this is a schedule I inherited. With that being said, I always like to play the best teams I can. When you play good programs, you can really measure your team’s progress. There is really no benefit in a 7-0 or 5-0 win, as you don’t learn anything about your team.
WBR: On the topic of scheduling, can you give us a little peek at the opponents for the fall?
EB: As I mentioned before, this is a schedule that I came into, but I am pleased that we will have some good RPI teams to play against. We will have Indiana, Wisconsin, and Maryland on the road, and we will host UC-Irvine in Omaha. These teams should give us a good boost in the RPI and will be good match-ups for our team.
WBR: How are you and the players getting along so far?
EB: The players have been great. They have a great attitude and really give a great effort. This is a good group and it will be fun to implement some new styles as me move forward.
WBR: You will face the Lobos tomorrow, a team Creighton handled fairly easily in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. Are the players excited for the game?
EB: They are excited for any game. The past is the past and the teams are both different. I think our guys are just excited to play and are looking forward to having two games tomorrow.