When I was first researching for the season previews this summer, I must have seen the wrong roster for Providence. I remember being impressed that such a young team made it to the Big East championship, almost upsetting No. 1 Louisville in the final, and played through the second round of the NCAA Tournament. For reasons I couldn’t explain, I have in my notes that the Providence goalkeeper had no collegiate experience coming into this season. What’s more, this college soccer junkie had never really thought of Providence as a power in the Big East, a conference that’s stacked with powerhouses like Louisville, Connecticut, Notre Dame, and St. John’s. I supposed the Friars would be just the next team in the succession of mediocre opponents to come through Omaha and lose at Morrison Stadium.
I blew that one.
In fact the Friars are undefeated and ascending quickly in the polls. Their goalkeeper, senior Jhojan Obando, has quite a bit of experience, it turns out, and hasn’t allowed a goal in four games. Forward Keith Jecewiz scored two goals on Holy Cross on Wednesday. Midfielder Wilber Arboleda scored two straight game-winners and received a couple of big honors for it, including being named Big East Offensive Player of the Week.
Besides having one of my favorite mascots in all of college sports, and winning the Ocean State Classic (knocking off Brown and Rhody in the process), the Friars have a lot going for them this year. It’s safe to say they’ll come to Nebraska confident in earning an upset victory, riding high after winning their last five games. Creighton’s midfield has lacked athleticism at times this season, and you can count on Arboleda & Co. to exploit that weakness. Jose Ribas is arguably the Bluejays’ best pure athlete in the midfield, but while he’s injured, Creighton will have to find a way to maintain speed and strength in the middle third of the field.
That’s not to say the home crowd ought to worry. We can expect Providence to condense their back line and play conservative, defensive ball for the better part of the game, punching out on counter-attacks only when the opportunity arises. The Jays saw that style against DePaul, and doubtless will see it again in the future. Such is college soccer. To succeed, though, Creighton will have to limit turnovers and really be precise in their passing in order to create chances on goal. They were occasionally sloppy against DePaul — naturally, given the turnaround from the previous match — but will have to improve if they want to win this one in style.
Both teams enter Saturday evening’s game with reputations to uphold: shutout streaks and spotless records make this game an interesting one on paper. Most importantly, though, Saturday’s match against Providence could be Creighton’s first real test of the regular season. See you there.