The 7-1-1 Bluejays host Arizona State tonight at Morrison Stadium. White & Blue Review caught up with head coach Bruce Erickson to cover a couple topics surrounding his team heading into the weekend.
WBR: Kelly Connolly won last week’s MVC Player of the Week award; what sort of progress have you seen from her as the season has developed?
Erickson: Kelly came in extremely prepared for the season and she has played at a very high level thus far. We are asking her to be a big part of our attack from a defender position so the main goal now is to continue to connect passes and initiate our attack from the back.
Creighton's Kelly Connolly
WBR: Your team is riding a four-game winning streak right now; is there anything specific to which you attribute your success early this season?
Erickson: We have four to six different players who can score goals, which is very important. Also, we have been very stingy defensively.
WBR: Speaking of stingy defense, your team has three straight shutouts during the winning streak. What has the coaching staff done this year to focus on the defensive side of the ball?
Erickson: Defense wins championships, and we have just tried to carry that mentality along to the players. We have also tweaked our personnel as well.
WBR: What is your game plan heading into the matchup against Arizona State tonight at Morrison Stadium?
Erickson: The Sun Devils are the best team we will have faced up to this point, and they will create a significant challenge for us. They can flat out play and compete. They are big, strong, athletic, and have a great ability to score goals. It will be a great test for us as we head into Missouri Valley Conference play next Friday.
WBR: You’ve got yet another streak to keep alive; the MVC Player of the Week has come from your squad each of the past four weeks. Who would you tab as a player to watch in your next few upcoming matches?
Erickson: I think Brittney Neumann on our attack and Eden Hingwing in the defense.