Two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Allen.
OMAHA, Neb. – For the second straight season, senior goalkeeper Matt Allen of the Creighton men’s soccer team has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, as the league’s all-conference teams and specialty awards were announced Thursday night at the tournament banquet held at Creighton’s Morrison Stadium. Senior Tony Schmitz and sophomore Chris Schuler joined Allen on the first-team, while a trio of Jays earned second-team honors and a pair of rookies earned all-freshman recognition.
Allen becomes the first player in league history to twice earn MVC Defensive Player of the Years recognition, while his selection this season gives the Bluejays seven Defensive Player of the Year honors in the 17-year MVC men’s soccer history. The Omaha native leads the league with a 0.86 goals against average and is tied for the MVC-lead with five saves. He has played every minute in net for the Jays this year and has played more career minutes than any goalkeeper in school history. Allen enters the MVC tournament tied for the school record with 24 shutouts, he ranks second in school history in career wins (41) and goals against average (0.85) and ranks third in saves at 245.
Schmitz is having a career-year offensively for the Bluejays, as he has a career-best four goals and 12 points after entering the year with 12 career points over three seasons. The Omaha Skutt Catholic graduate was voted to the all-conference team as a midfielder, but he has played all over the pitch for the Bluejays throughout his career, showing his value as a forward and a defender.
Schuler, an MVC All-Freshman Team honoree and Freshman All-American last year, continued his outstanding play in back for the Bluejays this year. The central defender has shut down the opposing attack throughout the season, as he has helped the Jays log five shutouts and a league-best 0.86 goals against average.
Bohnenkamp, a midfielder, earned his first all-conference recognition since being named to the all-freshman team as a rookie in 2004. The Omaha Millard South product is tied for the team-lead with five assists this year and owns the Morrison Stadium record with 14 career helpers.
Gotsmanov was an All-Big East Conference honoree at St. John’s in his only other season of collegiate competition in 2004. The junior midfielder is tied for the team-lead with five assists and 13 points, while he’s also scored four goals this year and tops the team with 50 shots in his first year at Creighton.
Sinovic has been a constant force on the Bluejay defense all season, starting every match and playing 1,506 of CU’s 1,570 minutes. He was twice named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week this season after shifting to his defensive spot from a midfield role last year.
Castillo has been in the starting lineup since the second game of the year, playing both defense and a defensive midfield role for the Bluejays. The California native has proven to be a consistent and pesky defender who never quits on a play.
Sindlinger has started seven of the 12 matches he’s played, while missing four games in the middle of the season due to an illness. The attacking player assisted two goals in his second career match and scored a goal in CU’s regular-season finale at Evansville.
Other specialty award winners announced at the banquet on Thursday were Bradley’s Joe Donoho, MVC Player of the Year, and Evansville’s Robby Lynch, MVC Freshman of the Year. Bradley was awarded both the MVC “Fair-Play” Award and the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year.
The seventh-ranked Bluejays finished the regular-season on a 10-match unbeaten streak and with a 10-1-5 overall mark. CU’s 4-0-2 MVC mark was its first unbeaten conference slate since 1996 and helped the Bluejays capture their second straight regular-season title, eighth overall.
The Bluejays, who are hosting the State Farm MVC Tournament at Morrison Stadium this week, will play in the semifinals Friday at 5 p.m. CU will face Evansville in the first semifinal, followed by Bradley-Eastern Illinois at 7:30 p.m. The winners will face off on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the championship match at Morrison Stadium.
