Saturday, November 28
Chapel Hill, N.C.
6:00 PM
Creighton University
19-3-0
1
at
0
North Carolina
15-2-3
1
2
F
Creighton
1
0
1
North Carolina
0
0
0
Photo by Steve Branscombe
Men's Soccer Defeats UNC In Chapel Hill To Clinch Fourth NCAA Quarterfinal Appearance In Five Years
11/28/2015 9:14:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Bolowich bests former program; Bluejays await winner of SMU/Akron in NCAA Quarterfinal
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — In his first match-up against North Carolina since his move to Creighton in 2011, Head Coach Elmar Bolowich and the Creighton men's soccer team stunned the Tar Heels on their home turf on Saturday night, with the Bluejays earning a hard-fought, 1-0 victory and clinching the program's fourth NCAA Championship Quarterfinal appearance in five years. Prior to taking over as headman at Creighton, Bolowich spent 22 years at the helm of North Carolina, leading the Tar Heels to the program's first-ever national title in 2001 and leaving Chapel Hill as the program's all-time winningest coach (280-144-40).
The twelfth-seeded Bluejays (19-3-0) and the fifth-seeded Tar Heels (15-2-3) went back and forth in the opening half of play, with neither team claiming control of the match. However, in the 38th minute, BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year Timo Pitter turned the tide in Creighton's favor.
After collecting a pass from junior Myles Englis, Pitter battled his way through traffic in the box, overcoming a bevy of deflections to unleash a shot on goal which fooled North Carolina keeper Sam Euler, giving the Bluejays a 1-0 advantage.
When scoring the first goal of a match during Bolowich's tenure, Creighton is an impressive 71-4-2 (.935). The Bluejays allowed that statistic to hold true, holding the Tar Heels and the nation's 12th-ranked offensive attack (2.05 goals/game) scoreless throughout the full 90 minutes.
Creighton's 10th clean sheet of the season—and first since Oct. 14—could not have come at a better time for the Bluejays, as Creighton secured itself a spot in the national quarterfinals for the 11th time in program history.
BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Connor Sparrow hauled in four saves, recording the 23rd shutout of his Creighton playing career.
Seeing action for the first time since suffering an injury on Nov. 14, senior co-captain Vincent Keller played the full 90 minutes, helping to anchor Creighton's defense, which limited North Carolina to just four shots on goal.
"Coming into this game, I knew that if we didn't perform really well, this would be the last game I could ever play for Creighton," Keller said. "I was happy that the trainers and everyone did a really good job of allowing me to get back on the field. I still had to play a little bit through pain, but, at this point, you just have to do everything you can, so pain was not an issue. The six seniors, we're not ready for our time at Creighton to end."
The Tar Heels outshot the Bluejays, 21-9, in the match—including a 14-6 margin in the second half—however, Creighton's stout defense kept North Carolina off balance, resulting in few high-quality scoring opportunities for the Tar Heels
With the win, Creighton became just the second team this season to best North Carolina. Prior to Saturday, only top-seeded Wake Forest had defeated the Tar Heels, who entered the weekend boasting the nation's best win percentage.
Since swapping shades of blue and joining Creighton, Bolowich is 9-2-3 in postseason play. Saturday was his first match-up against North Carolina since leaving in 2011.
"When we came in, it was a strange feeling to be back when we trained on Friday," Bolowich said in regard to his return to Chapel Hill. "But, I knew that Saturday was all about Creighton. It was all about us finding a way to move on and extend our season. Walking off the field, I was just flat out happy that Creighton can train for another week and prepare for another match."
Creighton will await the winner of tomorrow's SMU at Akron match in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship. Fans can get a look at the Bluejays' next opponent by following the match via live stats or live video.
The twelfth-seeded Bluejays (19-3-0) and the fifth-seeded Tar Heels (15-2-3) went back and forth in the opening half of play, with neither team claiming control of the match. However, in the 38th minute, BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year Timo Pitter turned the tide in Creighton's favor.
After collecting a pass from junior Myles Englis, Pitter battled his way through traffic in the box, overcoming a bevy of deflections to unleash a shot on goal which fooled North Carolina keeper Sam Euler, giving the Bluejays a 1-0 advantage.
When scoring the first goal of a match during Bolowich's tenure, Creighton is an impressive 71-4-2 (.935). The Bluejays allowed that statistic to hold true, holding the Tar Heels and the nation's 12th-ranked offensive attack (2.05 goals/game) scoreless throughout the full 90 minutes.
Creighton's 10th clean sheet of the season—and first since Oct. 14—could not have come at a better time for the Bluejays, as Creighton secured itself a spot in the national quarterfinals for the 11th time in program history.
BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Connor Sparrow hauled in four saves, recording the 23rd shutout of his Creighton playing career.
Seeing action for the first time since suffering an injury on Nov. 14, senior co-captain Vincent Keller played the full 90 minutes, helping to anchor Creighton's defense, which limited North Carolina to just four shots on goal.
"Coming into this game, I knew that if we didn't perform really well, this would be the last game I could ever play for Creighton," Keller said. "I was happy that the trainers and everyone did a really good job of allowing me to get back on the field. I still had to play a little bit through pain, but, at this point, you just have to do everything you can, so pain was not an issue. The six seniors, we're not ready for our time at Creighton to end."
The Tar Heels outshot the Bluejays, 21-9, in the match—including a 14-6 margin in the second half—however, Creighton's stout defense kept North Carolina off balance, resulting in few high-quality scoring opportunities for the Tar Heels
With the win, Creighton became just the second team this season to best North Carolina. Prior to Saturday, only top-seeded Wake Forest had defeated the Tar Heels, who entered the weekend boasting the nation's best win percentage.
Since swapping shades of blue and joining Creighton, Bolowich is 9-2-3 in postseason play. Saturday was his first match-up against North Carolina since leaving in 2011.
"When we came in, it was a strange feeling to be back when we trained on Friday," Bolowich said in regard to his return to Chapel Hill. "But, I knew that Saturday was all about Creighton. It was all about us finding a way to move on and extend our season. Walking off the field, I was just flat out happy that Creighton can train for another week and prepare for another match."
Creighton will await the winner of tomorrow's SMU at Akron match in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship. Fans can get a look at the Bluejays' next opponent by following the match via live stats or live video.
Team Stats
CU
NC
Goals
1
0
Shots
9
21
Shots on Goal
2
4
Saves
4
1
Corners
1
11
Fouls
13
10
Scoring Plays
PITTER, Timo (10)
Pounces on deflection, finishes from top
37:45
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ Men's Soccer
D/M
/ Men's SoccerM/F
/ Men's Soccer
GK
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