Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Men's Soccer Continues BIG EAST Push With Match At Marquette On Wednesday
10/23/2017 4:25:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Bluejays are currently in fifth place in the BIG EAST standings with three matches remaining
Download Complete NotesÂ
Wednesday, Oct. 25Â | Creighton at Marquette | Milwaukee, Wis. | 7:00 p.m. (CST)
Up Next
Creighton concludes an extended road trip with a match at Marquette on Wednesday night.Â
Follow The Match
Wednesday's match will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network which can be found at FOXSportsGo.com and the FOX Sports Go app. Patrick Reed will handle play-by-play duties for the match, while Andrew Goldstein will provide sideline reporting.
Live stats for the contest can be found on Gametracker: http://www.gomarquette.com/gametracker/launch/gt_msoccer.html?event=1552068&school=marq&sport=msoccer&camefrom=&startschool=&.
Bluejay fans can also stay updated through the Creighton men's soccer Twitter feed: Twitter.com/CreightonMSoc.
Scouting Creighton (8-4-2, 2-2-2 BE)
The Bluejays enter Wednesday's match in fifth place in the BIG EAST standings with three matches remaining in the regular season.
Creighton is 5-1-2 during its past eight matches after starting the year at 3-3-0.
Senior forward Ricky Lopez-Espin leads the Bluejays and is tied for first in the BIG EAST with nine goals. He also owns two assists to pace the squad with 20 points, and tie for the top spot in the league.
Joel Rydstrand leads the Bluejays and is tied for first in the BIG EAST with six assists.
Lucas Stauffer ranks second on the team in points with nine from two goals and five assists. Â
The Bluejays pace the BIG EAST and are 12th in Division I with 6.43 corner kicks per match. Creighton ranks second in the BIG EAST and 39th in the country with 1.79 goals per match. Â
Senior goalkeeper Michael Kluver is 8-3-1 with five shutouts and a 0.90 goals against average.Â
Last Time Out
The Creighton men's soccer team played Providence to a 0-0 draw on Saturday night at Chapey Field in Providence, R.I.
With the tie, the Bluejays moved to 8-4-2 overall and 2-2-2 during BIG EAST action, while the Friars went to 4-7-3 overall and 1-2-3 in league play.
Saturday's match marked Creighton's fourth overtime match this season. The Bluejays are now 2-1-1 during contests requiring extra time during 2017.
Creighton ended the match with a 17-9 edge in overall shots and 6-2 in shots on goal during 110 minutes of action.
Noah Franke and Ricky Lopez-Espin each fired five shots to pace the Bluejays. Franke also had three shots on goal for a new career-high.
Scouting Marquette (2-9-2, 2-3-1 BE)
After opening the season with six consecutive matches without a result, the Golden Eagles have picked up two conference victories.
Marquette ranks third in the conference with nine goals through six BIG EAST matches, but has scored only 12 overall this season, which ranks 175th in Division I (of 205 teams).Â
The Golden Eagles are paced by Grant Owens' three goals, while three others have scored two a piece.Â
Goalkeeper Luis Barraza has started 10 matches this season and recorded each of Marquette's victories and tallied the team's lone shutout of the season (1-0, 2OT at St. John's).
Head coach Louis Bennett is in his 12th season as head coach at Marquette.Â
Series History vs. Golden Eagles
The all-time series between Creighton and Marquette is tied at 6-6-0.
The Bluejays defeated the Golden Eagles 2-1 last season in Omaha.
Creighton has claimed the last three victories in the series and is 3-1-0 against Marquette during BIG EAST regular-season matches.
The Golden Eagles hold a 3-2-0 edge during matches played in Milwaukee.Â
Tight BIG EAST Race
Creighton and Marquette are fifth and sixth, respectively, in the BIG EAST standings.
The Bluejays have eight points (2-2-2), while the Golden Eagles have seven (2-3-1).
Georgetown and Butler are tied at the top of the league standings with 15 points (both 5-1-0).Â
Creighton is currently two points out of third place, but the Bluejays are also only four points ahead of last-place DePaul with three matches remaining during the regular season.
The top six teams in the final standings qualify for the BIG EAST postseason tournament.Â
The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive home-field advantage in the semifinal round of the tournament (Nov. 8), while the third and fourth-seeded teams will host the No. 5 and No. 6 teams in first-round matches on Nov. 4.Â
The BIG EAST postseason championship will be decided at the home-field of the highest remaining seed on Sunday, Nov. 12.Â
Both Georgetown and Butler clinch spots in the six-team field with victories on Wednesday.
Creighton CANNOT solidify a spot in the conference tournament on Wednesday.Â
The Bluejays have qualified for the postseason conference tournament each year since joining the BIG EAST in 2013, but has never won the tournament and finished runner-up twice (2015, 2016).
Bluejays Logging Extra Minutes
Saturday's match marked Creighton's fourth overtime match this season. The Bluejays are now 2-1-1 during contests requiring extra time during 2017.
Creighton played four overtime matches last season, finishing 0-1-3.
The Bluejays played six overtime matches during the 2012 season, the most by a Creighton team coached by Elmar Bolowich.
Creighton's program-high for OT matches in a single-season is eight in 2006. The Bluejays finished 2-2-3 that season during overtime matches.
Rare Scoreless Draw
Creighton also played to its first scoreless draw since Sept. 21, 2016 against No. 8 Denver.Â
The match on Saturday against Providence also resulted in the Bluejays' first scoreless draw during conference play since Sept. 28, 2013 at No. 12 Georgetown.
The Bluejays have recorded six scoreless draws since Elmar Bolowich took over as head coach prior to the 2011 season (150 matches).Â
CU Seeks To Improve BIG EAST Road Record
Creighton is 0-2-1 during BIG EAST road matches this season with two contests away from Omaha remaining.
The Bluejays finished last season 1-2-1 on the road during the conference slate.Â
Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season, Creighton is 9-8-4 during regular-season conference road matches.Â
By comparison, the Bluejays are 16-4-1 during regular-season BIG EAST matches played in Omaha.
Bluejays Conclude Extended Road Trip
Creighton's match on Wedensday is its second  road contest over the course of five days, and the team did not return to Omaha between the pair of contests.
After playing at Providence on Saturday night, the Bluejays traveled to Chicago on Sunday afternoon and bused to Milwaukee to spend the rest of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in Wisconsin before playing against Marquette on Wednesday night.
Creighton will return to Omaha on Thursday afternoon.
In total, the Bluejays will have been on the road for nearly seven full days from the morning of Friday, Oct. 20 through the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 26.Â
Lopez-Espin Nearing CU Career Goals List
Ricky Lopez-Espin currently has 27 career goals and needs two more to move into a tie for eighth on Creighton's career goals chart.Â
John Probst (1980-83), Ray Nikodem (1980-82), and current Creighton women's soccer coach Ross Paule (1994-96), each scored 29 goals during their Bluejay careers.
The Creighton record for goals during an individual career is 68, set by Keith DeFini (1990-93).
Lopez-Espin is also currently tied for ninth in Creighton men's soccer history with four career multi-goal matches.Â
Lopez-Espin Honored By BIG EAST
Senior forward Ricky Lopez-Espin earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors, the league announced on Oct. 16.
Lopez-Espin scored two goals during the Bluejays' 4-1 victory over Xavier on Oct. 14 night at Morrison Stadium. The senior co-captain also set career-highs for shots (7) and shots on goal (5) against the Musketeers.Â
He tallied Creighton's first goal of the match during the seventh minute and added his second goal during the 59th to give the Bluejays a 3-1 lead.
The Miami, Florida, native has recorded four two-goal matches during his career, including two this season.
The senior also tallied a goal during Creighton's 6-1 win against Drake (Oct. 10) as the Bluejays tied a Morrison Stadium record for goals in a single match.Â
Lopez-Espin is tied for the BIG EAST lead in points (20) and goals scored (9). His goal total also puts him in a tie for 20th-best mark in Division I.
During BIG EAST play, Lopez-Espin has scored a BIG EAST-best five goals through six matches. Since BIG EAST play started on Sept. 16, the senior forward has tallied eight goals during nine matches, while Creighton has outscored the opposition 19-10 and posted a 4-2-2 record (2-2-2 BIG EAST).
Additional Accolades for RLE
Ricky Lopez-Espin also earned a spot on the College Soccer News National Team of the Week (week ending Oct. 15) and the Top Drawer Soccer Men's Team of the Week (Oct 9-15).
He is the first Bluejay to be named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week since Riggs Lennon on Sept. 25, 2016.
RPI Rankings Update
The Bluejays were ranked 37th in the fourth official RPI rankings that were released on Monday, Oct. 23.
Creighton is one of four BIG EAST teams listed in the top 60 (of 205 Division I programs).
11.   Georgetown
15.   ButlerÂ
37.   Creighton
55.   Xavier
The top 10 includes 1) North Carolina, 2) Wake Forest, 3) Duke, 4) Clemson, 5) Indiana, 6) Western Michigan, 7) Notre Dame, 8) Michigan State, 9) Virginia, 10) Louisville.
Iron Men Stauffer and FrankeÂ
Seniors Lucas Stauffer and Noah Franke rank first and second in Division I Men's Soccer for matches played among active players.
Stauffer has played in 82 matches, while Franke currently owns 81 appearances.
Stauffer also played in his 50th match at Morrison Stadium on Oct. 14 against Xavier, which is third-most in program history. Ricardo Perez holds the record for matches played at Morrison Stadium with 52 appearances (2013-16).
The Creighton record for matches played in a career is 90, set by David Wagenfuhr (2000-2003).
The Bluejays have three matches remaining (including Wednesday) during the 2017 regular-season, including one scheduled to be played at Morrison Stadium.Â
Morrison Stadium Goal Record
Creighton tied its own Morrison Stadium record for goals in a single match, as the Bluejays scored six against Drake on Oct. 10.Â
The Jays also scored six goals at Morrison Stadium against Central Arkansas on Sept. 27, 2006, and against UMKC on Nov. 22, 2003.Â
Creighton's six goals also marked its highest total in any match since the Central Arkansas match on Sept. 27, 2006.
The program record for goals in a single match is 14 (14-0 vs. Concordia, 9/25/90).
Bluejays Keep Finding Back of the Net
Creighton scored a total of 10 goals during two matches after tying a Morrison Stadium record with six on against Drake (Oct. 10) and scoring four against Xavier on Oct. 14.Â
The consecutive matches against Drake and Xavier marked the first time since September of 2006 in which the Bluejays scored 10 goals during a two-match stretch (6-1 W vs. Central Arkansas and 4-0 vs. Western Kentucky).Â
BIG EAST High For Goals Scored
The Bluejays goal output on Oct. 10 against Drake was the highest by any BIG EAST school this season and most since the openingÂ
weekend of the 2015 season.
Creighton's six goals were the most by a BIG EAST school since Xavier scored eight against Eastern Illinois on Aug. 28, 2015.Â
Three Is The Magic Number
The Bluejays have scored three or more goals three times this during the 2017 season and are a perect 3-0 during those matches (3-0 W at Cal, 6-1 W vs. Drake, 4-1 W vs. Butler).Â
Creighton finished 9-0-0 when scoring three or more goals last season.
The Bluejays have won their last 45 matches when scoring three or more goals, dating back to a 3-3 tie against Drake (11/7/09).
Creighton has scored three or more goals 225 times in program history while going 221-1-3 in those matches.
The one loss came during the 1990 season. The Bluejays fell to Missouri State 5-4 in overtime.Â
Two-Goal Match
Ricky Lopez-Espin recorded his second brace of the season with goals during the seventh and 59th minutes against Xavier on Saturday night.Â
Lopez-Espin also scored a pair of goals against Butler during the BIG EAST regular-season opener (Sept. 16) for the Bluejays' first multi-goal individual performance of 2017.Â
Marios Lomis' brace against Drake (Oct. 10) marked the second multi-goal performance for Creighton this season.Â
Creighton had a total of five individuals record at least two goals in a match during the 2016Â season (Joel Rydstrand, Riggs Lennon, Ricardo Perez, Ricky Lopez-Espin, Myles Englis).Â
Wednesday, Oct. 25Â | Creighton at Marquette | Milwaukee, Wis. | 7:00 p.m. (CST)
Up Next
Creighton concludes an extended road trip with a match at Marquette on Wednesday night.Â
Follow The Match
Wednesday's match will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network which can be found at FOXSportsGo.com and the FOX Sports Go app. Patrick Reed will handle play-by-play duties for the match, while Andrew Goldstein will provide sideline reporting.
Live stats for the contest can be found on Gametracker: http://www.gomarquette.com/gametracker/launch/gt_msoccer.html?event=1552068&school=marq&sport=msoccer&camefrom=&startschool=&.
Bluejay fans can also stay updated through the Creighton men's soccer Twitter feed: Twitter.com/CreightonMSoc.
Scouting Creighton (8-4-2, 2-2-2 BE)
The Bluejays enter Wednesday's match in fifth place in the BIG EAST standings with three matches remaining in the regular season.
Creighton is 5-1-2 during its past eight matches after starting the year at 3-3-0.
Senior forward Ricky Lopez-Espin leads the Bluejays and is tied for first in the BIG EAST with nine goals. He also owns two assists to pace the squad with 20 points, and tie for the top spot in the league.
Joel Rydstrand leads the Bluejays and is tied for first in the BIG EAST with six assists.
Lucas Stauffer ranks second on the team in points with nine from two goals and five assists. Â
The Bluejays pace the BIG EAST and are 12th in Division I with 6.43 corner kicks per match. Creighton ranks second in the BIG EAST and 39th in the country with 1.79 goals per match. Â
Senior goalkeeper Michael Kluver is 8-3-1 with five shutouts and a 0.90 goals against average.Â
Last Time Out
The Creighton men's soccer team played Providence to a 0-0 draw on Saturday night at Chapey Field in Providence, R.I.
With the tie, the Bluejays moved to 8-4-2 overall and 2-2-2 during BIG EAST action, while the Friars went to 4-7-3 overall and 1-2-3 in league play.
Saturday's match marked Creighton's fourth overtime match this season. The Bluejays are now 2-1-1 during contests requiring extra time during 2017.
Creighton ended the match with a 17-9 edge in overall shots and 6-2 in shots on goal during 110 minutes of action.
Noah Franke and Ricky Lopez-Espin each fired five shots to pace the Bluejays. Franke also had three shots on goal for a new career-high.
Scouting Marquette (2-9-2, 2-3-1 BE)
After opening the season with six consecutive matches without a result, the Golden Eagles have picked up two conference victories.
Marquette ranks third in the conference with nine goals through six BIG EAST matches, but has scored only 12 overall this season, which ranks 175th in Division I (of 205 teams).Â
The Golden Eagles are paced by Grant Owens' three goals, while three others have scored two a piece.Â
Goalkeeper Luis Barraza has started 10 matches this season and recorded each of Marquette's victories and tallied the team's lone shutout of the season (1-0, 2OT at St. John's).
Head coach Louis Bennett is in his 12th season as head coach at Marquette.Â
Series History vs. Golden Eagles
The all-time series between Creighton and Marquette is tied at 6-6-0.
The Bluejays defeated the Golden Eagles 2-1 last season in Omaha.
Creighton has claimed the last three victories in the series and is 3-1-0 against Marquette during BIG EAST regular-season matches.
The Golden Eagles hold a 3-2-0 edge during matches played in Milwaukee.Â
Tight BIG EAST Race
Creighton and Marquette are fifth and sixth, respectively, in the BIG EAST standings.
The Bluejays have eight points (2-2-2), while the Golden Eagles have seven (2-3-1).
Georgetown and Butler are tied at the top of the league standings with 15 points (both 5-1-0).Â
Creighton is currently two points out of third place, but the Bluejays are also only four points ahead of last-place DePaul with three matches remaining during the regular season.
The top six teams in the final standings qualify for the BIG EAST postseason tournament.Â
The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive home-field advantage in the semifinal round of the tournament (Nov. 8), while the third and fourth-seeded teams will host the No. 5 and No. 6 teams in first-round matches on Nov. 4.Â
The BIG EAST postseason championship will be decided at the home-field of the highest remaining seed on Sunday, Nov. 12.Â
Both Georgetown and Butler clinch spots in the six-team field with victories on Wednesday.
Creighton CANNOT solidify a spot in the conference tournament on Wednesday.Â
The Bluejays have qualified for the postseason conference tournament each year since joining the BIG EAST in 2013, but has never won the tournament and finished runner-up twice (2015, 2016).
Bluejays Logging Extra Minutes
Saturday's match marked Creighton's fourth overtime match this season. The Bluejays are now 2-1-1 during contests requiring extra time during 2017.
Creighton played four overtime matches last season, finishing 0-1-3.
The Bluejays played six overtime matches during the 2012 season, the most by a Creighton team coached by Elmar Bolowich.
Creighton's program-high for OT matches in a single-season is eight in 2006. The Bluejays finished 2-2-3 that season during overtime matches.
Rare Scoreless Draw
Creighton also played to its first scoreless draw since Sept. 21, 2016 against No. 8 Denver.Â
The match on Saturday against Providence also resulted in the Bluejays' first scoreless draw during conference play since Sept. 28, 2013 at No. 12 Georgetown.
The Bluejays have recorded six scoreless draws since Elmar Bolowich took over as head coach prior to the 2011 season (150 matches).Â
CU Seeks To Improve BIG EAST Road Record
Creighton is 0-2-1 during BIG EAST road matches this season with two contests away from Omaha remaining.
The Bluejays finished last season 1-2-1 on the road during the conference slate.Â
Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season, Creighton is 9-8-4 during regular-season conference road matches.Â
By comparison, the Bluejays are 16-4-1 during regular-season BIG EAST matches played in Omaha.
Bluejays Conclude Extended Road Trip
Creighton's match on Wedensday is its second  road contest over the course of five days, and the team did not return to Omaha between the pair of contests.
After playing at Providence on Saturday night, the Bluejays traveled to Chicago on Sunday afternoon and bused to Milwaukee to spend the rest of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in Wisconsin before playing against Marquette on Wednesday night.
Creighton will return to Omaha on Thursday afternoon.
In total, the Bluejays will have been on the road for nearly seven full days from the morning of Friday, Oct. 20 through the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 26.Â
Lopez-Espin Nearing CU Career Goals List
Ricky Lopez-Espin currently has 27 career goals and needs two more to move into a tie for eighth on Creighton's career goals chart.Â
John Probst (1980-83), Ray Nikodem (1980-82), and current Creighton women's soccer coach Ross Paule (1994-96), each scored 29 goals during their Bluejay careers.
The Creighton record for goals during an individual career is 68, set by Keith DeFini (1990-93).
Lopez-Espin is also currently tied for ninth in Creighton men's soccer history with four career multi-goal matches.Â
Lopez-Espin Honored By BIG EAST
Senior forward Ricky Lopez-Espin earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors, the league announced on Oct. 16.
Lopez-Espin scored two goals during the Bluejays' 4-1 victory over Xavier on Oct. 14 night at Morrison Stadium. The senior co-captain also set career-highs for shots (7) and shots on goal (5) against the Musketeers.Â
He tallied Creighton's first goal of the match during the seventh minute and added his second goal during the 59th to give the Bluejays a 3-1 lead.
The Miami, Florida, native has recorded four two-goal matches during his career, including two this season.
The senior also tallied a goal during Creighton's 6-1 win against Drake (Oct. 10) as the Bluejays tied a Morrison Stadium record for goals in a single match.Â
Lopez-Espin is tied for the BIG EAST lead in points (20) and goals scored (9). His goal total also puts him in a tie for 20th-best mark in Division I.
During BIG EAST play, Lopez-Espin has scored a BIG EAST-best five goals through six matches. Since BIG EAST play started on Sept. 16, the senior forward has tallied eight goals during nine matches, while Creighton has outscored the opposition 19-10 and posted a 4-2-2 record (2-2-2 BIG EAST).
Additional Accolades for RLE
Ricky Lopez-Espin also earned a spot on the College Soccer News National Team of the Week (week ending Oct. 15) and the Top Drawer Soccer Men's Team of the Week (Oct 9-15).
He is the first Bluejay to be named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week since Riggs Lennon on Sept. 25, 2016.
RPI Rankings Update
The Bluejays were ranked 37th in the fourth official RPI rankings that were released on Monday, Oct. 23.
Creighton is one of four BIG EAST teams listed in the top 60 (of 205 Division I programs).
11.   Georgetown
15.   ButlerÂ
37.   Creighton
55.   Xavier
The top 10 includes 1) North Carolina, 2) Wake Forest, 3) Duke, 4) Clemson, 5) Indiana, 6) Western Michigan, 7) Notre Dame, 8) Michigan State, 9) Virginia, 10) Louisville.
Iron Men Stauffer and FrankeÂ
Seniors Lucas Stauffer and Noah Franke rank first and second in Division I Men's Soccer for matches played among active players.
Stauffer has played in 82 matches, while Franke currently owns 81 appearances.
Stauffer also played in his 50th match at Morrison Stadium on Oct. 14 against Xavier, which is third-most in program history. Ricardo Perez holds the record for matches played at Morrison Stadium with 52 appearances (2013-16).
The Creighton record for matches played in a career is 90, set by David Wagenfuhr (2000-2003).
The Bluejays have three matches remaining (including Wednesday) during the 2017 regular-season, including one scheduled to be played at Morrison Stadium.Â
Morrison Stadium Goal Record
Creighton tied its own Morrison Stadium record for goals in a single match, as the Bluejays scored six against Drake on Oct. 10.Â
The Jays also scored six goals at Morrison Stadium against Central Arkansas on Sept. 27, 2006, and against UMKC on Nov. 22, 2003.Â
Creighton's six goals also marked its highest total in any match since the Central Arkansas match on Sept. 27, 2006.
The program record for goals in a single match is 14 (14-0 vs. Concordia, 9/25/90).
Bluejays Keep Finding Back of the Net
Creighton scored a total of 10 goals during two matches after tying a Morrison Stadium record with six on against Drake (Oct. 10) and scoring four against Xavier on Oct. 14.Â
The consecutive matches against Drake and Xavier marked the first time since September of 2006 in which the Bluejays scored 10 goals during a two-match stretch (6-1 W vs. Central Arkansas and 4-0 vs. Western Kentucky).Â
BIG EAST High For Goals Scored
The Bluejays goal output on Oct. 10 against Drake was the highest by any BIG EAST school this season and most since the openingÂ
weekend of the 2015 season.
Creighton's six goals were the most by a BIG EAST school since Xavier scored eight against Eastern Illinois on Aug. 28, 2015.Â
Three Is The Magic Number
The Bluejays have scored three or more goals three times this during the 2017 season and are a perect 3-0 during those matches (3-0 W at Cal, 6-1 W vs. Drake, 4-1 W vs. Butler).Â
Creighton finished 9-0-0 when scoring three or more goals last season.
The Bluejays have won their last 45 matches when scoring three or more goals, dating back to a 3-3 tie against Drake (11/7/09).
Creighton has scored three or more goals 225 times in program history while going 221-1-3 in those matches.
The one loss came during the 1990 season. The Bluejays fell to Missouri State 5-4 in overtime.Â
Two-Goal Match
Ricky Lopez-Espin recorded his second brace of the season with goals during the seventh and 59th minutes against Xavier on Saturday night.Â
Lopez-Espin also scored a pair of goals against Butler during the BIG EAST regular-season opener (Sept. 16) for the Bluejays' first multi-goal individual performance of 2017.Â
Marios Lomis' brace against Drake (Oct. 10) marked the second multi-goal performance for Creighton this season.Â
Creighton had a total of five individuals record at least two goals in a match during the 2016Â season (Joel Rydstrand, Riggs Lennon, Ricardo Perez, Ricky Lopez-Espin, Myles Englis).Â
Players Mentioned
Creighton MSOC Highlights & Postgame vs Oral Roberts--9-13-25
Sunday, September 14
Creighton MSOC Highlights & Postgame vs Omaha 9-10-25
Thursday, September 11
Creighton Men's Soccer Media Availability September 9
Tuesday, September 09
Creighton Men's Soccer Highlights & Postgame vs Denver 9-5-25
Saturday, September 06