Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Men's Soccer Draws 2-2 Against St. John's During Weather-Shortened Match
10/6/2017 10:20:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Match called during the 81st minute after a one hour and 19 minute rain delay
OMAHA, Neb. – The Creighton men's soccer team and St. John's tied 2-2 after playing into the 81st minute on a rainy Friday night at Morrison Stadium.
Friday's match entered a lightning delay during the 81st minute, and officials ended the contest after a one hour and 19 minute delay because of persistent lightning in the area and no end to the storms in the near future. The match reached the required 70-minute plateau to consider the contest complete.
The Bluejays are now 6-4-1 overall and 1-2-1 in BIG EAST play, while St. John's moved to 5-4-2 overall and 2-1-1 during league action.
Creighton opened the scoring with goal from a penalty kick during the 31st minute.
Ricky Lopez-Espin scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season to give the Bluejays a 1-0 lead. Lopez-Espin's right-footed shot marked the Bluejays first PK attempt of the season.
Noah Franke drew a foul in the box to setup the penalty kick.
St. John's opened the match with the first four shots before Creighton took 11 of the final 12 shots during the first 45 minutes, and ended the first half with an 11-5 edge.
The Bluejays gained momentum during the 17th minute when Lopez-Espin fired the first two Creighton shot attempts. The first resulted in Andrew Withers' first save of the night, and the second ended up out of bounds after being blocked by a Red Storm defender.
Withers made four saves before halftime for St. John's to keep the match at 1-0 in favor of the Bluejays.
The Red Storm evened the match less than a minute into the second half. Harry Cooksley put St. John's on the scoreboard with a penalty kick at the 45:53 mark to tie the contest at one.
During the 52nd minute, St. John's Mauricio Rivas received a red card, forcing the Red Storm to play a man down for the remainder of the match.
Despite playing with one less attacker St. John's took the lead during the 56th minute.
About 10 minutes after his first goal of the match, Cooksley gave the Red Storm a 2-1 lead. Jack Shearer maneuvered down the right-side of the 18-yard box before finding Cooksley on the edge of the six-yard box. Creighton goalkeeper Collin Valdivia had limited time to react as Cooksley touched the ball with the outside of his foot and slotted the ball inside the near post without completely turning his body towards the end line.
Creighton tied the match at two during the 69th minute as Connor Ramlo tallied his first career goal with a header off a free kick. Joel Rydstrand sent a free kick from about 30 yards out into the middle of the box where Ramlo headed the ball into the back of the net from seven yards out.
The Bluejays ended the match with a 19-10 edge in shots, including 10-3 in shots on goal.
Sophomore goalkeeper Collin Valdivia made one save during his first start as a Bluejay. Withers ended the match with a season-high eight saves for St. John's
Creighton returns to action on Tuesday night at home against Drake. Kickoff between the Bluejays and Bulldogs is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Morrison Stadium.
Friday's match entered a lightning delay during the 81st minute, and officials ended the contest after a one hour and 19 minute delay because of persistent lightning in the area and no end to the storms in the near future. The match reached the required 70-minute plateau to consider the contest complete.
The Bluejays are now 6-4-1 overall and 1-2-1 in BIG EAST play, while St. John's moved to 5-4-2 overall and 2-1-1 during league action.
Creighton opened the scoring with goal from a penalty kick during the 31st minute.
Ricky Lopez-Espin scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season to give the Bluejays a 1-0 lead. Lopez-Espin's right-footed shot marked the Bluejays first PK attempt of the season.
Noah Franke drew a foul in the box to setup the penalty kick.
St. John's opened the match with the first four shots before Creighton took 11 of the final 12 shots during the first 45 minutes, and ended the first half with an 11-5 edge.
The Bluejays gained momentum during the 17th minute when Lopez-Espin fired the first two Creighton shot attempts. The first resulted in Andrew Withers' first save of the night, and the second ended up out of bounds after being blocked by a Red Storm defender.
Withers made four saves before halftime for St. John's to keep the match at 1-0 in favor of the Bluejays.
The Red Storm evened the match less than a minute into the second half. Harry Cooksley put St. John's on the scoreboard with a penalty kick at the 45:53 mark to tie the contest at one.
During the 52nd minute, St. John's Mauricio Rivas received a red card, forcing the Red Storm to play a man down for the remainder of the match.
Despite playing with one less attacker St. John's took the lead during the 56th minute.
About 10 minutes after his first goal of the match, Cooksley gave the Red Storm a 2-1 lead. Jack Shearer maneuvered down the right-side of the 18-yard box before finding Cooksley on the edge of the six-yard box. Creighton goalkeeper Collin Valdivia had limited time to react as Cooksley touched the ball with the outside of his foot and slotted the ball inside the near post without completely turning his body towards the end line.
Creighton tied the match at two during the 69th minute as Connor Ramlo tallied his first career goal with a header off a free kick. Joel Rydstrand sent a free kick from about 30 yards out into the middle of the box where Ramlo headed the ball into the back of the net from seven yards out.
The Bluejays ended the match with a 19-10 edge in shots, including 10-3 in shots on goal.
Sophomore goalkeeper Collin Valdivia made one save during his first start as a Bluejay. Withers ended the match with a season-high eight saves for St. John's
Creighton returns to action on Tuesday night at home against Drake. Kickoff between the Bluejays and Bulldogs is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Morrison Stadium.
Players Mentioned
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