Men's Soccer Opens BIG EAST Postseason Play At St. John's On Saturday

Download Complete Notes

Saturday, Nov. 4 | Creighton at St. John's | Queens, N.Y. | 5:00 p.m. (CST)

Up Next
Creighton opens BIG EAST Tournament play with a first-round match at St. John's on Saturday. The Bluejays are the No. 6 seed, while the Red Storm are the No. 3 seed in the six-team field. The winner of Saturday's match will advance to the semifinal round for a contest at second-seeded Georgetown on Wednesday.

Follow The Match
Saturday's match will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network which can be found at FOXSportsGo.com and the FOX Sports Go app.

Live stats for the contest can be found on Gametracker: http://www.redstormsports.com/gametracker/launch/gt_msoccer.html?event=1552226&school=stjo&sport=msoccer&camefrom=&startschool=&

Bluejay fans can also stay updated through the Creighton men's soccer Twitter feed: Twitter.com/CreightonMSoc.

Scouting Creighton (9-6-2, 3-4-2 BE)
The Bluejays finished the regular season in a tie for fifth place in the BIG EAST with 11 points (3-4-2) and earned the No. 6 seed in the postseason conference tournament.

Senior forward Ricky Lopez-Espin leads the BIG EAST in goals (11) and points (25). He also led the league in goals (7), points (15), and shots (35) during
conference play. Lopez-Espin's goal total ranks 13th in Division I, and point total is 22nd-best nationally.

Marios Lomis, Noah Franke, Lucas Stauffer and Joel Rydstrand are all tied for second on the team with 10 points. Lomis has five goals, Franke has three goals and four assists, and Stauffer ows two goals and six assists.

Rydstrand is tied for the BIG EAST lead with eight assists and also has one goal. The junior's assist total ranks 12th in the nation.

Rydstrand and Kuba Polat each had four assists during league contests, which ranked fourth-best in the BIG EAST.

The Bluejays scored a league-best 16 goals during nine conference matches and 31 overall to tie for the best performance among BIG EAST teams during the regular season.

Senior goalkeeper Michael Kluver is 9-5-1 with six shutouts and a 1.18 GAA.

Last Time Out
The Creighton men's soccer team concluded the regular season with a 3-1 loss at No. 18 Georgetown on Wednesday afternoon at Shaw Field.

Despite the loss, the Bluejays qualified for the BIG EAST postseason tournament because of DePaul's 3-1 victory over Marquette, as Creighton entered the day one point ahead of Marquette and Providence in the standings, with all three teams fighting for the final two spots in the six-team conference tournament.

Creighton gained a 1-0 lead over Georgetown during the 27th minute. Joel Rydstrand crossed in a ball from near the endline to Ricky Lopez-Espin who headed the ball into the back of the net from five yards out for his BIG EAST-leading 11th goal of the season.

Georgetown ended the match with three unanswered goals, including the final two from freshman Derek Dodson.

Scouting St. John's (8-6-3, 5-2-2 BE)
The Red Storm enter the BIG EAST tournament with a four-match unbeaten streak. During that stretch, St. John's has allowed only one goal.

Junior goalkeeper Andrew Withers is the Division I active leader for save percentage (.836) and leads the BIG EAST this season with a .855 mark (65 saves) and 0.62 goals against average (11 goals allowed).

Alistair Johnston and Filippo Ricupati each have four goals to pace the Red Storm while seven different players have contributed to the team's 18 goals this season, which is tied for ninth in the BIG EAST.

St. John's outscored its opponents 10-5 during BIG EAST play.

The Red Storm have captured a league-record nine BIG EAST tournament championships with its last coming in 2011. This is St. John's first appearance in the league tournament since its 2011 title.

Head coach Dr. Dave Masur ranks in a tie for sixth among active Division I head coaches with 400 career victories during 27 seasons.

Series History vs. Red Storm
Creighton leads the all-time series against St. John's 4-2-2.

Earlier this season (Oct. 6), the Bluejays and Red Storm played to a 2-2 draw during a match that ended after 81 minutes because of weather.

The 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 foreseeable future.

The match reached the required 70-minute plateau to consider the contest complete.

Creighton starting goalkeeper Michael Kluver did not play against St. John's earlier this season because he was serving a one-game suspension after receiving a red card against Seton Hall (Sept. 30). Collin Validivia made his first and only career start against the Red Storm last month.

Creighton and St. John's tied 1-1 (2OT) last season in Queens, New York, with Ricky Lopez-Espin scoring the Bluejays' lone goal.

The Bluejays are 2-0-1 in true road matches against the Red Storm.

The two teams have not met during the BIG EAST Tournament, but have met on three occasions during the NCAA Tournament with St. John's winning two out of the three
matches.

St. John's defeated CU 3-2 during the 2003 Elite Eight (match played at College Park, Maryland), and also claimed a 2-1 win at the 1996 College Cup in Richmond, Virginia, Creighton's first appearance in the College Cup.

The Bluejays defeated the Red Storm 1-0 in overtime during the 2002 Sweet Sixteen.

Three of the previous eight meetings have gone to overtime, including the 2013 matchup during Creighton's first BIG EAST match (1-0 CU win), and two out of the three all-time meetings in Queens.

Pair of Coaching Experts
Creighton's Elmar Bolowich and St. John's Dr. Dave Masur have a combined 784 victories as Division I men's soccer coaches. Both rank in the top 10 among active coaches for career wins.

Masur earned his 400th victory on Oct. 28 against Georgetown and ranks in a tie for sixth on the Division I list for active coaching victories during 27 seasons at St. John's.

Bolowich owns 384 wins during 29 combined seasons at Creighton and North Carolina, and ranks ninth on the active wins list.

Bolowich is one of two active head coaches to lead his program to six College Cups (four at North Carolina, two at Creighton), while Masur has reached four College Cups.

Only Maryland's Sasho Cirovski owns more College Cup appearances (eight) than Bolowich. Cirovski is also tied with Masur on the active wins list.

Both coaches also claim one national title. Masur and St. John's won the 1996 national title, while Bolowich claimed the 2001 national championship at North Carolina.

BIG EAST Postseason History
Creighton is 3-4 during four BIG EAST tournament appearances.

The Bluejays are also 1-3 in true road BIG EAST Tournament matches.

Creighton is 1-1 all-time in first round BIG EAST play, which includes a 3-1 victory last season at home against Xavier and a 2-1 loss at Providence during the 2013 tournament.

BIG EAST Tournament Stat Leaders
Ricky Lopez-Espin earned a spot on the 2016 BIG EAST All-Tournament team after scoring two goals during three matches last season.

Lopez-Espin has played in five BIG EAST postseason matches and scored two goals.

Lucas Stauffer and Noah Franke have each played six BIG EAST tournament matches, which is the most by any active Bluejay.

Joel Rydstrand scored a goal during Creighton's 2015 BIG EAST semifinal victory over Providence, and joins Lopez-Espin as the only active Bluejays to record a point during a BIG EAST postseason match.

MSOC Seeking First BE Men's Tourney Title
The Creighton men's soccer team is looking to become the first Creighton men's team to win a BIG EAST Tournament title in any sport.

Across all sports, Creighton has played in 12 BIG EAST Tournament championship games, but only the volleyball program has won a title.

The volleyball team is 3-1 in the title match, with victories in 2014 (over Seton Hall), 2015 (Villanova) and 2016 (Xavier). Creighton's other teams to reach the finals include its baseball team is (0-3), the men's soccer team (0-2), the men's basketball team (0-2) and the women's basketball team (0-1).

The Bluejay men's soccer team's two BIG EAST title match appearances have occurred during the past two seasons, a 2-1 double overtime loss at Georgetown during 2015 and a 2-1 loss at Butler last season.

The Creighton men's soccer program captured 13 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles as a member of the conference from 1991-2012 (22 seasons).

Conference Success
Creighton finished the 2017 BIG EAST season 3-4-1, marking the first time the Bluejays finished with more losses than wins during conference play.

In 27 seasons combined in the Missouri Valley Conference (22 seasons) and BIG EAST (five seasons), Creighton has finished at .500 only once (4-4-1 in 2013) and with at least two more wins than losses 25 times.

Creighton has never missed a postseason conference tournament in program history and has claimed 13 tournament titles (all while member of Missouri Valley Conference).

CU Seeks First BIG EAST Road Win
Creighton concluded the regular season 0-4-1 during BIG EAST road matches.

Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season, Creighton is 9-10-4 during regular-season conference road matches.

By comparison, the Bluejays are 17-4-1 during regular-season BIG EAST matches played in Omaha.

Creighton owns only one win during four true road BIG EAST postseason matches (1-3). By comparison, the Bluejays are 2-0 during home BIG EAST Tournament matches and 0-1 in neutral site contests.

Lopez-Espin Tied 8th On CU Career Goals List
Ricky Lopez-Espin's goal on Wednesday afternoon was the 29th during his four-year career, which is tied for the eighth-best mark in program history.

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.

RLE Posts Back-To-Back 10-Goal Seasons
Ricky Lopez-Espin has scored 11 goals this season and posted 10 last year.

The Miami, Florida, native is the third Creighton player since 2003 to post back-to-back double-digit goal seasons.

Fabian Herbers had 15 goals during 2015 and 10 during 2014, while Ethan Finlay had 14 during 2011 after posting 15 in 2010.

Lopez-Espin's 11 goals this season leads the BIG EAST and ranks 13th in Division I.

Iron Men Stauffer and Franke
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 85 matches, while Franke currently owns 84 appearances.

Stauffer also played in his 51st match at Morrison Stadium on Oct. 28 against DePaul, which is tied with Timo Pitter (20112-15) for second-most in program history. Ricardo Perez (2013-16) holds the record for matches played at Morrison Stadium with 52 appearances.

The Creighton record for matches played in a career is 90, set by David Wagenfuhr (2000-2003).

Recent Shootout History
Under coach Elmar Bolowich, Creighton has partipated in three shootouts.

The Bluejays are have advanced once on penalty kicks and been eliminated in the NCAA Tournament twice.

During its last penalty kick shootout, UMBC advanced with a 4-3 edge in PKs to eliminate Creighton during the 2014 NCAA quarterfinals.

The last time the Bluejays advanced on penalty kicks was during the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Creighton advanced past No. 1 Akron 5-4 on penalty kicks to reach the quarterfinal round.

Lucas Stauffer is Creighton's lone active player to participate in a shootout. Stauffer attempted and made the Bluejays' third penalty kick against UMBC during the 2014 NCAA quarterfinals.

Below is a list of the active Bluejays' career penalty kick stats, (includes shootouts):

Player   Career   2017
Ricky Lopez-Espin   2-2   1-1
Marios Lomis   1-1   1-1
Lucas Stauffer   2-3   ---

None of Creighton's active goalkeepers have participated in a shootout, but the Bluejays have allowed three penalty kick opportunities during the 2017 season. Opponents are a perfect 3-3 on PK chances this season.

Below are the individual stats for Creighton's goalkeepers during PK situations:

Goalie   PKs Faced   PK Saves
Collin Valdivia   2   0
Michael Kluver   1   0

RPI Rankings Update
The Bluejays were ranked 47th in the fifth official RPI rankings that were released on Monday, Oct. 30.

Creighton is one of four BIG EAST teams listed in the top 60 (of 205 Division I programs).

17.   Butler
22.   Georgetown
47.   Creighton
52.   Xavier

The top 10 includes 1) North Carolina, 2) Wake Forest, 3) Duke, 4) Louisville, 5) Indiana, 6) Michigan State, 7) Clemson, 8) Western Michigan, 9) Akron, 10) Notre Dame.

Lopez-Espin Makes BE Weekly Honor Roll
Ricky Lopez-Espin earned a spot on the penultimate BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 30) after recording a goal and an assist during Creighton's 2-0 victory against DePaul on Saturday.

The senior forward has made the weekly honor roll three times this season.

Senior Contributions
The Bluejays' 2017 roster features six seniors (Noah Franke, Michael Kluver, Marios Lomis, Ricky Lopez-Espin, Lucas Stauffer, Stefan Wutte).

The seniors have scored 21 of Creighton's 31 goals and own a combined 14 assists.

Lopez-Espin leads the BIG EAST with 11 goals. The Miami, Florida, native, also has three assists.

Franke owns three goals and four assists while ranking fourth on the team with 1,369 minutes played.

Stauffer has six assists, two goals and leads the team with 1,460 minutes played this season.

Lomis has five goals, including the game-winner during Creighton's 1-0 double overtime victory over Grand Canyon (Aug. 27) for the team's first victory of the season, and two multi-goal matches.

Wutte has played 32 minutes this season.

Kluver, during his fifth year with the program, claims six shutouts during 16 starts. He also holds a 1.18 goals against average. The Omaha native, also has one assist.

Creighton Lights Up Shot Column
The Bluejays fired 31 shots on Oct. 25 against Marquette, the most by a Creighton team since Oct. 24, 2015 when the Jays had 39 during a 5-1 victory over Villanova.

Marios Lomis also recorded a career-high nine shots, the most by a Creighton individual since Riggs Lennon had 10 last season at St. John's (Oct. 1, 2016).

Creighton leads the BIG EAST and ranks 9th in Division I with 16.06 shots per match.

Corner Kicks A Plenty
Creighton recorded 13 corner kicks against Marquette (Oct. 25), the most in a single match since the Bluejays had 15 at SMU on Nov. 21, 2010 during Creighton's last match not coached by Elmar Bolowich.

The Bluejays have taken 115 corner kicks this season. The program record for corners during a single season is 163, achieved by the 2002 College Cup squad.

Creighton averages 6.76 corner kicks per match, which is second in the BIG EAST and ranks 8th in Division I.

Unusual Lost Lead
Creighton's loss against Butler (Sept. 16) marked only its second under head coach Elmar Bolowich when leading at the half. The Bluejays led 1-0 at the half before falling 3-2 in overtime.

The Bluejays are 62-2-3 under Bolowich when leading at halftime.

The Bluejays' loss during the 2016 regular season against Tulsa (Oct. 11, 2016) was its first when leading at the half the during coach Elmar Bolowich's tenure as the Bluejay head man. Creighton had been 54-0-3 in its previous 57 matches with a halftime lead, with its last loss coming Nov. 12, 2010 at Bradley.

Creighton's loss against Georgetown on Wednesday marked just its ninth loss under Bolowich when scoring first. The Jays are 89-9-4 under Bolowich when scoring first.

By contrast, CU is 7-17-2 when trailing at the half and 15-26-4 when the opposition scores first.

Men's Soccer Opens BIG EAST Postseason Play At St. John's On Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Noah Franke

Michael Kluver

Riggs Lennon

Ricky Lopez-Espin

Ricardo Perez

Joel Rydstrand

Lucas Stauffer

Collin Valdivia

Stefan Wutte