BOWLING GREEN, Ky. ? Two second-half goals by Thomas Gjoesund helped lead the 10th-ranked Creighton men's soccer team to a 2-1 come-from-behind win at Western Kentucky Wednesday night in Missouri Valley Conference action. Creighton trailed at halftime for the third straight match and the fourth time in the last five contests, but goals in the 80th and 87th minutes helped the Bluejays improve to 7-1-4 overall and 2-0-1 in MVC play.
Western Kentucky (1-9-4, 0-2-1 MVC) got on the board in the 22nd minute, when Glen Marshall scored his first goal of the season for the Hilltoppers. WKU claimed a 1-0 lead at halftime, despite the Bluejays earning eight first-half corner kicks.
Gjoesund scored his first goal of the night in the 80th minute. After Andrei Gotsmanov was fouled, Seth Sinovic took a quick restart and got the ball to Tim Bohnenkamp on the wing. The speedy senior drove at his player and sent a crossing pass to the far post where Tim Walters knocked ball down and Gjoesund finished.
The sophomore from Norway struck again in the 87th minute, when he scored his second game-winning goal of the season. His fourth goal of the year was set up again by a foul on Gotsmanov. This time, Gotsmanov was taken down just outside the top of the 18-yard box, setting up a free-kick opportunity which Gjoesund buried at the 86:20 mark.
“It was another great comeback by the team,” said head coach Bob Warming after the Bluejays improved to 4-0-0 away from Omaha this year. “I continue to be impressed with the character of our team, and how they fight back. After Western Kentucky went up 1-0, they put nine or 10 guys within about 35 yards of their own goal and it was very difficult for us to get behind them. We controlled possession much of the night, but it was so compact back there it was tough to get very deep.”
The Bluejays improved to 2-0-2 when trailing at halftime this season, while they have the same 2-0-2 mark when the opponent scores first this year. The Bluejays are now 2-0-0 in road matches and 2-0-0 in neutral site games to remain perfect away from Omaha.
“I give a lot of credit to Western Kentucky for fighting hard tonight,” said Warming. “I know they've had a difficult season, but you could tell they were putting all their energy and effort into the match tonight. They certainly have a much better team, and more talented players, than their record would indicate.”
Matt Allen made six saves to move his career total to 226, surpassing Jay Fitzgerald (224) for third on the CU career saves list.
Creighton remains on the road during its Fall Break for a non-conference contest at UNC Greensboro Saturday. The Bluejays and Spartans (6-6-2) will kickoff at 6 p.m. (CST) on Saturday. Live video and live stats of the match can be found online at www.gocreighton.com.
