Creighton University
6-1-1, 1-0-0
Villanova
3-4-1, 0-1-0
No. 12 Men?s Soccer Earns 1-0 Victory at Villanova in BIG EAST Opener
9/27/2014 6:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer
VILLANOVA, Pa. – The No. 12 Creighton men's soccer team earned a 1-0 victory at Villanova in the 2014 BIG EAST opener for both teams at the Wildcats' Higgins Soccer Complex Saturday afternoon.
CU freshman Lucas Stauffer's his first career goal for the Bluejays was the difference maker. Shortly after his shot rebounded off the goal hardware, Stauffer headed in a rebound to give the Jays a 1-0 lead just 15 minutes into the contest. That goal held as the game winner as the Jays' defense and junior goalkeeper Connor Sparrow recorded their fifth shutout of the year.
With the win, Creighton improved to 6-1-1 overall and 1-0-0 in conference play. Villanova dropped to 0-1-0 in the BIG EAST and 3-4-1 overall following the loss.
The win is the first road victory for the Jays this year after a 1-1 draw at Tulsa earlier this month to move to 1-0-1 away from home. It also marks Creighton's second consecutive 1-0 win in a BIG EAST conference opener after defeating then-No. 7 St. John's 1-0 in overtime at Morrison Stadium last season.
Creighton controlled the ball much of the first half and created several scoring opportunities. Stauffer's goal helped CU remain undefeated this season with a halftime lead at 3-0-1.
The second of two yellow cards issued to Villanova's Oscar Umar resulted in a red card at 53:02. As a result, the Wildcats played a man down for the remainder of the second half.
Creighton dominated on offense with a 28-9 lead in shot attempts and an 11-2 advantage in corner kicks.
CU avenged its first loss in the series with the Wildcats when the Bluejays fell to Villanova 1-0 in overtime on Oct. 19, 2013 in the programs' first meeting. The all-time series is now tied at 1-1.
The No. 12 Bluejays return home next week for a pair of matches against non-conference foe UMKC on Tuesday and BIG EAST rival Seton Hall next Saturday.
Team Stats
STAUFFER, Lucas
Assisted By: HERBERS, Fabian
Header off rebound
15:52
