Sunday, November 15
Washington, D.C.
12:00 pm
Creighton University
at
Georgetown
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
No. 5 Men's Soccer Visits No. 3 Georgetown For BIG EAST Tournament Championship
11/14/2015 2:34:00 PM | Men's Soccer
BIG EAST Final • Sun., Nov. 15 • #5 Creighton at #3 Georgetown • Washington, D.C. • 12:00 p.m. CST
Getting Up To Speed
Fifth-ranked and second-seeded Creighton (17-2-0) will look to capture the program's 14th conference tournament championship as the Bluejays visit third-ranked and top-seeded Georgetown (14-2-2) on Sunday, Nov. 15 in the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship.
After receiving a first-round bye, the Bluejays defeated sixth-seeded Providence, 2-1, in Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 12 in a physical semifinal match that featured 27 total fouls, four yellow cards, and two penalty kicks. Since relaunching the program in 1990, Creighton has not lost consecutive home matches.
Meanwhile, the Hoyas, the BIG EAST regular season champions, bested fourth-seeded Xavier, 1-0, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Nov. 12. Georgetown will enter Sunday's final in the midst of a 12-match win streak and 15-match unbeaten streak. The Hoyas have not suffered a loss since Sept. 4 versus perinnial power Akron.
Sunday's league tournament championship match will kick off at 12:00 p.m. CST and will take place at Georgetown's Shaw Field in Washington, D.C.
Follow The Match
Sunday's match will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) and FOXSportsGO.com. The BIG EAST is the first and only collegiate conference to be hosted on FOX's mobile platform, FOX Sports GO.
FOX Sports Go is currently available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and phones, select Windows devices, and on desktops. Fans can download the mobile app for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store, and Windows Store.
Live stats for the match can be accessed via Georgetown's men's soccer schedule page at GUHoyas.com.
Scoring updates, infographics, and periodic video highlights will be provided via Twitter at @CreightonMSOC.
Scouting Creighton
The No. 5 Bluejays are 17-2-0 on the season after wins versus Michigan (1-0), Milwaukee (4-0), CSUN (2-1), No. 13 UC Irvine (4-0), Michigan State (1-0), Tulsa (1-0), Northern Illinois (2-0), Seton Hall (4-2), Missouri State (4-0), DePaul (1-0), Drake (2-1), St. John's (2-1), Butler (1-0), Marquette (3-1), Villanova (5-1), Providence (3-1, 2-1), and losses to Xavier (2-1) and No. 6 Georgetown (2-1).
The Bluejays return eight starters and 13 lettermen from last year's team that won the BIG EAST Conference regular-season title, advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, and ranked No. 7 in the year-end NSCAA poll.
Creighton returns 30 of its 32 goals from last year, including each of its top six scorers. The Bluejays also return 24-of-30 assists from a year ago, and all but five minutes of the nearly 2,044 minutes in goal from last season.
Junior forward Fabian Herbers (15g, 12a this year) has emerged as a frontrunner for National Player of the Year honors, as he's contributed at least one point in 18 of Creighton's 19 games, including a point in the Bluejays' first 10 matches. With 42 total points, Herbers is the leading point scorer in NCAA Division I and the only player to rank in the top 10 in both goals (15) and assists (12). Last week, Herbers was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year for a second-consecutive year. Last season, he led the conference with 28 points, was second in the league with four game-winning goals, and third in both goals (10) and assists (8) en route to earning First-Team All-America accolades. Herbers was also a Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-American last year. He ranks fourth among active NCAA D-I players for career points per game (1.38). He and teammate Timo Pitter are tied for most career points among active players with 80.
Senior Timo Pitter (7g, 3a this year) paced the league in assists (9), shots (75) and shots on goal (36) during a 2014 campaign that saw him add Second Team All-America plaudits. Joining teammates Fabian Herbers and Vincent Keller on the All-BIG EAST First Team this season, Pitter was named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year for a second-consecutive year.
Senior goalkeeper Connor Sparrow (0.69 GAA this year) returns in net after ranking second nationally in goals against average (0.49) and 10th in save percentage (.841) a year ago. Sparrow's career 0.56 goals against average as a Bluejay is the best in Creighton history among goalies with at least 2,000 minutes in net. Last week, Sparrow was named BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year alongside Xavier's Dallas Jaye.
Five players have scored at least nine points for the Bluejays this season: Fabian Herbers (40), Timo Pitter (17), Myles Englis (9), Ricardo Perez (9), and Fernando Castellanos (9).
Scouting Georgetown
Winners of 12 consecutive matches, the Hoyas will enter Sunday's final in the midst of a program-best 15-match unbeaten streak dating back to Sept. 7.
From Sept. 26 through Oct. 24, Georgetown earned a program-best six consecutive shutouts, breaking the previous record set in 1998.
Georgetown is paced on the pitch by defender Joshua Yaro and forward Brandon Allen. Last season, Yaro and Allen earned NSCAA/Continental Tire Men's All-America First Team and Third Team honors, respectively.
Yaro and Allen each earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors this season, with Yaro being named the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, freshman goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and received All-First Team recognition.
Series History
The all-time series between Creighton and Georgetown is knotted at 2-2-1. Since Creighton joined the BIG EAST in 2013, the Bluejays have gone 0-2-1 against the Hoyas.
In Washington D.C., Creighton is 1-1-1 against Georgetown, with the Bluejays' win coming on Sept. 1, 2006.
In each of the teams' previous three meetings with one another, both teams have been ranked. In 2013, No. 3 Creighton and No. 12 Georgetown battled to a scoreless draw in the nation's capital. Last season, No. 17 Georgetown upset No. 2 Creighton in Omaha, 1-0, with Arun Basuljevic (5G, 4A this season) scoring the game-winner in the 73rd minute. This year, No. 6 Georgetown earned a narrow, 2-1 victory over No. 3 Creighton in Washington, D.C.
All-BIG EAST Honors
Last week, five Creighton players earned All-BIG EAST honors: Fabian Herbers, Vincent Keller, Timo Pitter, Joel Rydstrand, and Connor Sparrow.
Herbers, Keller, and Pitter were each selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
For the second-consecutive year, Pitter was named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year.
Sparrow, who shared BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year honors with Xavier's Dallas Jaye, was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
Rydstrand was a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman Team.
Balanced Bluejays
Only ten nationally have allowed fewer goals than Creighton's 13. The Bluejays nine shutouts are tied for 20th-most in the nation.
Complementing its stellar defense, Creighton's offensive attack has been one of the nation's best this season. The Bluejays' mark of 2.32 goals per contest is fifth-best among NCAA Division I teams.
Not surprisingly, No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 2 Clemson, and No. 5 Creighton entered the week as the only programs to be ranked in the nation's top 10 for both scoring offense and team goals against average.
Herbers For Hermann
Junior forward Fabian Herbers finished the regular season as the nation's leading point scoring (14G, 12A, 40PTS). In postseason play, he has added one goal, improving his season total to 15. Herbers scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in Creighton's semifinal win versus Providence. He leads Creighton with five game-winning goals this season.
With his game-winning penalty kick on Thursday, Herbers became the first Creighton player to convert four penalty kicks in a single season since Mike Tranchilla did so in 2002.
Herbers is the only player in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer to rank in the national top 10 for both goals (15) and assists (12).
This season marked Herbers' second-consecutive season in which he earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and All-BIG EAST First Team honors. He was unanimously chosen as Offensive Player of the Year.
Herbers ecorded at least one point (a goal or an assist) in each of Creighton's first ten regular-season games this fall. He was the first Bluejay to start a season in such fashion since restarting the program in 1990. MLS standout and Creighton alumnus, Ethan Finlay, had a run of nine straight such games from Sept. 17-Oct. 23, 2010.
The junior forward has notched a point in 17 of Creighton's 18 contests, including 13 multi-point outings.
Herbers Dominates BIG EAST Stats
The BIG EAST Conference updates stat leaders after each set of games, and the latest stat provides a glimpse at just how dominant junior forward Fabian Herbers has been.
The league tracks nine different offensive categories, and Herbers ranks first or tied for first in eight of the nine: shots, goals, goals per game, assists, assists per game, points, points per game, and game-winning goals.
BIG EAST Title Up For Grabs
With a win on Sunday, Creighton could clinch the program's 14th conference tournament championship and first in the BIG EAST. This season marks the third year Creighton has participated in the tournament.
Getting Past Providence
After being eliminated by Providence in the BIG EAST tournament each of the past two years, Creighton defeated the Friars in the semifinals on Thursday.
In its previous home outing, Creighton was edged by Xavier, 2-1. Since relaunching the men's soccer program in 1990, Creighton has not lost consecutive home contests. The Bluejays are 35-0-1 at home after losing their prior home match.
Starting Strong
Creighton's 15-0-0 start to the season marked the program's best start to a season since 1993 when the Bluejays began 19-0-0.
Creighton was the nation's last remaining unbeaten and untied team in Division I (men's or women's) remaining in 2015 prior to the Bluejays' narrow, 2-1 loss to Xavier on Oct. 28.
The Bluejays' 15-0-0 start to a season marked the best start in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer since 2009 when Akron began its campaign with 23 consecutive wins en route to a College Cup appearance.
Pitter Continues To Shine
With his game-winning goal at Butler on Oct. 14, Timo Pitter moved into seventh-place on Creighton's all-time list for career goals (30) and ninth-place for career points (80), moving past former All-American and current Creighton women's soccer head coach, Ross Paule, on both lists.
Postseason Success
Since arriving at Creighton, Head Coach Elmar Bolowich is 12-4-3 in postseason play, including consecutive trips to the NCAA College Cup in 2011 and 2012.
Getting Up To Speed
Fifth-ranked and second-seeded Creighton (17-2-0) will look to capture the program's 14th conference tournament championship as the Bluejays visit third-ranked and top-seeded Georgetown (14-2-2) on Sunday, Nov. 15 in the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship.
After receiving a first-round bye, the Bluejays defeated sixth-seeded Providence, 2-1, in Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 12 in a physical semifinal match that featured 27 total fouls, four yellow cards, and two penalty kicks. Since relaunching the program in 1990, Creighton has not lost consecutive home matches.
Meanwhile, the Hoyas, the BIG EAST regular season champions, bested fourth-seeded Xavier, 1-0, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Nov. 12. Georgetown will enter Sunday's final in the midst of a 12-match win streak and 15-match unbeaten streak. The Hoyas have not suffered a loss since Sept. 4 versus perinnial power Akron.
Sunday's league tournament championship match will kick off at 12:00 p.m. CST and will take place at Georgetown's Shaw Field in Washington, D.C.
Follow The Match
Sunday's match will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) and FOXSportsGO.com. The BIG EAST is the first and only collegiate conference to be hosted on FOX's mobile platform, FOX Sports GO.
FOX Sports Go is currently available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and phones, select Windows devices, and on desktops. Fans can download the mobile app for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store, and Windows Store.
Live stats for the match can be accessed via Georgetown's men's soccer schedule page at GUHoyas.com.
Scoring updates, infographics, and periodic video highlights will be provided via Twitter at @CreightonMSOC.
Scouting Creighton
The No. 5 Bluejays are 17-2-0 on the season after wins versus Michigan (1-0), Milwaukee (4-0), CSUN (2-1), No. 13 UC Irvine (4-0), Michigan State (1-0), Tulsa (1-0), Northern Illinois (2-0), Seton Hall (4-2), Missouri State (4-0), DePaul (1-0), Drake (2-1), St. John's (2-1), Butler (1-0), Marquette (3-1), Villanova (5-1), Providence (3-1, 2-1), and losses to Xavier (2-1) and No. 6 Georgetown (2-1).
The Bluejays return eight starters and 13 lettermen from last year's team that won the BIG EAST Conference regular-season title, advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, and ranked No. 7 in the year-end NSCAA poll.
Creighton returns 30 of its 32 goals from last year, including each of its top six scorers. The Bluejays also return 24-of-30 assists from a year ago, and all but five minutes of the nearly 2,044 minutes in goal from last season.
Junior forward Fabian Herbers (15g, 12a this year) has emerged as a frontrunner for National Player of the Year honors, as he's contributed at least one point in 18 of Creighton's 19 games, including a point in the Bluejays' first 10 matches. With 42 total points, Herbers is the leading point scorer in NCAA Division I and the only player to rank in the top 10 in both goals (15) and assists (12). Last week, Herbers was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year for a second-consecutive year. Last season, he led the conference with 28 points, was second in the league with four game-winning goals, and third in both goals (10) and assists (8) en route to earning First-Team All-America accolades. Herbers was also a Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-American last year. He ranks fourth among active NCAA D-I players for career points per game (1.38). He and teammate Timo Pitter are tied for most career points among active players with 80.
Senior Timo Pitter (7g, 3a this year) paced the league in assists (9), shots (75) and shots on goal (36) during a 2014 campaign that saw him add Second Team All-America plaudits. Joining teammates Fabian Herbers and Vincent Keller on the All-BIG EAST First Team this season, Pitter was named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year for a second-consecutive year.
Senior goalkeeper Connor Sparrow (0.69 GAA this year) returns in net after ranking second nationally in goals against average (0.49) and 10th in save percentage (.841) a year ago. Sparrow's career 0.56 goals against average as a Bluejay is the best in Creighton history among goalies with at least 2,000 minutes in net. Last week, Sparrow was named BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year alongside Xavier's Dallas Jaye.
Five players have scored at least nine points for the Bluejays this season: Fabian Herbers (40), Timo Pitter (17), Myles Englis (9), Ricardo Perez (9), and Fernando Castellanos (9).
Scouting Georgetown
Winners of 12 consecutive matches, the Hoyas will enter Sunday's final in the midst of a program-best 15-match unbeaten streak dating back to Sept. 7.
From Sept. 26 through Oct. 24, Georgetown earned a program-best six consecutive shutouts, breaking the previous record set in 1998.
Georgetown is paced on the pitch by defender Joshua Yaro and forward Brandon Allen. Last season, Yaro and Allen earned NSCAA/Continental Tire Men's All-America First Team and Third Team honors, respectively.
Yaro and Allen each earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors this season, with Yaro being named the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, freshman goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and received All-First Team recognition.
Series History
The all-time series between Creighton and Georgetown is knotted at 2-2-1. Since Creighton joined the BIG EAST in 2013, the Bluejays have gone 0-2-1 against the Hoyas.
In Washington D.C., Creighton is 1-1-1 against Georgetown, with the Bluejays' win coming on Sept. 1, 2006.
In each of the teams' previous three meetings with one another, both teams have been ranked. In 2013, No. 3 Creighton and No. 12 Georgetown battled to a scoreless draw in the nation's capital. Last season, No. 17 Georgetown upset No. 2 Creighton in Omaha, 1-0, with Arun Basuljevic (5G, 4A this season) scoring the game-winner in the 73rd minute. This year, No. 6 Georgetown earned a narrow, 2-1 victory over No. 3 Creighton in Washington, D.C.
All-BIG EAST Honors
Last week, five Creighton players earned All-BIG EAST honors: Fabian Herbers, Vincent Keller, Timo Pitter, Joel Rydstrand, and Connor Sparrow.
Herbers, Keller, and Pitter were each selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
For the second-consecutive year, Pitter was named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year.
Sparrow, who shared BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year honors with Xavier's Dallas Jaye, was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
Rydstrand was a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman Team.
Balanced Bluejays
Only ten nationally have allowed fewer goals than Creighton's 13. The Bluejays nine shutouts are tied for 20th-most in the nation.
Complementing its stellar defense, Creighton's offensive attack has been one of the nation's best this season. The Bluejays' mark of 2.32 goals per contest is fifth-best among NCAA Division I teams.
Not surprisingly, No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 2 Clemson, and No. 5 Creighton entered the week as the only programs to be ranked in the nation's top 10 for both scoring offense and team goals against average.
Herbers For Hermann
Junior forward Fabian Herbers finished the regular season as the nation's leading point scoring (14G, 12A, 40PTS). In postseason play, he has added one goal, improving his season total to 15. Herbers scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in Creighton's semifinal win versus Providence. He leads Creighton with five game-winning goals this season.
With his game-winning penalty kick on Thursday, Herbers became the first Creighton player to convert four penalty kicks in a single season since Mike Tranchilla did so in 2002.
Herbers is the only player in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer to rank in the national top 10 for both goals (15) and assists (12).
This season marked Herbers' second-consecutive season in which he earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and All-BIG EAST First Team honors. He was unanimously chosen as Offensive Player of the Year.
Herbers ecorded at least one point (a goal or an assist) in each of Creighton's first ten regular-season games this fall. He was the first Bluejay to start a season in such fashion since restarting the program in 1990. MLS standout and Creighton alumnus, Ethan Finlay, had a run of nine straight such games from Sept. 17-Oct. 23, 2010.
The junior forward has notched a point in 17 of Creighton's 18 contests, including 13 multi-point outings.
Herbers Dominates BIG EAST Stats
The BIG EAST Conference updates stat leaders after each set of games, and the latest stat provides a glimpse at just how dominant junior forward Fabian Herbers has been.
The league tracks nine different offensive categories, and Herbers ranks first or tied for first in eight of the nine: shots, goals, goals per game, assists, assists per game, points, points per game, and game-winning goals.
BIG EAST Title Up For Grabs
With a win on Sunday, Creighton could clinch the program's 14th conference tournament championship and first in the BIG EAST. This season marks the third year Creighton has participated in the tournament.
Getting Past Providence
After being eliminated by Providence in the BIG EAST tournament each of the past two years, Creighton defeated the Friars in the semifinals on Thursday.
In its previous home outing, Creighton was edged by Xavier, 2-1. Since relaunching the men's soccer program in 1990, Creighton has not lost consecutive home contests. The Bluejays are 35-0-1 at home after losing their prior home match.
Starting Strong
Creighton's 15-0-0 start to the season marked the program's best start to a season since 1993 when the Bluejays began 19-0-0.
Creighton was the nation's last remaining unbeaten and untied team in Division I (men's or women's) remaining in 2015 prior to the Bluejays' narrow, 2-1 loss to Xavier on Oct. 28.
The Bluejays' 15-0-0 start to a season marked the best start in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer since 2009 when Akron began its campaign with 23 consecutive wins en route to a College Cup appearance.
Pitter Continues To Shine
With his game-winning goal at Butler on Oct. 14, Timo Pitter moved into seventh-place on Creighton's all-time list for career goals (30) and ninth-place for career points (80), moving past former All-American and current Creighton women's soccer head coach, Ross Paule, on both lists.
Postseason Success
Since arriving at Creighton, Head Coach Elmar Bolowich is 12-4-3 in postseason play, including consecutive trips to the NCAA College Cup in 2011 and 2012.
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