Men's Soccer Heads to Xavier for Saturday Match

Omaha, Neb. -- Coming off a needed 2-1 win over Omaha on Wednesday, Creighton Men's Soccer heads to Cincinnati looking to bring the winning ways to BIG EAST play as the Bluejays take an 0-2-1 record in conference contests to Xavier.

Creighton at Xavier
Saturday, October 12 @ 6:00 pm
Series History: Creighton leads 9-5-1

Live Stream - FloFC: https://www.flofc.com/live/127794

Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=536806

Series History: Creighton Leads Xavier, 9-5-1
Creighton owns the series advantage over Xavier, but the two teams have gone 3-3-0 in matches played in Cincinnati. The last time the Bluejays went to Xavier was during the BIG EAST Tournament during 2022, a 2-1 win on Nov. 5. Less than one month earlier, however, the Bluejays fell to the Musketeers 3-1 in Cincinnati.

Date    Opponent    Score
Oct. 5, 2013    * Xavier    W, 2-0
Oct. 18, 2014    * at Xavier    T, 1-1 (2ot)
Nov. 30, 2014    # Xavier    W, 2-1
Oct. 28, 2015    * Xavier    L, 1-2
Oct. 26, 2016    * at Xavier    L, 1-2 (2ot)
Nov. 6, 2016    ** Xavier    W, 3-1
Oct. 14, 2017    * Xavier    W, 4-1
Oct. 12, 2018    * at Xavier    W, 3-1
Oct. 11, 2019    * at Xavier    L, 0-1
March 6, 2021    * Xavier    W, 2-1
March 24, 2021    * at Xavier    W, 3-0
Oct. 20, 2021    * Xavier    W, 2-0
Oct. 12, 2022    * at Xavier    L, 1-3
Nov. 5, 2022    ** at Xavier    W, 2-1
Sept. 29, 2023    *Xavier    L, 0-1
* = BIG EAST Match    ** = BIG EAST Tournament Match
# = NCAA Tournament Match

Follow the Match
Online streaming for the contest will be available on at FloFc, while live stats will be featured through Stat Broadcast. Links to video and live stats will be provided on the Omaha Men's Soccer schedule page.

Scouting Creighton (5-4-3, 0-2-1 BIG EAST)
Creighton heads to Xavier with a bit more confidence as the Bluejays defeated rival Omaha 2-1 in the Dodge Street Derby on Wednesday.

The Bluejays, however, remain in search for their first league win of the season, recording conference losses at home to Georgetown and DePaul as well as a tie at No. 18 Providence.

The Bluejays continue to push the agenda offensively, finding scoring opportunities to be plentiful. Creighton averages 15 shots per game on the season, which is sufficient for 20th nationally while also posting 7.33 corner kicks per match, ranking fourth in the country. Despite recording these scoring opportunities, the Bluejays rank 75th overall in finding the back of the net.

Senior Blake Gillingham anchors the net for the Bluejays, recording 31 saves while playing every minute this season.

Scouting Xavier (4-4-4, 1-1-1 BIG EAST)
Following a key shutout win at home against No. 2 Marshall (2-0) on Aug. 29, Xavier has struggled to find consistent success, recording a 2-4-3 mark over their previous nine matches. The Musketeers possess a 4-1-2 record while defending their home pitch.

Xavier's offensive attack has been shut down, scoring one goal over their last three matches. The Xavier frontline is tied for 94th nationally in shots per contest and tied for 166th in scoring offense. The Musketeers' backline has protected the net well this season, delivering six shutouts to rank 16th in the country in shutout percentage.

Offensively, Xavier is led by the foot of junior Matthew Senanou with three goals this season, including a crucial goal off a free kick against No. 2 Marshall. Trailing Senanou is sophomore Nathan Trickett with two goals, while eight other Musketeers have contributed a goal in route to a 4-4-4 record.

Between the posts, junior Jonny Mennel is expected to make his 13th start of the season on Saturday having played all 1,080 minutes this season. Mennel has dominated throughout the season thus far, despite recording only 110 minutes of play prior to this season. In 12 contests, Mennel has collected 30 saves and six shutouts, including a pair of BIG EAST shutouts over St. John's and DePaul.

Returning to Where the 2022 Run Began
After reaching the BIG EAST Tournament as the sixth and final team in 2022, Creighton's run to the College Cup began in earnest at Xavier. The Bluejays began a seven-match win streak that saw Creighton outscored opponents 21-6, including 11-1 to storm past Xavier, Seton Hall and Georgetown to claim the BIG EAST Tournament and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Short Memory the Key for Bluejay Attack
Senior Jackson Castro broke a two-match drought for Creighton's offense with a goal in the 13th minute against Omaha on Wednesday. Following the match he commented that against DePaul he hesitated on a some opportunities, trying to be perfect. Versus the Mavericks he struck immediately and the adjustment delivered immediate dividends with his fourth goal of the season. Within the postgame interview Castro stressed the importance of having a short memory for himself and his teammates.

Athletic Director Marcus Blossom Channeling Carnac
Leading 1-0 over Omaha in the 75th minute, McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom did his best Carnac the Magnificent impression, calling for a goal as Creighton setup for a corner kick with 75:17 on the clock. After a pair of shots from Ryan Braake, Miguel Ventura delivered on the prediction with his first goal of the season at 75:39. (Carnac the Magnificent was a character played by Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show).

Fresh Faces and New Roles
The final non-conference match of the season against the Mavericks allowed head coach Johnny Torres a chance to tinker with his starting unit and get some other players a chance on the pitch. Freshman Gavrilo Civric earned his first start, while fellow freshman Aaron Deppe saw his first action of the season. Deppe played 35 minutes against the Mavericks, while Civric delivered his first assist as a Bluejay.

Getting Chances
Through 12 matches of the 2024 season, Creighton has built a sizeable edge in corners created. The Bluejays have a 88-37 edge on corners. Entering play on Friday, October 11, Creighton is fourth in the NCAA in corners per game at 7.33. The Bluejays have fired 180 shots to rank 20th in the NCAA.

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Players Mentioned

Jackson Castro

Gavrilo Civric

Aaron Deppe

Blake Gillingham

Miguel Ventura