Thursday, November 12
Boyds, Md.
4:00 PM
Creighton University
vs
#4 Akron
Photo by: Creighton Athletics
11/11/2026 3:02:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Boyds, Md. -- In a battle of teams ranked in the top-10, No. 8 Creighton faces No. 4 Akron in the BIG EAST Semifinals on Thursday, November 12 at 4:00 pm (CT) on ESPN+/
Follow the Match
Creighton's match with Akron will be available online on the ESPN+. Live stats will be featured through SideArm Sports.
Series History: Creighton Trails, 2-5-3
The Bluejays and Zips have met 10 times previously, but this will be the first matchup in the BIG EAST Tournament as well as the first at a neutral site. Earlier this season Creighton and Akron played to a 1-1 draw in Ohio
Scouting #4 Akron (11-1-4)Â
Akron enters the contest on a four-match win streak and an eight-match unbeaten streak. That includes the 1-1 draw with Creighton on Oct. 11. The leading scorer for the Zips is Thomas O'rourke with 14 points on four goals and six assists. Just a step back are Remi Agunbiade and Ferrel Ngongang who each have 12 points on five goals and two assists.
In goal the Zips have primarily used Brett Kaminski, who has allowed 14 goals in 16 matches. Kaminski has played all but 12 minutes (12:20) this season.
Scouting #8 Creighton (12-1-5)
The Bluejays claimed a share of the BIG EAST Midwest Division title with a 2-1 win over DePaul. Creighton is the overall two-seed, edging Akron.Â
Senior wing back Matthew Reed collected the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the year, finishing with a team-high 13 goals. The Bluejay offense, however, is far more than Reed. Creighton has gotten at least one goal from 13 different players and a point from 19.
Goalkeeper Matthew Hudson has two shutouts and a 7-1-4 mark with a 1.28 GAA. He claimed the final BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week nod with five saves in the win over DePaul.
What's at Stake
Thursday's match is unlikely to impact the NCAA Tournament for either squad, both Akron and Creighton are expected to get a First Round bye and host a Second Round contest. Obviously the contest gives the victor a spot in the Finals as well as bragging rights for the Midwest Division Co-Champions.
Reed Highlights All-BIG EAST Honors with Defensive Player of the Year
Bluejay senior Matthew Reed earned the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year award to highlight seven members of the Creighton Men's Soccer team that were honored as the league announced its postseason awards on Wednesday, November 11.
Joining Reed on the All-BIG EAST First Team was sophomore Ayden Kokoszka, while freshman Jordan Igwenma, junior Angel Lopez and senior Andrija Savic earned All-BIG EAST Second Team recognition. Freshman Carter Derksen and junior Brian Edelman rounded out the Bluejay honors with a spot on the All-BIG EAST Third Team.
Reed closed the regular season with 13 goals, two assists and 28 points. His total is tied for fifth in the NCAA and is the most for any defender. Matthew has played 1,404 minutes this season with three game-winning goals.Â
Kokoszka leads the Bluejays with four game-winning goals, including two that earned SportsCenter Top-10 Play moments. Ayden enters the BIG EAST Tournament with eight goals and four assists in 997 minutes on the pitch.
Omaha native Igwenma has six goals and is tied for the team-high seven assists in his first season as a Bluejay. Fellow newcomer Lopez has delivered eight goals and two assists in his first season after transfering from Iowa Western. Savic earned recognition for the second consecutive season, anchoring the back line with 1,520 minutes on the pitch to go along with one goal and one assist.
Derksen is tied with Igwenma with a team-best seven assists, while Edelman has a team-high 1,554 minutes played to form a dynamic defensive middle with Savic.
Tavares and Hudson Claim BIG EAST Weekly Honors
Fresh off claiming a share of the 2026 BIG EAST Midwest Division Regular Season Title, Creighton freshman Carter Tavares and junior Matthew Hudson earned individual recognition from the BIG EAST Conference on Monday, Nov. 9.
Tavares claimed his third BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honor of 2026, while Hudson collected BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week accolades for the first time this season.
Making his first start after returning from an injury, Tavares led the Bluejays to a 2-1 win over DePaul last Friday, netting his fifth goal of the season. The standout freshman went to the upper-90, striking a laser into the back of the net off a failed DePaul clear in the fifth minute of play to give the Jays a 1-0 lead.
Tavares is one of five Bluejays to have tallied at least 15 points this season, having recorded five goals and five assists in just 439 minutes of action.
Hudson, meanwhile, picked up his seventh win of the season, recording four saves while facing 17 DePaul shots in the victory.
In addition, senior Matthew Reed earned a spot on the BIG EAST Honor Roll after recording his team-leading 13th goal of the season as he delivered the game-winning against DePaul off an assist from freshman Jordan Igwenma in the 76th minute of play.
Bluejay History in BIG EAST Tournament
The Bluejays have appeared in all but one BIG EAST Tournament since joining the conference in 2013, that coming last season. Creighton is 5-10-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament, but are 2-0-0 when reaching Boyds, Maryland as the Bluejays won both contests in 2022.Â
2013:Â Â Â L, 1-2 at Providence
2014:Â Â L, 1-2 vs. Providence (Chester, Pa.)
2015:Â Â W, 2-1 vs. Providence
    L, 1-2 (2ot) at Georgetown
2016:Â Â W, 2-1 at Providence
    L, 1-2 at Butler
2017:Â Â L, 1-3 at St. John's
2018:Â Â Â T, 1-1 vs. Marquette (2ot - Marquette advanced on PKs, 10-9)
2019:Â Â L, 0-1 vs. Butler
2020:Â Â L, 0-1 at Georgetown
2021:Â Â L, 0-1 vs. Villanova
2022:Â Â W, 2-1 at Xavier
    W, 6-0 vs. Seton Hall (Boyds, Md.)
    W, 3-0 vs. Georgetown (Boyds, Md.)
2023:Â Â L, 0-3 at Providence
2024:Â Â L, 0-1 at Georgetown
Â
#4 Akron vs. #8 Creighton
Thursday, November 12 @ 4:00 pm
ESPN+: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/fcbe115b-df79-43d1-ac2c-cd0cd1bc7545
Stat Link: https://guhoyas.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
Thursday, November 12 @ 4:00 pm
ESPN+: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/fcbe115b-df79-43d1-ac2c-cd0cd1bc7545
Stat Link: https://guhoyas.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
Follow the Match
Creighton's match with Akron will be available online on the ESPN+. Live stats will be featured through SideArm Sports.
Series History: Creighton Trails, 2-5-3
The Bluejays and Zips have met 10 times previously, but this will be the first matchup in the BIG EAST Tournament as well as the first at a neutral site. Earlier this season Creighton and Akron played to a 1-1 draw in Ohio
Scouting #4 Akron (11-1-4)Â
Akron enters the contest on a four-match win streak and an eight-match unbeaten streak. That includes the 1-1 draw with Creighton on Oct. 11. The leading scorer for the Zips is Thomas O'rourke with 14 points on four goals and six assists. Just a step back are Remi Agunbiade and Ferrel Ngongang who each have 12 points on five goals and two assists.
In goal the Zips have primarily used Brett Kaminski, who has allowed 14 goals in 16 matches. Kaminski has played all but 12 minutes (12:20) this season.
Scouting #8 Creighton (12-1-5)
The Bluejays claimed a share of the BIG EAST Midwest Division title with a 2-1 win over DePaul. Creighton is the overall two-seed, edging Akron.Â
Senior wing back Matthew Reed collected the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the year, finishing with a team-high 13 goals. The Bluejay offense, however, is far more than Reed. Creighton has gotten at least one goal from 13 different players and a point from 19.
Goalkeeper Matthew Hudson has two shutouts and a 7-1-4 mark with a 1.28 GAA. He claimed the final BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week nod with five saves in the win over DePaul.
What's at Stake
Thursday's match is unlikely to impact the NCAA Tournament for either squad, both Akron and Creighton are expected to get a First Round bye and host a Second Round contest. Obviously the contest gives the victor a spot in the Finals as well as bragging rights for the Midwest Division Co-Champions.
Reed Highlights All-BIG EAST Honors with Defensive Player of the Year
Bluejay senior Matthew Reed earned the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year award to highlight seven members of the Creighton Men's Soccer team that were honored as the league announced its postseason awards on Wednesday, November 11.
Joining Reed on the All-BIG EAST First Team was sophomore Ayden Kokoszka, while freshman Jordan Igwenma, junior Angel Lopez and senior Andrija Savic earned All-BIG EAST Second Team recognition. Freshman Carter Derksen and junior Brian Edelman rounded out the Bluejay honors with a spot on the All-BIG EAST Third Team.
Reed closed the regular season with 13 goals, two assists and 28 points. His total is tied for fifth in the NCAA and is the most for any defender. Matthew has played 1,404 minutes this season with three game-winning goals.Â
Kokoszka leads the Bluejays with four game-winning goals, including two that earned SportsCenter Top-10 Play moments. Ayden enters the BIG EAST Tournament with eight goals and four assists in 997 minutes on the pitch.
Omaha native Igwenma has six goals and is tied for the team-high seven assists in his first season as a Bluejay. Fellow newcomer Lopez has delivered eight goals and two assists in his first season after transfering from Iowa Western. Savic earned recognition for the second consecutive season, anchoring the back line with 1,520 minutes on the pitch to go along with one goal and one assist.
Derksen is tied with Igwenma with a team-best seven assists, while Edelman has a team-high 1,554 minutes played to form a dynamic defensive middle with Savic.
Tavares and Hudson Claim BIG EAST Weekly Honors
Fresh off claiming a share of the 2026 BIG EAST Midwest Division Regular Season Title, Creighton freshman Carter Tavares and junior Matthew Hudson earned individual recognition from the BIG EAST Conference on Monday, Nov. 9.
Tavares claimed his third BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honor of 2026, while Hudson collected BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week accolades for the first time this season.
Making his first start after returning from an injury, Tavares led the Bluejays to a 2-1 win over DePaul last Friday, netting his fifth goal of the season. The standout freshman went to the upper-90, striking a laser into the back of the net off a failed DePaul clear in the fifth minute of play to give the Jays a 1-0 lead.
Tavares is one of five Bluejays to have tallied at least 15 points this season, having recorded five goals and five assists in just 439 minutes of action.
Hudson, meanwhile, picked up his seventh win of the season, recording four saves while facing 17 DePaul shots in the victory.
In addition, senior Matthew Reed earned a spot on the BIG EAST Honor Roll after recording his team-leading 13th goal of the season as he delivered the game-winning against DePaul off an assist from freshman Jordan Igwenma in the 76th minute of play.
Bluejay History in BIG EAST Tournament
The Bluejays have appeared in all but one BIG EAST Tournament since joining the conference in 2013, that coming last season. Creighton is 5-10-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament, but are 2-0-0 when reaching Boyds, Maryland as the Bluejays won both contests in 2022.Â
2013:Â Â Â L, 1-2 at Providence
2014:Â Â L, 1-2 vs. Providence (Chester, Pa.)
2015:Â Â W, 2-1 vs. Providence
    L, 1-2 (2ot) at Georgetown
2016:Â Â W, 2-1 at Providence
    L, 1-2 at Butler
2017:Â Â L, 1-3 at St. John's
2018:Â Â Â T, 1-1 vs. Marquette (2ot - Marquette advanced on PKs, 10-9)
2019:Â Â L, 0-1 vs. Butler
2020:Â Â L, 0-1 at Georgetown
2021:Â Â L, 0-1 vs. Villanova
2022:Â Â W, 2-1 at Xavier
    W, 6-0 vs. Seton Hall (Boyds, Md.)
    W, 3-0 vs. Georgetown (Boyds, Md.)
2023:Â Â L, 0-3 at Providence
2024:Â Â L, 0-1 at Georgetown
Â
Players Mentioned
M
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
M/F
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's SoccerSaturday, November 07
Tuesday, November 03
Tuesday, October 27
Sunday, October 25
