On a team full of supermen, Creighton’s defensemen are the Fantastic Four.
The defense has been a dominant force for the men’s soccer team this season.
The shots on goal are down from last season. After seven games, the defense has only allowed 21 shots on goal, which is down from 26 in the same number of games last season.
Not only is this season’s team besting last year’s team, but it’s on pace to break the school records set in 1999. The 1999 team allowed an average of 9.1 shots per game, with a low average of only 4.1 shots on goal per game. The team finished its season with a .47 goals against average.
This season, the team allows an average of only eight shots per game with an average of three SOGs. At this point, the GAA is only .29, down from 1999.
There are multiple factors that can be taken into account including the new players and changes in practices.
Junior defender Chris Schuler, said the new faces on the field have greatly changed the dynamic of not only the team but of the defense as well. The most obvious of the new faces is that of the keeper. Redshirt freshman Brian Holt has stepped up to take the place of Matt Allen, and he is filling the spot well.
“Holt’s a good communicator, which makes it easier on the forward guys,” head coach Bob Warming said. “His directions are crisp and clear.”
Holt is not the only new face on the field. Junior defender Akin Akinrinade transferred from the University of Central Florida where he was a starter. In his first season with the Jays, he has played all but 17 minutes and has an assist.
Sophomore midfielder/defender Andrew Duran, who was only able to make nine appearances and five starts last season due to mononucleosis, is the final of the personnel changes for the defensive team.
Prior to the game against Denver, Duran started every game and played all but five minutes. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL seven minutes into the first half against Denver and will be out for the remainder of the season.
Luckily for the Jays, there is an abundance of talent on the team, which will make injuries less devastating overall. “There’s more competition for spots this season,” Duran said. “We have to always be on our best, whether it’s practice or a game.”
There has also been a change in the defensive style and practice. Last season there were only three players in the back. This season, Warming added a fourth, reducing the number of forward players on the field.
The new formation used by the team is a 4-4-2 formation, which means that, besides the keeper, there are four backs, four midfielders and two forwards. Each of the smaller groups works as a unit during both practices and games. “It’s not just that (the backs) are good individual players, but they’re good collectively,” Warming said.
The good collaboration shown by the defense is the result of practice and communication. “We try to keep communication high,” Duran said. “We work on that during practices.”
The high communication can always be seen during corner kicks when Holt talks to his teammates, but it can also be seen in the usually sharp passing out of the backfield.
Warming has also increased the focus on defense in practices. “We’ve always practiced it, but this season we have more stress on defense,” Schuler said.
Last season the team practiced team defense. The slogan “11 as one” was embodied by the team as the players shifted around the field and maintained their shape while the other team had the ball.
“This year, we work in smaller units,” Schuler said. “For example, last Friday night we spent significant time on the outside backs communicating and moving with the outside midfielders in order to disrupt other teams’ flank play.”