Going into Saturday’s game against the Maryland Terrapins, the Jays have a different kind of matchup to look forward to: an underdog versus an underdog.
Maryland possesses the second-seed in the tournament, which makes seventh-seed Creighton the underdog in Saturday’s match. However, Creighton’s No. 2 national ranking puts No. 3 Maryland in the underdog position as well. As a result, the typical relief felt by the underdog doesn’t apply as it usually would.
Maryland’s higher seeding gives it homefield advantage for the match. While this works in their favor, the Jays also have the advantage and confidence of a 15-game undefeated streak on the road that spans the last two seasons. They are 6-0-2 on the road this season.
The 20-3-0 Terrapins, whose rally cry is “Fear the Turtle,” have a 12-1-0 record at home this season, with a 13-game win streak. The Jays look to stop this run, coming into the game with a 15-game unbeaten streak that matches their run on the road.
The teams last faced each other in the third round of the 2004 NCAA tournament. The match ended in a scoreless draw with Maryland advancing due to penalty kicks.
The winner Saturday will move on to the semifinals and face the winner of the matchup between St. John’s and Indiana. The semifinals and finals will be held in Frisco, Tex., and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
For the No. 2 Jays, the seventh-seed has been both a blessing and a curse. With the first round bye, the Jays have faced two opponents, both of whom were unranked. However, both of the underdogs gave the Jays a run for their money.
In the match against Tulsa, Creighton was able to pull out a 2-1 win thanks to goals scored by seniors Andrei Gotsmanov and Seth Sinovic in a game that appeared to many in the stands to be in Tulsa’s favor. Of the six yellow cards given out, the Jays received four. Despite the many fouls both called and uncalled by both teams, the Jays were able to pull out a victory, ending the Golden Hurricanes’ season.
Their match against UConn was another nail-biter for fans, as the Jays pulled out another 2-1 victory, moving on to the quarterfinals of the tournament. The Huskies scored in the first half and were able to maintain their dominance until the second half when junior Chris Schuler scored for Creighton off of a free kick by Gotsmanov, tying the game with less than 12 minutes left. Sinovic’s overtime game winner also resulted from a free kick by Gotsmanov.
The NCAA Tournament has been an unpredictable one in every section of the bracket. In the second and third rounds of the tournament, six of the ranked teams were bested by unranked opponents, including fourth-seeded Michigan State, ninth-seeded Loyola Maryland and 10-seeded Virginia. Of the upsets, Loyola Maryland’s came in the first round of overtime, and Michigan State’s came as a result of penalty kicks after the second overtime.
Dartmouth and South Florida barely avoided upsets in their matches against Boston College and UNC Greensboro respectively, with both teams winning as a result of penalty kicks after two rounds of overtime.
Of the eight teams in this weekend’s quarterfinals, only Northwestern is unranked, and of the additional seven teams, North Carolina is the only team not seeded in the Top-10.