The Creighton men’s soccer team, ranked No. 13 in the nation, seems to have hit its stride in the season.

The Jays have outscored their opponents 15 goals to five goals in seven games this season. They have also outshot their opponents 91-62, with 38 of those shots coming in the last two games, compared to only 18 shots by their opponents.

“We have been playing really well together,” Clark said. “We are a young team, but we are definitely coming together.”

Men’s soccer returned to Omaha on Sept. 24 after two exciting overtime games the weekend before. The Jays looked to take a win over the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers.

The 1–0 score is not a reflection of a close game. The Jays led every statistical category except for total blocked shots in the game.

In the first period, the Creighton defense limited the Wisconsin forwards to just three total shots and just one corner kick. The Creighton defense didn’t make senior goalkeeper Brian Holt stop a shot in the first half.

The offense had everything going for it during much of the game except for the luck needed to put the ball in the back of the net. They barraged the Wisconsin defense

with nine shots and six corner kicks in the first half.

“Wisconsin was very strong defensively,” junior midfielder Kris Clark said.

The second period was much of the same story. Creighton seemed to have control of the whole game, outshooting Wisconsin six shots to two. Despite many charges down the field and a few close calls, Creighton couldn’t find the back of the net, and at the end of regulation, the Jays were headed to their third overtime in a row.

“It did get frustrating,” Clark said, referring to Creighton’s inability to score. “But we knew if we just kept doing what was working we would get one through.”

The moment the Jays were waiting for didn’t take long to come. In a chaotic flash, a cross from the left side into a crowded box found Clark, who headed it across the box to senior forward Ethan Finlay, who put a shot on goal.

The Wisconsin goalkeeper got a hand on the ball but it wasn’t enough to keep the ball out of the net, giving the Jays the 1–0 victory, their second overtime win in a row.

“It was a thrill,” Finlay said, who scored his fifth goal of the season and first game winner.

The Jays took 18 total shots in the game with 10 of them on target. This is comparable to Wisconsin’s five total shots, with only one of them being on goal. The Jays were given 10 corner kicks, compared to four for Wisconsin.

The Jays return to Morrison Stadium for their first conference game of the season against Eastern Illinois University Friday at 7 p.m. Then they play seventh ranked Tulsa on Tuesday.

“The next two weeks are going to be tough,” Finlay said, “but we are looking to solidify our ranking.”