After suffering through a rough patch in the middle of the season, the No. 21 Creighton men’s soccer team is back on track. The Bluejays have won six matches in a row and are undefeated in their last seven.
A lot of this success can be attributed to improved play by Creighton’s offense.
“Offensively, we’re getting a lot of opportunities and finishing them,” senior midfielder Jose Gomez said. “We’ve just been playing better. The team has come together, and we’re getting a better feel for the game.”
Creighton’s record was supplemented with a win last weekend. Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Bradley University put Creighton in first place in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Junior midfielder Bruno Castro put the Jays ahead in the third minute with his second career penalty kick. The goal was Castro’s second on the season.
Freshman keeper Jeff Gal posted his fourth straight clean sheet, bringing his record to 7-0 this year.
Creighton improved to 11-3-2 and remained undefeated in conference play.
Senior midfielder Andrew Ribeiro believes the Bluejays’ work ethic has made a difference in their success.
“Creighton, as a program, has always worked harder than other teams,” Ribeiro said. “I’m sure that we work harder than the teams we play.”
The Bluejays’ next contest is Saturday at 2 p.m. in Morrison Stadium against Missouri State University.
As the last home game of the year, the match will offer an opportunity to salute the seniors on the team. Each senior has made major contributions this year.
“[Senior midfielder Brent] Kallman is a solid starting defensive midfielder,” head coach Elmar Bolowich said. “Ribeiro has been good at center back, playing it a little more than he’d like. Gomez, as of late, has delivered with goals and assists and impactful play. [Senior defender Jake] Brown, we can use him whenever we are looking to insert someone into the lineup. They have all stayed the course, and have all done a very good job.”
The game will be an emotional one for the seniors, as they march onto the pitch in Morrison stadium for the last time in the regular season.
“I’ve tried to, every time I come over the wall, to soak it in,” Ribeiro said. “Everything comes to an end. It’s bittersweet, I’m happy to move on, but at the same time it’s terrible.”
Morrison Stadium has been kind to the Jays, and the stadium will be packed with friends and family to give the seniors a proper send-off.
“They’ve been here longer than I have, so that’s saying something,” Bolowich said. “We are absolutely thrilled for them.”
While Creighton has been great at home, the Jays will have to go on the road to repeat as conference champions.
“The home field advantage is nice, but we still have to go to Bradley for the conference tournament,” Bolowich said. “It’s an environment where we are going to be tested again, and prevail, and we are looking forward to the competition.”
The conference tournament will begin on Nov. 15.