Pandemonium had ensued just seconds earlier, but when the whistle blew to resume play with 10 minutes remaining in the match, the 11 Bluejays on the field had a fire lit under them. Creighton Head Coach Johnny Torres had just been sent out of the stadium after being shown a red card, fans were baffled at the interaction and Morrison Stadium seemed simultaneously bewildered and in uproar. But, on the pitch, the energy turned quickly towards determination, the players locked in. 

For the first 80 minutes in the Big East opener between then-undefeated Marquette and Creighton on Sept. 19, neither the visiting Golden Eagles nor the Bluejays could break through each other’s steadfast defensive efforts. But in this single minute, with intensity and emotions charging the air, chaos turned into an opportunity for the Bluejays on the pitch — and they seized it.

“We were on the ball, we were pressing them, so we needed the game to keep going. There was no point to stop the game, [and] stop the rhythm we were having,” junior midfielder Miguel Arilla said.

That rhythm carried right into the restart, as just after the whistle following the sideline red card, Marquette committed a quick foul in Creighton’s offensive third, setting the Bluejays up for a free kick.

Thus, a wall of Marquette players was the one thing that stood between Arilla, to the right of the ball, fifth-year senior midfielder Omar Ramadan, poised to the left, and Marquette’s goalkeeper.

Both Creighton midfielders charged forward, but it was Arilla who struck, sending the ball spiraling off his left foot toward the right goal post. The stadium, raucous moments before, seemed to hold its breath as Marquette netminder Cameron Simpson stretched to make the save.

Simpson’s fingertips grazed the ball, deflecting it to hit off the post, straight to the waiting feet of redshirt freshman defender Brian Edelman, who didn’t hesitate to punch it in for the victory goal.

“One of the things that we talk about with our guys is, ‘Hey, let’s control the controllables. We can’t control the weather, we can’t control the ref, we can’t control the wind. So, let’s focus on what we can control and that’s us and what we’re trying to do,’” Torres said of Creighton’s unshakeable focus. “My hats off to our guys for staying in the game, staying on route and being able to play through some uncomfortable moments today.”

But the drama of that minute was 80 scoreless minutes in the making. Leading up to the free kick, Creighton and Marquette found themselves at war with one another, each team searching hungrily for the moment the other team would lose focus, even for a second. 

The two teams traded shots and saves throughout the first half but zeros remained on the scoreboard by the end the first 45.

As the second half began, the intensity ramped up, erupting into a flurry of attempts, with Creighton firing nine shots and Marquette seven, each threatening to break the stalemate.

In the 45th minute, O. Ramadan nearly broke the deadlock. The fifth-year senior found space at the top of the box and fired a shot toward the bottom-right corner, only for Simpson to react instantly, diving to squander the attempt and keep the score level.

The two goalkeepers traded impressive saves throughout the match, but a critical stop from redshirt freshman goalkeeper Matthew Hudson in the 77th minute once again prevented a score change and set the stage for the Bluejays’ late breakthrough.

The dangerous Marquette offensive sequence began with Golden Eagle midfielder Nico  Pendleton slipping the pressure and making his way to the top of the box. Getting tripped up in the box, Pendleton lost control, but the ball was snatched up by one of his teammates, who took a shot from the left side.

The strike bent sharply, veering from what seemed destined to drift wide into a dead-on rocket toward the right post. But Hudson read it perfectly, springing low and swatting the ball out of danger with a decisive save.

“The fact that he [Hudson] was able to get to that shot was tremendous,” Torres said. “We always say this about goalkeepers: if you have a goalkeeper that’s going to make the save that he’s supposed to make and make one or two that he’s not supposed to make, it’s going to be … a good day for you. And I thought on that it was probably one that he wasn’t supposed to make.”

Hudson’s five saves on the night proved critical to allow Creighton the opportunity for their late goal to be the deciding one, but Torres also said that the Bluejays’ ability to execute strong and consistent back tackling showed the mark of a well-executed defensive plan, one that would result in the Bluejays’ fourth shutout in five matches. 

“I think defensively we were pretty darn good tonight, in particular…in regards to our back tackling. I thought overall as a team we did a good job to back tackle and swarm the ball…,” Torres said.

As the clock ticked ominously toward 90 minutes, every push forward tightened Creighton’s hold on the match, and the red-card chaos combined with the decisive free kick finally broke the deadlock. 

When the final whistle blew with a 1-0 score illuminated on the scoreboard in Morrison Stadium, the Bluejays not only secured their fourth clean sheet in five matches but also extended their win streak to four, capping an intense and hard-fought contest with three points.

“[I’m] so proud of our guys. They fought tonight. Marquette was a very good team,” Torres said. “It was a back and forth. We knew they were very dangerous on transition, but I thought the guys dug in and did a good job to keep them away from our goals, but man, what a tremendous effort.”

The performance, though, meant more than just another hard-fought win. Creighton’s final home match before hitting the road again underscored how much the team has grown in just over a month. A team that once looked unsettled has found its footing, and the way Creighton handled the pressure in its Big East opener was proof of that transformation. 

The Bluejay team that took the field on Sept. 19 against then-undefeated Marquette was not the same one that saw a 0-2-1 record in the opening week road trip. The team that took the field in mid-Sept. exuded confidence in themselves and their teammates, proved to have the offensive and defensive threats to tamp down any opponent and bought into the Creighton identity. 

Progress — that’s the theme this Bluejay squad has emphasized since the season began. With a fast-moving schedule offering countless opportunities to test themselves, Creighton has clearly demonstrated that growth. The next challenge will be whether they can carry this momentum onto the road once again.

Their next test will come quickly, as the Bluejays head to Illinois to take on conference opponent DePaul on Sept. 27.