Creighton Women Soccer (1-2-1) came out firing in their opening home match victory against the Kansas City Roos on Thursday, August 27, accounting for the 200th all-time win at Morrison Stadium for the program.

Ending the match with 13 shots, 5 corner kicks, and 1 save, the Jays took the win with a 1-0 score. Highlighting the match was Olivia Duray, a midfield second-year senior. Her unassisted goal was the only one of the day, awarded within the first 30 minutes of the game. 

“This game was probably for the attackers today…We haven’t had a lot of production up front so we’re trying to establish a better forefront,” Duray noted.

Across the team, there was an increased connectivity following the two previous losses to Colorado College and Air Force, as well as the tie with Iowa State. Head coach Jimmy Walker observed that the ‘compactness’ of their lines have slowly closed in from these first few games, therefore involving all of the midfielders, forwards, and defense in the shutout win. 

Starting the game with four sophomores and two freshmen, Duray also explained the growth in communication and comfortability throughout the field.

“I think a lot of the youngers are starting to understand that they have to step up. And so I would say that the communication across all lines has been a lot better…we’re working on bonding, we’re working on going out of your comfort zone to reach out to people that you don’t normally, so that on the field it comes together.”

Duray went on to explain the difficulty in “stepping into that role at such a young age”, but emphasizing that it all starts with their confidence building.

Despite letting up zero goals on defense, Walker explained that it still was not necessarily his idea of their best performance. He explained that he was “really pleased with the defensive structure”, but they “didn’t quite have the finishing touch on offense.”

“We know the best version of our forwards, that would have been 3 nothing tonight, but it wasn’t a perfect day for us,” Walker recalled. “We regroup tomorrow and we get it right. We’re going to catch a day where everything goes in.”

Duray added that it all starts in their preparation during practice. Assistant Coach Toby Millward lays out tactics for the attacking front line, and she was pleased to account for the beneficial drills and practice that anticipates further wins.

Stepping into this opener as well as the rest of the season, Duray can speak for the team on their excitement. With herself being in a newer position for her second year with the Jays, following her previous time at University of Pittsburgh, increased consistency will continue to lead the team to success.

“The locker room was pretty happy when we walked in. We got these new cool jerseys so everyone was excited about those. But I think the energy was good,” she said.

Heading into the remainder of the weekend, the girls will face the Missouri Tigers on Sunday at Morrison Stadium with kickoff at 1 p.m. As Walker remarked, it will be another “gritty” day of ball for Creighton.