After a convincing 3-0 result over Tulsa served as a segue into the start of conference play, the 2-2-3 Georgetown Hoyas came knocking on the door of Morrison Stadium on Sept. 20 hoping to curtail the Bluejays from achieving their third consecutive win of the season. 

And curtail the Bluejays they did, as the Bulldogs headed back to D.C. with a 1-0 win and three points on the day. Here are three takeaways from Creighton’s Big East home opener against the Bulldogs, and what the rest of conference play could look like. 

#1- Ball control and efficiency fluctuated; it wasn’t a full 90-minute display 

Following three points earned on the night against the visiting Hurricane, Creighton Head Coach Johnny Torres emphasized how crucial it would be to clean up ball control before taking the pitch at home against Georgetown. 

Yet in the battle with the Bulldogs, the Bluejays went from a patient offense with clear communication in the first 30 minutes to conceding multiple shots on goal as the first half ended. After maintaining apparent possession for most of the first 45 minutes, the stats at halftime left the Bluejays trailing 6-5 in shot attempts.  

The culprit? A Georgetown team that found a way to expose intermittent lapses in Creighton’s ball control and took advantage of these opportunities, putting junior goalkeeper Blake Gillingham and the Bluejay backline on its back foot.  

“I thought our passing was just okay tonight. It wasn’t quite as sharp and unfortunately, it actually bit us in the butt on their counterattack,” Torres said, referring to Georgetown’s successful counter in the 70th minute, where Creighton conceded the lone goal of the night.  

Yet, these lapses weren’t isolated to just this match; the Bluejays struggled to create a 90-minute complete defense in their loss to Denver, and 4-2 win over San Francisco. While this Georgetown match might have shown more sporadic ball control issues and lapses, the principle is still the same: Creighton is still trying to figure out how to play with the same efficiency from start to finish.  

#2- The question isn’t if the Bluejays will get scoring chances, but if they can capitalize… this match was no exception 

In the last 10 minutes of their match with the Bulldogs, the Bluejays found themselves parked in Georgetown’s third. In just that final stretch, Creighton added handily to the 10 shots and seven corner kick opportunities that it found in the second half alone. 

It’s clear the numbers tell a different story than the result of the match. A team that spends over half their time with possession and gets off double digit shots in just 45 minutes is a team that can find opportunities. That has never been a question for this Bluejay squad. The discrepancy comes with the lack of successful scoring opportunities even after being in great position multiple times.  

Now, that’s not to discount Georgetown’s goalkeeper Tenzing Manske; he played a solid 90-minutes and denied the Bluejays a couple of near goals. The Bluejays certainly set up some strong sequences, too, especially in the final 10 minutes as they fought both the ticking clock and Georgetown to get the equalizer. 

“I thought that the final delivery lacked a little bit of accuracy and efficiency, and these are things that we have to continue to refine so that when we get in front of goal, we’re able to finish opportunities off,” Torres said. 

Ultimately, this match left some wondering how the Bluejays will balance chances and successful shots in upcoming games. With a talented starting lineup and depth on the bench, Creighton has the potential to achieve this. The challenge will be whether they can find that balance quickly enough in such a fast-paced season. 

#3- Creighton’s depth is a strength- it’s just about finding the ideal set of 11 sure to score 

Since the season began, Creighton has displayed it’s talented roster, a program make-up that could certainly deliver a punch in regular season and postseason play. The Creighton community has seen the talented veterans and captains Mark O’Neill, Jackson Castro and Blake Gillingham, and watched as the talented sophomore class, namely Miguel Arilla, Andrija Savic and Matthew Reed, has made a splash since coming to Creighton. Pair that with the dangerous transfers in Roman Torres and Ryusei Shimonishi and up-and-coming freshman playmakers in Gavrilo Civrić and Ismael Reyes, and the Bluejay roster is stacked with threats on all fronts. This just scratches the surface of Creighton’s bench and its impact on matches. 

This isn’t just speculation or wishful thinking; the stats have reflected that. Creighton has had nine different Bluejays contribute at least one goal to the overall 15 scored this season, a true sowing of their talented roster. 

Against Georgetown, many of Creighton’s bench players were brought onto the field to help Creighton find the equalizer, as Torres opted to rotate between most positions to help ignite the offense and get past Georgetown’s defensive line. 

“We have a lot of talent. I think we have some depth and I thought this was a good opportunity to be able to rotate some guys and look at some different combinations, so to speak…” Torres said of his choice to employ the frequent use of his bench players. “These are guys [Boun Niend, Reyes, Morales, Brakke] we’re going to continue to develop and give them their opportunities when the time was right.” 

It’s obvious that the depth of bench and amount of talent isn’t an issue for this Bluejay squad. It all comes down to the combination of players that have the most breadth to score and defend against the teams that make up the gauntlet that is the Big East. As Big East play continues, it will be interesting to see how Torres continues to employ the bench, and if such rotation will prove consistently fruitful. 

The result remains to be seen as the Bluejays become visitors in Rhode Island, taking on Providence tomorrow, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m.