For Creighton men’s soccer, the first page of the 2026 season couldn’t have been written much better.
The Bluejays opened the season Thursday night with a 6-2 victory over Florida International at Morrison Stadium, getting goals from five different players, including four making their mark in a Creighton uniform for the first time.
The win is tied for the second-most goals Creighton has scored in a season opener in program history. The last time the Bluejays put six goals on the board to open a season was in 2022, when they defeated Oakland 6-3 before advancing to the program’s sixth College Cup appearance.
Creighton took control of the match in a nine-minute stretch late in the first half. Freshman Jordan Igwenma opened the scoring in the 20th minute, finishing a series of touches from freshman Carter Tavares and senior Matthew Reed. Five minutes later, Tavares found the back of the net himself off a pass from senior Edward Morales.
Sophomore Ayden Kokoszka then added a third in the 29th minute, sending a free kick from 20 yards out past FIU goalkeeper Nigel Van Haveran.
The Bluejays went into halftime with a 3-0 lead, despite not yet playing the brand of soccer head coach Johnny Torres wanted to see.
“There were definitely some nerves in that first half,” Torres said. “I thought the first 10 minutes we were really sloppy on the ball, maybe even a little hesitant with our press.”
For a team with plenty of new faces, however, Torres was encouraged by the way Creighton responded.
“We’ve had a lot of change over and a lot of new players, having new freshman or transfers,” Torres said. “I’m just really proud of the guys and how resilient they were in that first half.”
Among those new players was Igwenma, an Omaha native who grew up attending Creighton matches and played at Morrison Stadium with Creighton Prep. On Thursday, he returned to the same field for his collegiate debut, this time wearing a Bluejay uniform.
And he made it one to remember.
Igwenma scored twice in his first collegiate appearance, adding his second goal in the 83rd minute to give Creighton a 5-1 lead.
“Definitely a dream come true,” Igwenma said. “I feel like a lot of Omaha kids dream about this, and it was super cool to show them that it’s definitely possible with hard work.”
“For [Jordan] to be able to come in and then have the quality that he had and the composure to be able to take those two goals and take them well, I’m just so proud of Jordan,” Torres said.
Igwenma’s debut was just one part of an opening-night performance that saw Creighton’s newcomers immediately make an impact. Four of the five Bluejays to score Thursday recorded their first goal in the white and the blue.
Tavares and Igwenma scored in the first half, while transfers junior Angel Lopez (Iowa Western) and fifth-year Allan Juarez (Cal) found the net in the second. Lopez’s goal came in the 68th minute after a sequence that began in Creighton’s defensive end, while Juarez added the Bluejays’ sixth in the 88th minute.
FIU answered Lopez’s goal with one of its own in the 72nd minute, but Creighton responded with two more goals in the final eight minutes before the Panthers added a second in the final minute.
The result gave Creighton its first win of the season and a new-look roster a chance to begin building its identity.
“It was good to see all 29 players really show some fight, whether it was on the bench or on the field,” Igwenma said. “What you saw there was a really deep [team] and there was a lot of guys that could come on and contribute.”
For Torres, the 6-2 victory was a strong beginning — but only a beginning.
“It’s a great start. Anytime you can get off the mark with a win is that much sweeter,” Torres said. “I told the guys after the match today, ‘Hey, that’s only the first match, it’s only the first page of this season.’ We’ll take the good from tonight; we’ll take the bad from tonight. We can put that to use and turn the page and get ready for Drake.”
The Bluejays return to the pitch today, hosting Drake at Morrison Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
