Six matches into the season, Creighton men’s soccer has already surpassed its entire goal total from a year ago. 

The Bluejays scored six goals across two home victories last week, defeating Gonzaga 2-0 during Socctoberfest on Sept. 4 before closing the Jesuit Invitational with a 4-1 win over Santa Clara on Monday. The pair of victories pushed Creighton to 5-0-1 and helped the Bluejays climb 11 spots to No. 12 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll. 

Creighton opened the Jesuit Invitational Friday night with a 2-0 victory over Gonzaga in front of 3,521 fans at Morrison Stadium as part of the 14th annual Socctoberfest. 

The Bluejays controlled possession for much of the night and finished with a 17-8 advantage in shots, but Gonzaga’s defense kept a relentless Creighton attack off the scoreboard for the first 80 minutes. 

Creighton started quickly, creating opportunities through its movement and penetrating runs, but Gonzaga adjusted as the match progressed. 

“I thought the first 15, 18 minutes that we came out in the first half, we were clicking,” head coach Johnny Torres said. “Offensively, we were moving the ball pretty well, and we were making some penetrating runs.” 

But Gonzaga’s adjustments made it difficult for the Bluejays to maintain that early rhythm. 

“At that point, Gonzaga made a good adjustment,” Torres said. “They were plugging up lanes, being resilient, getting down and defending well … and we lost a little bit of the control of the match in that first half.” 

Creighton responded after halftime, regaining control and continuing to pressure the Bulldogs. The breakthrough finally came in the 81st minute when senior Matthew Reed finished from eight yards in front of the net, after passes from freshman Spencer Sappleton and junior Brady Bragg. 

Just under six minutes later, Bragg put the match away. He finished a corner entry from freshman Carter Derksen in the 87th minute, giving Creighton a 2-0 victory. 

“I think at the end it turned into who was still able to have some gas in the tank,” Torres said. “To me, it seemed like, with 15 minutes left, we had a little bit more gas in the tank.” 

Torres credited the entire group for finding a way through a stubborn Gonzaga defense. 

“I’m just so proud of the guys to be able to come out and produce,” he said. “I thought it was a collective effort.” 

The victory also gave fifth-year transfer Amari Thompson his second shutout in his third start between the posts. Thompson stepped in after an injury to junior Matthew Hudson. 

The atmosphere at Morrison Stadium added another layer to the opening match of the invitational. With Socctoberfest bringing 3,521 fans through the gates, Torres said the crowd gave the Bluejays an extra boost. 

“It’s the biggest party in Division I football,” Torres said. “For the people to come out and push on the Jays is extra special.” 

The Bluejays returned to Morrison Stadium on Monday for the final match of the Jesuit Invitational, where they once again found a way to respond to adversity, this time with an offensive outburst. 

Creighton navigated a rocky opening stretch against Santa Clara after senior Edward Morales went down with an injury just minutes into the match. The Bluejays then appeared to take an early lead when senior co-captain Andrija Savic found the back of the net off a corner, but the goal was waved off. 

Rather than letting the early setbacks disrupt their rhythm, Creighton responded with four unanswered goals. 

Freshman Carter Tavares sliced through the Broncos’ defense in the 13th minute before centering a ball for junior Angel Lopez, who finished for his third goal of the season to officially put Creighton on the board. 

Creighton doubled its lead in the 31st minute when sophomore Ayden Kokoszka finished a series of touches from fifth-year Allan Juarez and freshman Jordan Igwenma. 

Igwenma then added his second goal of the week with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, gathering a blocked shot from junior Toraji Narazaki to send the Bluejays into halftime with a 3-0 advantage. 

“We had some things going against us there at the beginning of the match, but these guys were resilient on Friday. They’ve been resilient throughout the season, but we continue to develop and get better. [There is] still a lot of room for improvement, but [I’m] really proud of the guys for how they responded.” 

Reed added his team-leading fifth goal in the 53rd minute, finishing touches from Juarez and junior Bautista Rossi to give Creighton a four-goal cushion. The goal marked the co-captain’s fifth in four matches, earning him BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors. 

Santa Clara added a late goal in the 89th minute, but Creighton held on for the 4-1 victory and completed a sweep of the Jesuit Invitational. 

The win capped a week that showcased both Creighton’s resilience and its growing chemistry, while also giving the Bluejays another opportunity to represent the Jesuit community in Omaha. 

“It’s a special event to be able to get three Jesuit institutions together to be able to give back to the community,” Torres said. “It’s great to be able to show our guys that there’s more than just sport, right? And to be able to come together through sport for the community or service of others is amazing. It’s a nice feeling knowing we went 2-0 at the Jesuit Invitational.” 

The Bluejays’ offensive output has been one of the biggest differences from a season ago. Creighton now has 22 goals through six matches, surpassing the 21 goals the team scored throughout the entire 2025 season. 

And the numbers don’t stop there. 

As of Sept. 9, Creighton leads the nation in total goals (22), total assists (30), total points (74) and assists per game (5.0), according to NCAA statistics. The Bluejays have distributed their offensive production throughout the lineup, with seven different players finding the back of the net through the first six matches. 

Torres said the chemistry behind that production has been noticeable. 

“The biggest thing that I’m most proud about … with our group is they are embracing one another. They’re enjoying playing with one another,” he said. “They’re enjoying the challenges that we’re put in front of them, the challenges that our opponents are put putting in front of them, and they’re doing it as a collective … When you’re able to rotate guys and these guys are bought in to what they’re trying to do with great energy, great spirit, with gratitude towards what they’re doing, it’s makes it a lot of fun.” 

The two victories extended Creighton’s unbeaten start to 5-0-1, propelling the Bluejays 11 spots in the United Soccer Coaches poll from No. 23 to No. 12.  

Creighton also collected a trio of Big East weekly honors. Along with Reed’s Defensive Player of the Week selection, Tavares earned his second Freshman of the Week honor of the season, while fifth-year goalkeeper Amari Thompson was named to the conference honor roll. 

The Bluejays return to Morrison Stadium tonight as they host Saint Mary’s College for Pups at the Pitch. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.