2017 Creighton Men's Soccer Preview
Ricky Lopez-Espin is getting all the hype for the 14th-ranked Bluejays as they head into their season opener.
Perennial winners. Number six in the country in attendance. One of the most sought-after players in all of college soccer.
A top-15 preseason program.
The #14 Bluejays start their season off tonight against the 17th ranked Hokies of Virginia Tech. This happens to be the second time in the past 5 years that the Jays start the season against another top-25 team, as the 2013 season began against #14 Tulsa (a match the Bluejays won 2-0).
With Ricky Lopez-Espin entering his final season with Creighton, it’s high time that the Jays capitalize on the world-class star. The roster consists of players from across the globe, with the lone Nebraska native – Michael Kluver - as the Bluejays’ back-up keeper.
The Jays lost Ricardo Perez, the BIG EAST midfielder of the year, Alex Kapp, the former keeper for the Jays and current keeper for Minnesota United FC, Riggs Lennon, a leading scorer for the Jays, and Myles Englis.
Though their departures leave some holes, it’s easy to imagine Elmar Bolowich’s squad not missing a beat as Lopez-Espin and his gang of ten prepare for another vicious slate this year. Scheduling is always an adventure with Bolowich, since he stacks the non-conference with ridiculously tough opponents, hinting at the old adage that if you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, and it’s no question that he wants to challenge his squad early and often.
Here’s a few highlights from the schedule:
8/25/2017 – #17 Virginia Tech – 7pm @ Morrison Stadium
8/27/2017 – Grand Canyon University – 7pm @ Morrison Stadium (GCU is no. 7 in home attendance)
9/1/2017 - @ #1 Stanford – 9pm in Palo Alto, CA (Stanford is 2x defending champion)
9/8/2017 – South Florida – Socctoberfest, 7:30pm @ Morrison Stadium
9/14/2017 – @ #25 Butler – Noon, Indianapolis, IN
10/21/2017 - @ Providence – 6pm, Providence, RI (Providence is defending BIG EAST champ/Creighton’s ouster in last year’s NCAA Tournament)
The BIG EAST remains one of the tougher conferences in D-1 when it comes to soccer, so the conference slate will offer no let up to the Jays after their non-conference foes.
Another notable match will be against cross-town rival UNO at Caniglia field on September 26th at 7pm. The Mavs were able to come away with a tie last season at Morrison, so the Jays will be looking for some sweet, sweet revenge.
The starting eleven in the preseason may not be what Bolowich goes with to start against Virginia Tech, but it’s looked something like this:
Valdivia GK – Franke – Lopez-Espin – Lomis – Macchione – LaGro – Fohr – Ward – Stauffer – Rydstrand – Polat
