The Creighton Bluejays men's soccer team represents

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and underg ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

men's Division I soccer competitions. They compete in the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

and have risen to prominence in collegiate men's soccer in the last few decades having gone to the

NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champ ...

in 22 of the previous 23 seasons, going back to

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...

, with five appearances in the College Cup semifinals and one appearance in the National Championship Match. In conference play, the Bluejays have won 13 conference regular season championships and 13 conference tournament championships; the most recent being the 2014 Big East Conference Regular Season Championship. Creighton is the only soccer program in the nation to have at least one athlete taken in every

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

(MLS)

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from 1996 to 2014. They are currently coached by

Johnny Torres Johnny Torres (born April 24, 1976) is a Colombian-American soccer midfielder and coach who is currently the head coach of his alma mater, Creighton Bluejays, Creighton University. Torres has played in Major League Soccer, USL-1, and also played ...

History

The Creighton men's soccer team has made 22 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 23 years going back to

. The Bluejays were runners-up in the NCAA tournament in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

losing in the National Championship Match to

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. They have also reached the College Cup semifinal round in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone on b ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...

, 2011, and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, and the Quarterfinal Round in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

, and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Independent play and inactive period (1979–1990)

Creighton first fielded a men's soccer team in 1979. In 1980, the team began playing home games at

Rosenblatt Stadium Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium was a baseball stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, the former home to the annual NCAA Division I College World Series and the minor league Omaha Royals, now known as the Omaha Storm Chasers. Rosenblatt Stadium was the largest m ...

. After experiencing varied degrees of success, Creighton did not field a men's soccer team from 1986 to 1989. In 1990, the Bluejays resumed play and began playing their home games at Tranquility Park in western Omaha.

Missouri Valley Conference era (1991–2012)

In 1991, the men's soccer team began play in the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern United ...

where they experienced success early and often—winning four Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season Championships and four Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championships in the team's first five years in the conference. The Creighton Soccer program entered a new era in 2003 with the opening of an on-campus soccer facility, the Michael G. Morrison, S.J., Stadium. The men's soccer team continued its success through the 2012 season—winning the team's 12th Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season Championship, 13th Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship, and advancing to the College Cup semifinal round for the fifth time. During their time in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Bluejays boasted 12 Missouri Valley Conference Players of the Year, 11 Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Players of the Year, 13 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Most Valuable Players, and 6 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year Awards.

Big East Conference era (2013–present)

On March 20, 2013, the Creighton administration announced that the school would join the

in July 2013. In their first season in the conference, the Bluejays finished fifth in regular season play and lost in the first round of the 2013 Big East Men's Soccer Tournament, but did make their 21st appearance in the

. In 2014, the Creighton men's soccer team clinched the 2014 Big East Conference Regular Season Championship after posting a 7–1–1 conference record and defeating Providence by a score of 3 – 0 in the final regular season game of the year. However, Providence exacted its revenge a week later; beating the Bluejays 1 – 0 and ousting them from the 2014 Big East Men's Soccer Tournament in the second round. Despite the loss, Creighton was chosen as the 12th

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...

in the

2014 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship The 2014 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament is the 56th annual edition of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship tournament. The brackets for the tournament were announced on November 17, 2014, with each of the 48 participating team ...

with an at-large invitation, giving the team a bye into the second round of the tournament. In the 2014 NCAA Tournament, the Bluejays advanced to the Elite 8, or Quarterfinals Round, by defeating Oregon State 1 – 0 in the second round, and knocking out conference rival Xavier by a score of 2 – 1 in the third round of the tournament. In the 2014 Elite 8, the men's soccer team played UMBC to a double-overtime scoreless draw before conceding 4 – 5 in a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

. Creighton ended the 2014 season with a final overall record of 16–3–3.

Stadium

Since 2003, Creighton has played their home matches on campus at

Morrison Stadium Morrison Stadium is a 6,000-seat soccer-specific stadium located between 17th and 19th Streets to the north of Cass Street, on the east side of the Creighton University campus in the NoDo neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. The main entrance and t ...

, a 6,000-seat

soccer-specific stadium Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-p ...

, which is named after former university President Fr. Michael Morrison, S.J. The men's soccer team played their first match at the new stadium on August 29, 2003, fighting to a thrilling double-overtime scoreless draw against

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some al ...

. The team would have to wait only two days to notch their first victory at their new home grounds, defeating Furman 3–1 on August 31, 2003. The Creighton men's soccer team has enjoyed significant success at home since its return in to play in 1990. As of 2014, the Bluejays’ home record is 203–35–20 for an impressive winning percentage of .826 since 1990. As of 2014, the men's soccer team, who annually rank among NCAA leaders in attendance for home games, are 101–19–15 (.804) overall and 36–6–3 (.834) in conference play all-time at Morrison Stadium. As of 2014, Creighton is an impressive 71–9–4 (.869) at home all-time in regular-season conference play.

Coaching

Creighton's current men's soccer coach is

. Prior to Bolowich, Jamie Clark led the Bluejays for one season, 2010, in which they compiled a 13–5–2 and returned to the NCAA tournament with an at-large bid after being left out during the 2009 season, breaking a streak of 17 consecutive NCAA appearances. Prior to Clark's only season at the helm, Creighton has had only two other head coaches since the reinstatement of the program in 1990. They are current Stanford University head coach Bret Simon, who was head coach of Creighton from 1995 to 2000 and current

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...

head coach

Bob Warming Bob Warming is an American soccer coach is currently a technical advisor for Union Omaha in USL League One. A veteran college soccer coach, Warming has coached eight other men's college soccer programs across the United States, including Penn St ...

, who was head coach of Creighton from 1990 to 1994 and 2001 to 2009. Prior to the team's inactive period, from 1986 to 1989, the Bluejays were coached by Mark Schmechel from 1979 to 1980, Wayne Rasmussen from 1981 to –1982, and Don Klosterman from 1983 to 1985.

Rivalries

The main rival for Creighton is

University of Nebraska Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha or UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally kn ...

, the only other

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

men's soccer program in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

. The rivalry is known as the "Dodge Street Derby".

Dodge Street Derby (Omaha)

Source
Creighton Men's Soccer Record Book

Record by year

''References:''

Team honors

Regular Season Champions (2):

, 2018

Regular Season Champions (12): 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Champions (13):

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

, 2006,

, 2011,

NCAA Tournament Appearances (22):

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, 2006,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, 2011,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, 2016,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

NCAA College Cup Appearances (5):

, 2011,

NCAA College Cup Runner-Up (1):

Player honors

Through the years, many Bluejays have gone on to play professionally, and twenty have been named

All-Americans The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

for their play at Creighton:

All-Americans

First Team

*Fabian Herbers – 2014 *Jose Gomez – 2012 * Andrew Ribeiro – 2012 * Ethan Finlay – 2011 * Brian Holt – 2011 *

Andrei Gotsmanov Andrei Gotsmanov (born 6 May 1986) is a Belarusian footballer. Career College Gotsmanov grew up in Woodbury, Minnesota and played college soccer at Creighton University, with whom he earned the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Awa ...

– 2008 *Mike Tranchilla – 2002 *

David Wright David Allen Wright (born December 20, 1982) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the New York Mets. He was drafted by the Mets in 2001 MLB draft and made ...

– 1999 * Richard Mulrooney – 1998 *

– 1996*, 1997*^† * Keith DeFini – 1993 * Brian Kamler – 1993 * * = National Player of the Year * ^† = Herman Trophy Winner

Second Team

* Timo Pitter – 2014 *Jose Ribas – 2014 * Andrew Duran – 2011 *

Greg Jordan Gregory Jordan (born April 5, 1990, Naperville, Illinois, United States) is a former American soccer player. Career College Jordan played college soccer at Creighton University between 2008 and 2011. During his time at Creighton, Jordan was ...

– 2011 * Ethan Finlay – 2010 * Chris Schuler – 2008 * Brian Mullan – 2000 * Brian Kamler – 1991

Third Team

*Matt Wieland – 2005 *Tom Zawislan – 1999 * Brian Kamler – 1992 There have been two former Bluejays who have earned at least one cap for the U.S. National Team, Brian Mullan and Richard Mulrooney. Current Creighton assistant coach

is the only Creighton player to win the

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and th ...

, doing so in 1997. The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the

Missouri Athletic Club The Missouri Athletic Club (often referred to as the MAC), founded in 1903, is a private city and athletic club with two locations. The Downtown Clubhouse is in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, USA and the West Clubhouse is located in the St. L ...

to the nation's best men's college soccer player.

Former Bluejays in the MLS

*Player (Current Team if Active) * Mehdi Ballouchy * Steve Bernal * Andrew Duran * Ethan Finlay (

Austin FC Austin FC is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play ...

) * Fabian Herbers ( Chicago Fire) * Daniel Hernández * Lance Hill * Brian Holt *

Ryan Junge Ryan Junge (born September 7, 1984, in Omaha, Nebraska) is a retired American soccer player who last played for the Missouri Comets of the MISL. Junge played one year of collegiate soccer at Hastings College before transferring to Creighton ...

* Brent Kallman (

Minnesota United FC Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American Soc ...

) * Brian Kamler * Michael Kraus *

Eric Miller Eric, Erik, or Erick Miller may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Eric Miller (record producer) (c. 1941–2017), American record producer and Norman Granz's protégé * Eric Miller (photographer) (born 1951), South African photographer during and ...

(

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

) * Brian Mullan * Richard Mulrooney * Julian Nash * Ross Paule * Andrew Peterson * Tyler Polak *Angel Rivillo *Brett Rodriguez * Chris Schuler *

Seth Sinovic Seth Sinovic (; born January 28, 1987) is an American former soccer player. He most recently played as a left back for the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer. Career College and amateur Sinovic grew up in Leawood, Kansas to parent ...

* David Wagenfuhr Numerous former Creighton men's soccer players have gone on to play in various professional soccer leagues outside of the MLS—both in the United States, including the

United Soccer Leagues United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

History

Independent play and inactive period (1979–1990)

Missouri Valley Conference era (1991–2012)

Big East Conference era (2013–present)

Stadium

Coaching

Rivalries

Dodge Street Derby (Omaha)

Record by year

Team honors

Player honors

All-Americans

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

Former Bluejays in the MLS

Notes

References

External links