USF Soccer Takes on Creighton

USF is looking to advance to the final 4 but will have to battle Creighton and cold weather to do so.

The Bulls, 13-3-4, are coming off of a dramatic "win" over #1 New Mexico on Sunday night. The Bulls battled the Lobos, 18-0-4, through double overtime and down to sudden death penalty kicks. USF got big time PKs from key players and goalie Chris Blais came up huge with the game clinching save at the end as the Bulls now move onto the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament. Their rewards for winning this game is a trip to Omaha to face the #2 team in the land, Creighton.

Creighton, 20-2-0, is coming off of a 2 to 1 win over UC Santa Barbara. Creighton is one of the best defensive teams in the nation, shutting down even the most elite strikers in the country. Dom Dwyer, who has been quiet as of late, will face another tough challenge with the rest of the Bulls as they battle to move into the final game (game starts at 1PM).

Creighton is led by senior forward Ethan Finlay (5-9 160-pounds). He has 13 goals and 6 assists on the season (has taken 84 shots as well). Sophomore midfielder Bruce Castro (5-6 155-pounds) has 6 goals and 8 assists on the season (has taken 30 shots on the season, very precise when he goes on the attack).

Junior midfielder Jose Gomez (5-9 155-pounds) has 4 goals and 8 assists on the season. Junior midfielder Greg Jordan (6-0 165-pounds) has 3 goals and 3 assists. Junior midfielder/forward Andrew Ribeiro (6-0 180-pounds) has 4 goals on 46 shots, just one more aggressive shooter to contend with. Sophomore defender Tyler Polak (5-8 150-pounds) has 1 goal and 5 assists from the backline.

The real story of the Creighton success (entire team is great) is the senior goalkeeper Brian Holt (5-8 160-pounds). He has allowed just 5 goals all season (not including the goal that UC got off of him) which is an average of just .23 per game. He has stopped 54 shots on the season (.915% of shots) and has 15 shut outs on the season.

USF is going to be facing another tough team in Creighton, but USF always seems to rise to the occassion when the top teams in the country square off with them. Chris Blais is doing an unbelievable job in the net, showing his skill and experience and the Bulls defense is holding firm. The offense, with Paul and Dwyer, has to get going, but facing Creighton, it could be another hard fought battle, but we have faith!