Omaha, Nebraska – With temperatures in the triple digits (38 degrees Celsius to start the game, sometimes as low as 39 degrees Celsius), the Creighton Men’s Soccer offense struck, scoring four goals in the second half as the Bluejays defeated Drake 5-3 on Sunday, August 25.
With the win, the Bluejays are now 1-0-1 on the season, while Drake fell to 1-1-0.
Creighton opened the scoring in the 10th minute (9:28) as a sophomore Miguel Arilla a blow of Ali Ramadan which was deflected by Drake goalkeeper Tomas Butkovic.
There were drinks breaks every 15 minutes to give the players a little break, but in the 28th minute the game descended into chaos when Drake fired a series of four shots on goal. Ryder Barrett’s shot hit the post, then Eskil Gjerde was blocked three times, or so it seemed. At the next stoppage, the referees reviewed the video and awarded the last shot a goal, tying the game 1-1. Ironically, Drake’s head coach Tim Flinn received a yellow card as his team scored during the review.
Less than two minutes later, another decision went in the Bulldogs’ favor when Drake drew a penalty when Creighton’s Mark O’Neill was whistled as he leapt up for a header just inside the left corner. Bulldogs midfielder Damian Segura capitalised on the opportunity with a shot into the bottom right corner to give Drake a 2-1 lead with 28:22 minutes left.’
Drake still had the advantage at halftime, but the momentum quickly changed in the second half.
In the 47th minute, the Bluejays benefited from a penalty following a corner kick by Ismael Reyes. Drake’s Cole Schrage was called for handball, which earned the Bluejays a penalty. Gabriele Civico converted quickly and equalized the game at 2:2.
Civric did not wait long and scored his second goal in the 49th minute (48:51), when the Serbian international scored an unassisted goal by stealing a pass into the penalty area from Drake and shooting into the empty net on a counterattack.
The Bluejays’ fourth goal of the game in the 70th minute as a sophomore Ali Ramadan Complete a series of passes from newcomers Ismael Reyes and Seniors Miguel Ventura into the middle for a one-on-one with Butkovic. Ramadan won the battle for his first goal as a Bluejay.
Creighton’s last goal came in the 80th minute when Junior Ryan Brakke collected a failed Bulldogs clearance in the middle of the box for his first goal of 2024.
Drake scored another goal in the 85th minute when Chase Wakefield ended a streak by Dalton Visconti and Segura.
The Bluejays finished the game with a 20-11 shot advantage and a 4-3 lead in corner kicks earned.
The Bluejays return to the field for the first game of the Jesuit Invitational against Loyola Chicago on Thursday, August 29th at 7:00 p.m.
