Tribe men travel to Omaha

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary men's soccer team will travel to Omaha, Neb., this weekend for a two-match tournament hosted by Creighton University.  The Tribe will face Drake on Friday, Sept. 14, in a contest slated for a 5 p.m. (CT) kickoff.  W&M will conclude its stay in the Midwest against No. 2 Creighton on Sunday, Sept. 16, at 2:30 p.m. (CT). 

Fans can follow the action online at TribeAthletics.com with live stats.  Both of the College's contests will be streamed live on GoCreighton.com.  For a fee of $ 4.99 fans have video access for a 24-hour period, while 48-hour access is available for $5.99.

Scouting the Tribe
W&M enters the Creighton Invitational with a record of 1-2-1.  In its last outing, the College fell at No. 12 St. John's, 2-1, on Sept. 8.  Against the Red Storm, sophomore Marcus Luster scored his first collegiate goal in the 69th minute off an assist from senior Ben Anderson.  For the year, Anderson leads the Tribe with 4 points, coming on one goal and two assists.  Junior Roshan Patel, along with sophomores Chris Albiston and Marcus Luster, have each netted a goal apiece.    

Scouting the Bulldogs
After playing Northern Illinois to a, 1-1, draw on Sept. 9, the Drake Bulldogs come to the Creighton Invitational carrying a record of 1-4-1.  In its lone win, Drake opened its home slate cruising past Loyola, 3-1, behind goals from juniors Nick Marshall, Logan North and Addison Eck.  For the season, fifth-year senior Michael Thaden leads the Bulldogs' attack with two goals, while Eck has netted four points on two assists and one score. Head coach Sean Holmes is in his 15th season at the helm of Drake's program.  During his tenure, Holmes owns a record of 126-118-28, leading the Bulldogs to a national ranking of No. 8 in the 2009 final coaches poll.

Scouting the Blue Jays
Garnering a No. 2 national ranking per NSCAA, Creighton is 4-0-1 heading into its annual invitational this weekend.  Before facing off with the Tribe on Sunday, Sept. 16, the Blue Jays will play Old Dominion on Friday, Sept. 14.  Junior Sean Kim has netted six points on three goals to lead the Creighton charge.  Senior Jose Gomez and sophomore Jose Ribas have tallied a goal and one assist each. Second-year head coach Elmar Bolowich, who guided Creighton to the College Cup semifinals last season, owns a record a 25-2-2 at Creighton.  The Blue Jays will put its 17-match unbeaten streak and its 18-match home unbeaten streak on the line this weekend.         

News and Notes:
- Friday's contest between W&M and Drake will mark the first time the two teams have met on the pitch.
-  The Tribe leads the all-time series against Creighton, 1-0.  In its only meeting, the College defeated the Blue Jays, 2-1, in the first-round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament.  Under then-head coach Al Albert, and behind goals from Steven Jolley '96 and Waughn Hughes '96, W&M secured the one-goal victory and its third-ever NCAA Tournament triumph.

- On Sunday, Sept. 16, the Green and Gold's match against Creighton will be televised locally in Omaha, Neb., on Cox Channel 2.  Bradley was the last team to defeat Creighton at home.  The Braves edged the Blue Jays, 2-1, at Morrison Stadium during the 2010 season.

- All-time, the Tribe is 2-1 against Missouri Valley Conference competition, as it owns victories over Creighton and SIU-Edwardsville.  The Tribe's only setback came at the hands of Evansville during the 1981 campaign.

- Sophomore Marcus Luster registered his first collegiate goal last Saturday night at St. John's.  After a successful freshman campaign, which saw the Chesapeake, Va., native garner All-CAA Rookie Team accolades, Luster tallied his first score and points against the Red Storm.

- As is the case every year, the Tribe once again faces a challenging slate in 2012.   W&M has already traveled to St. John's, who is currently ranked 10th in the NSCAA poll.  On the horizon, W&M plays at No. 2 Creighton on Sunday, Sept. 16.  On Tuesday, Sept. 25th, the College will travel to High Point, who is receiving votes in the national poll.  In mid-October, the Green and Gold will travel to George Mason (Oct. 13), Old Dominion (Oct. 17) and James Madison (Oct. 24) in consecutive matches.  JMU recently defeated defending national champion and top-ranked North Carolina, 1-0, in Chapel Hill, N.C., while ODU is currently ranked No. 14 and George Mason is receiving votes.