The Creighton men’s soccer team gets a shot at some late-season redemption, beginning with Saturday’s 3 p.m. match against seventh-ranked UCLA.

The 6-3-4 Bluejays have failed to meet their lofty expectations to this point in the season. They could face the possibility of having to win the Missouri Valley Conference’s automatic berth to extend their streak of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances to 18.

A victory Saturday at Morrison Stadium against UCLA, the No. 2 team in the NCAA’s RPI, and another a week from today against No. 26 Drake might give the Bluejays some wiggle room.

“I’m not good enough with all that RPI stuff to know where that would put us,” Creighton coach Bob Warming said. “But I do know beating two teams in the top 30 certainly wouldn’t hurt us.”

Recording a victory against the Bruins is a tall order. UCLA brings a 9-2-2 record into the match and was riding a 10-game unbeaten streak until losing Oct. 25 at Stanford. The Bruins have two U.S. Under-20 team members — midfielder Michael Stephens and goalkeeper Brian Perk. UCLA has been bolstered by a recruiting class ranked third in the nation by several publications.

“We get frustrated a lot by the defensive play we see from other teams,” Warming said Friday. “I can assure you that tomorrow’s match won’t be defensive. UCLA plays a beautiful style of soccer. The way they play will be a real advertisement for what college soccer can be.’’

Creighton, too, likes a more wide-open style, though the Bluejays have had difficulty converting chances this season. They have been held to one goal or less in 10 of 13 matches. Three of their four ties have been scoreless draws.

Despite that, senior Seth Sinovic said, Creighton has retained its confidence.

“This season has not started out the way any of us wanted it to, but we still believe there is a lot of season left,” he said. “We feel we can still be a scary team in the tournament.

“We’ve had a ton of injuries. We haven’t been able to play the same lineup more than once. Fortunately, we’re getting some guys back at the right time, and we’re still a hungry team.”

Sinovic will be one of seven seniors honored today in what could be their final appearance at Morrison. Creighton has submitted paperwork to host NCAA tournament matches, but the Bluejays obviously have to get into the field of 48 for that to even be a possibility.

“I’ve thought about it a little,” said Sinovic when asked about the possibility of today being his last home game. “I’m more excited than anything about the chance to play against UCLA. We all are.

“This is a huge game from an RPI standpoint. But even more, it’s a big game from a player’s standpoint, to have a chance to play against a team that’s a perennial power.”

Creighton’s other seniors are Akin Akinrinade, Byron Dacy, Thomas Gjoesund, Chris Schuler, Trent Siske and Jeff Thayer. Jeremy Wittig, who would have been a senior this season but was forced to give up soccer because of injuries, also will be honored.

Given the stakes, today’s game ranks as one of the biggest the Bluejays have played in the seven-year history of Morrison.

“We want to get this one for a lot of reasons,’’ Warming said. “A loss is not going to hurt UCLA as much as a win is going to help us.’’

Contact the writer:

679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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