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• Where: Morrison Stadium
Hastings College men’s soccer coach Chris Kranjc isn’t wasting time trying to convince anyone that Friday’s exhibition against traditional NCAA Division I national power Creighton is meaningless.
While the 7:30 p.m. contest at Morrison Stadium won’t count toward either team’s record, Kranjc said the NAIA Broncos are eagerly anticipating the matchup. Even though the Bluejays are coming off a 7-4-5 season, they earned 17 consecutive NCAA tournament bids from 1992 to 2008 and have advanced to the College Cup Final Four three times.
“Anytime you get an opportunity to play against a program like Creighton, whether it be just a scrimmage or an exhibition, I think you’ve got to take it,” Kranjc said. “It was really gracious of (Creighton) to ask us, so we’re excited about it.”
That’s especially the case for Hastings midfielder Nate Polak. The junior from Lincoln is the brother of Creighton freshman Tyler Polak, one of the most touted recruits in program history.
“When we first found out about the game, there was a little talk at home over the summer,” Nate Polak said. “It was just your basic, ‘I bet we win by this many goals,’ or ‘You won’t score a goal on our defense.’”
Facing Creighton is also special for players like Matt Wadleigh, a junior defender for the Broncos. Wadleigh is one of five Hastings players from Omaha, while five others hail from either Bellevue, Blair, Elkhorn or Papillion. Kranjc, the Hastings coach, is an Omahan, too: He graduated from Millard North.
“I think it’s always going to be exciting for people from Omaha to get a chance to play against Creighton — a team that we all grew up watching,” Wadleigh said. “To be able to be on the same field, playing against them, is a real honor and is real exciting.”
Wadleigh said he views it as an excellent measuring stick for the Broncos, who open their regular season on Sept. 4 at Benedictine (Kan.).
Hastings is no stranger to success at the NAIA level. Since Kranjc took over as head coach in 1999, the Broncos have won 10 consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference championships. They’ve also won seven GPAC tournaments and four regional titles, and they’ve made five appearances in the NAIA national tournament.
Expectations are high for the Broncos again this year. They’re the favorite in the GPAC preseason coaches poll and open the season ranked 15th in the NAIA.
Kranjc’s squad is replacing just two starters. The Broncos return 2009 GPAC offensive player of the year A.J. Dingledine, a former all-stater from Lincoln East, and 2009 GPAC co-defensive player of the year Derek Prinz from Millard North. Hastings has also added Nebraska Wesleyan transfer Jordan Green, the 2008 GPAC offensive player of the year.
No doubt the Broncos have enough firepower to compete with almost any NAIA foe. But how will they fare against Creighton? Kranjc is eager to find out.
“We’re going to approach it like we’re playing a regular-season game, because that’s what we’re preparing for,” Kranjc said. “The final result isn’t going to be as big of a deal as how well we perform. That’s what I’m looking for.”
• NOTE: Creighton’s Ethan Finley was named to the Soccer America preseason All-America team Thursday. He is one of 25 players on the team.
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444-1201, sports@owh.com
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