Butler Wins BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship Title
Second-seeded Butler defeated fourth-seeded Creighton, 2-1, to win the school’s first BIG EAST championship men’s team title.
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler men’s soccer defeated visiting Creighton, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at the Butler Bowl to win the 2016 BIG EAST Championship presented by Jeep. The Bulldogs are the first Butler men’s team to win a BIG EAST Championship title and the third team overall.
With the victory, Butler (13-5-1) receives the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA men’s soccer championship. The selection show will stream live on NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. With three teams ranked in the NCAA top 25 and four teams ranked in the RPI top 40, the BIG EAST hopes to be a multi-bid league in the 2016 tournament field.
Butler was the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Championship, Creighton was the No. 4 seed. The final was held at the Butler Bowl as the Bulldogs were the highest seed remaining in the tournament.
Nationally ranked No. 15 by the NSCAA, Butler broke the scoreless tie in the 37th minute with a goal from freshman Isaac Galliford. Galliford out ran the Creighton defense down the left side of the pitch and fired a shot on the left side of the 18-yard box into the opposite corner of the net. It was Galliford’s fourth goal of the season.
At the half, Creighton, ranked No. 24 in the NSCAA rankings, led in shots 7-5. Butler keeper Eric Dick, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player, had three saves. He finished the game with six.
In the 64th minute, the Bulldogs added an insurance goal with a header by Eric Leonard into the left side of the goal. Leonard’s goal was assisted by the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player, David Goldsmith.
The 2-0 lead by Butler was just the fifth time in coach Elmar Bolowich’s six seasons at Creighton that the Bluejays had trailed by two goals. It lasted only three minutes before Myles Englis scored from just in front of the goal on a pass that eluded several Bulldogs through the box.
That would be the final tally of the match as the teams traded a series of fouls, and the Bulldogs were able to withstand five second-half corner kicks by the Bluejays.
Creighton committed 27 fouls, while the host Bulldogs had 20. The Bluejays had a 14-10 advantage in shots, with Dick turning away six of the seven on goal.
2016 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship All-Tournament Team
Shane Bradley, Villanova , Fr., D
Will Steiner, Villanova, RS-Jr., GK
Joao Serrano, Providence, Fr., D
Julian Gressel, Providence, Sr.
Alex Kapp, Creighton, Sr., GK
Ricky Lopez-Espin, Creighton, Jr., F
Myles Englis, Creighton, Sr., M
Eric Dick, Butler, RS-Jr., GK
Eric Leonard, Butler, Jr., M
Jared Timmer, Butler, So., M
David Goldsmith, Butler, Sr., F
2016 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship Most Outstanding Defensive Player
Eric Dick, Butler, RS-Jr., GK
2016 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player
David Goldsmith, Butler, Sr., F