Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Creighton (NCAA Tournament)
Jays End Wildcats' Tourney Run, 3-2
11/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 23, 2004
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OMAHA, Neb. -- Northwestern proved itself as one of the best up-and-coming programs in the country Tuesday night, twice holding one-goal leads over No. 14 seed Creighton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament before eventually bowing out at the hand of the Bluejays, 3-2.
The Wildcats conclude their season with a 15-6-2 record -- NU's best-ever mark against all Division I competition.
"We played our hearts out tonight," NU Head Coach Tim Lenahan said. "I told our guys this is the first great team in Northwestern history. There will never be another first great team again. I'm proud of what we accomplished this season."
Northwestern has made a living on early goals during their standard-setting season, scoring first in 16 of its 23 matches this year. The Wildcats did it again Tuesday night.
At 13:56, sophomore Gerardo Alvarez (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy) collected a second ball near the corner of the penalty area and sent it wide to freshman David Roth (St. Louis, Mo./Chaminade). Roth played a service into the box that deflected off a Creighton defender and in to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. Roth was credited with his fourth goal of the season.
"Anyone who had us as the underdog in this game was sadly mistaken," Lenahan said. "The best player on the field tonight was Gerardo Alvarez. He did a great job of controlling our offensive gameplan."
The Bluejays would tie the match in the 34th minute when a shot by Kama Bennah deflected to Joan Carvajal who put it in the net to tie the score.
At 61:42, Roth struck again. With the ball loose in the middle of the box, Roth unleashed a shot that was saved, but followed his own ball to put home the rebound and put the Wildcats up, 2-1.
The two-goal effort was the first for Roth -- the Big Ten single-season assists record holder with 14.
"We did our thing and they attacked us, too," Lenahan said. "That is why this was such a wide-open game."
Creighton did not take long to equalize when Carvajal put home a cross at 65:58 to tie the match, 2-2.
The Bluejays got another chance two minutes later, but junior Adam Sirois (Barrington, N.H./Berwick Academy) cleared the ball off the line for Northwestern to keep the score knotted.
In the 82nd minute, Alvarez carried the ball into the box where he was taken down to earn a penalty kick, but his attempt missed wide left.
In a match with 32 combined shots (NU held the edge, 17-15), it seemed as if whoever had the final chance would win. And with 4:54 remaining in the match, Creighton's Jarod Tarver hit a shot into the box that Brian Biggerstaff heel flicked out of the air and into the net to give Creighton the 3-2 win.
While the offenses dominated the match, both goalkeepers made some spectacular saves as well.
In the 24th minute, Creighton's Michael Kraus got behind the defense, but NU goalkeeper Justin Pines (Media, Pa./Strath Haven) denied his breakaway shot wide to the near post.
The Wildcats got another great scoring chance in the 54th minute when junior Eric Brin (Westlake, Calif./Westlake) played a ball behind the defense to sophomore Brad North (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands). North played a centering ball to junior Kevin Earnest (Lemont, Ill./Lemont), but his attempt was stoned by the Bluejay goalkeeper.
