USL Feature
Friday, September 16, 2011
By NICHOLAS MURRAY
There are still a number of teams who have perfect records to start the NCAA Division I men’s soccer season, with No.1 Maryland and No.2 Connecticut both sporting 5-0-0 marks.
The team that sits behind both of those teams in the NSCAA Division I poll, Creighton, has the same record, but the Bluejays have achieved something else in their outstanding start to the season: Creighton is yet to concede a goal this season.
They are one of only two teams to have accomplished this feat, the other being Xavier. But while most would look at the performance of goalkeeper Brian Holt as a major reason for the Bluejays defensive success, the senior is quick to pass on the praise to his teammates.
“It’s always a team effort,” Holt said by phone this week. “There’s not one individual that’s making everything happen. The back four has been great in front of me, the guys coming in have been great, and we’re competing. It’s really all the guys in front of me, a collective effort, just battling and having that competitive mindset.”
Still, Holt’s ability shouldn’t be underestimated. His five shutouts this season have made him the Missouri Valley Conference’s All-Time shutout leader, and he has already won a pair of MVC Defensive Player of the Week awards this season, with teammate Jake Brown taking the honors this week.
He was also honored this summer after an outstanding USL PDL campaign with Reading United AC, being named to the All-Eastern Conference team after finishing tied for a league-best 12 victories with a 0.875 goals-against average and six shutouts. Holt had been looking to change his summer routine ahead of his senior season with the Bluejays, and after some productive conversations with Reading coach Brendan Burke joined United for what proved to be a very productive summer.
“I enjoyed it, getting out there and being able to play with some top-notch players for the summer,” Holt said. “Our training sessions were very good, very competitive, and to be able to get plenty of games and get that experience of playing against different types of players, different styles of teams, I thought it was very beneficial for me.”
Holt isn’t the only Bluejay with PDL experience, with forward Ethan Finley and defender Tyler Polak both having played for the Chicago Fire Premier. All three players are projected as MLS draft prospects, with Finley the top-ranked player on TopDrawerSoccer.com’s senior prospect list. Holt is the fourth-ranked goalkeeper among the senior class, but as with most college players he’s not thinking about what life after college soccer might hold.
The chance to move into the professional ranks, though, would be an appealing one for the future.
“If the question were to come up later, to play after [college], I definitely would like to play,” Holt said. “I think I could be a great contributor to a team and if were able to get that opportunity, I would definitely like to give it a try.”
For now, though, the focus is on helping Creighton continue its strong season. The Bluejays fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season after missing out on the tournament the year before. The program appears to be on an upward path, though, and could have a chance to reach the College Cup for the fourth time in its history. For that to happen, Holt believes, the team has to maintain its approach of trying to improve every day, which it tries to do in a number of ways.
“I think it’s having a competitive spirit where you’re showing up and willing to get yourself better,” Holt said. “You’re fighting for a spot, there’s really good players in all of our starting line-up, there’s guys fighting for positions, so there’s nothing really set in stone, you’re always working to get better, you’re working to help improve the people next to you.
“It’s collective excellence, it’s not just the guys playing, it’s the guys that are showing up to practice and driving us to make us work as hard as can and push us in the right direction. It’s looking at some game film and seeing the things you did well and things you need to work on, and taking that into practice with the mindset that you’re willing to accomplish those goals.”
The Bluejays will certainly be battle-tested by the time the NCAA Tournament comes around. Games against Maryland and other current Top-10 sides UC-Irvine and Indiana are coming up soon on the schedule, with the MVC slate to follow. But the Bluejays won’t look ahead to those contests, with Saturday night’s game against Providence at the front of their minds right now.
“We’ve got a strong schedule and each game we’re going to give our opponent our best effort,” Holt said. “We can’t overlook and focus on any teams in the future with the next game at hand.”