Boxscore

OMAHA, Neb. -- Rarely was the University of Evansville offense kept in check this year, but the Creighton Bluejays pulled off an outstanding defensive effort here Friday night and defeated the Aces 2-0 in the semifinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament.

It was just the second time this season that Evansville was shut out. The Aces went into the tournament ranked seventh nationally in scoring with 43 goals in their first 19 matches. They advanced to the semifinals with a 2-2 tie and a 4-3 penalty kick advantage over Missouri State in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday.

Creighton, ranked seventh nationally, takes an 11-1-5 record into Sunday's championship. Evansville is now 10-9-1. The 10 victories this year and in 1999 are the most by Evansville since the 1996 team posted an 18-5-0 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Shots were nearly identical Friday night, with the Aces taking 12 shots compared to 14 by Creighton. But the Bluejays twice made the most of their opportunities. Jeff Thayer scored first, at 38:20, taking a crossing pass 12 yards in front of the goal and ramming a shot past UE goalkeeper Alec Dufty for his third goal of the year. Then at 51:56, Andrei Gotsmanov gave Creighton a 2-0 lead when he shot a low 25-yarder just inside the far post for his fifth goal of the season.

Under second-year coach Mike Jacobs, the Aces posted a winning record for the second consecutive season, rose to third place in the MVC, and had eight players honored with all-conference awards.