The University of Evansville men's soccer players finally get to unpack their bags. After playing four of their first five Missouri Valley Conference matches away from home, the Purple Aces (9-4-0, 3-2-0) return to McCutchan Stadium Saturday night to host #23 Creighton (5-3-2, 3-2-1) at 7:00 CDT.

The Aces are off to their best start since 1996, and they lead the MVC in scoring with 27 goals in 13 matches. Creighton is the league leader in defense, having allowed only six goals in 10 matches, and just two in the last five outings. Since 2002, the Bluejays have won the league four times and finished second the other three years. They’ve won four of the last seven MVC Tournaments, and they are 9-1 against the Aces during that stretch, including a 2-1 victory over Evansville at Omaha on October 3.

“We have a lot of respect for what Creighton has accomplished over the years, and know that our opportunity to advance into the postseason will have to run through them,” says UE Coach Mike Jacobs. “The MVC is one of the toughest conferences in the country, and the added challenges of the double-round robin format this season has put different demands on our players. The number of important games on the road has tested us significantly thus far, and we are happy to be back home for this critical portion of our schedule.”

Evansville is coming off a 3-1 victory Wednesday at Bradley, and the Aces now have four double-figure scorers in Tom Irvin (3-8-14), Tad Kreamalmeyer (5-3-13), Robby Lynch (4-5-13) and Mike Luttrull (5-1-11). Irvin is third in the MVC in points per game, and Lynch and Luttrull are tied for fourth.

Saturday is SWISA/Newburgh Rec Soccer Night. All players wearing their jerseys receive free admission, and parents receive discounted admission. Saturday's match is the first of three in a row at home for UE. Missouri State comes to town on Wednesday, and the Aces host Drake next Friday in the nationally televised Fox Soccer Channel Game of the Week.