Box Score

Butler captured the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship with a thrilling 2-1 win over Creighton Sunday afternoon at the Butler Bowl. The Bulldogs, who entered the postseason as the conference's No. 2 seed, improve to 13-5-1 on the season and will await their NCAA Tournament foe.
 
The NCAA Selection Show will reveal the 2016 bracket Monday at 1 p.m. Butler is guaranteed its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010, and its first under coach Paul Snape. Butler is ranked No. 15 nationally and will be strongly considered to host an NCAA Tournament match.
 
The Bulldogs got goals from freshman Isaac Galliford and junior Eric Leonard, and six saves from Tournament Most Outstanding Defensive Player Eric Dick. This was Butler's first win over Creighton, which entered the match ranked No. 24 nationally and as the BIG EAST's fourth seed. Creighton was 7-0-1 in the first eight matches between the two programs, including a 1-0 win in Omaha last month.


 
The teams traded chances in the first half with David Goldsmith finding the right post in the sixth minute and Dick saving a low blast from Riggs Lennon, who had gotten loose after a Butler giveaway, in the 25^th minute. Galliford scored in the 37^th minute, taking a pass from Marco Charalambous and getting a head of steam from 40 yards out. He fired a low shot from the left side into the bottom right corner for a 1-0 lead. Butler had two other looks in the opening half, but took the 1-0 lead into the locker rooms.
 
In the 64^th minute, Lewis Suddick passed to Goldsmith in the left side of the box along the end line. Goldsmith sent a low cross that a diving Leonard was able to get his head on for a 2-0 lead. It was Leonard's second goal of the season.
 
That 2-0 lead 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.
 
Goldsmith, who scored the game-winner in the 107^th minute of Thursday's semifinal, led Butler with four shots. He was named the BIG EAST Tournament's Most Outstanding Offensive Player.
 
Creighton is now 11-6-3 on the season, and has a very strong at-large resume for the NCAA Tournament.

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