Creighton’s men’s soccer team had some pretty heavy expectations placed on it Tuesday when the Bluejays landed the No. 3 spot in the coaches’ preseason rankings.

Creighton, which starts two-a-day workouts Wednesday, has some massive holes to fill with the departure of seven starters from last season’s 21-2-1 team that played its way to the national semifinals.

Coach Elmar Bolowich is confident he can blend his returning players with a strong group of newcomers to form a team that will be equally competitive this season. He’s been asked repeatedly during the offseason how long he thinks that process will take.

His three-word answer: “I don’t know.”

“Every group, every year has its own dynamic,” said Bolowich, starting his second season as Creighton’s head coach. “It constantly changes, and that’s why you can never compare one year to another or one team to another.

“We are going to have establish our dynamic in fall camp. The earlier and the sooner we can do that, the better off you are.