Weekly Release
Live Stats - Stetson
Webcast (fee required) - Stetson
The UNO men's soccer team wraps up its inaugural season with a road trip to Florida this weekend to face two of the top teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference. On Friday, the Mavericks play at Jacksonville, which finished third in the A-Sun and has an overall record of 8-7-2. That game kicks off at 5 p.m. CT. Then on Saturday, UNO finishes its season at Stetson at 6 p.m. CT. Stetson finished second in the A-Sun and is 9-5-3 this year.
Scouting the Competition: Jacksonville
Head Coach: Mike Johnson (9th year)
2011 Record: 8-7-2 (5-2-1 A-Sun)
Last Game: L, 3-4 (OT) vs. Stetson (Oct. 30)
Website: judolphins.com
Series Record: 0-0-0
Last Meeting: First meeting
The Dolphins lost two straight A-Sun games in overtime after possessing the lead in the conference standings with a 5-0-1 conference record. Jacksonville is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss against Stetson on Sunday night. Stefan Durr leads the Dolphins with 13 points on five goals and three assists. Nick Rodriguez has 10 points (3g, 4a), while Tyler Williams has four goals on the season. Eight different Dolphins have at least two goals this year.
Scouting the Competition: Stetson
Head Coach: T. Logan Fleck (5th year)
2011 Record: 9-5-3 (6-1-1 A-Sun)
Last Game: W, 4-3 (OT) at Jacksonville (Oct. 30)
Website: gohatters.com
Series Record: 0-0-0
Last Meeting: First meeting
The Hatters started the year 2-4 but are 7-1-3 in their last eight games and have not lost since Sept. 30 at Florida Gulf Coast, 3-1. Stetson is coming off a 4-3 overtime win against Jacksonville on Sunday night. Stetson finished with a 6-1-1 record in the Atlantic Sun, good for second place. Jonathan Mendoza leads the Hatters with 10 goals and five assists for 25 points. Gonzalo De Mujica has four goals and six assists for 14 points, while Kai Eckenrode has four goals and five assists for 13 points.
The Coaches
Jason Mims enters his first season as the head coach of the UNO men's soccer program in 2011. Mims comes to Omaha from Penn State, where he was the first assistant for the Nittany Lions in 2010. Prior to that, Mims spent nine years as an assistant coach at Creighton. Mims helped lead Creighton to eight straight NCAA tournament appearances and six Missouri Valley Conference Championships. He was a two-time finalist for the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year award, the 2008 MVC Assistant Coach of the Year and the 2008 NSCAA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Mims recruited 10 All-Americans, eight conference players of the year, 21 all-region honorees and 50 all-conference picks at Creighton. A native of Memphis, Tenn., Mims played soccer collegiately at Saint Louis University, where he was a two-time All-Conference USA selection and an NSCAA All-Midwest Region pick in 1997. Mims graduated from Saint Louis in 1999.
Mike Johnson is in his ninth season as the head coach at Jacksonville. Johnson is 72-78-16 as the head coach of the Dolphins. He graduated from Jacksonville in 1985. Johnson is assisted by Terry Peak, Kenny Mukasa and Steve Meehan.
T. Logan Fleck is in his fifth season as the head coach at Stetson. Fleck is 52-27-11 as the head coach of the Hatters. He graduated from Old Dominion in 1984. Fleck is assisted by Cristian Materazzi.
Last Time Out
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - In perhaps its most complete performance of the year, the UNO men's soccer team battled valiantly to a 1-1 draw at SIU Edwardsville on Tuesday, Oct. 25.
UNO scored in the 33rd minute on an own goal to take the lead on the road, and after surrendering an early second-half equalizer, the Mavs held SIUE scoreless for the next 63 minutes, including two overtime periods, to earn their first result since a season-opening 2-1 win at UMKC.
UNO snapped a nine-game losing streak with the tie against the Cougars, a Missouri Valley Conference member who was coming off a 1-0 loss to Creighton on Saturday.
The Mavericks stunned the Cougar crowd by taking a 1-0 lead with 12:53 remaining in the first half. Trailing 9-1 in shots at that point, the Mavs got a big boost on an own goal by the Cougars. SIUE cleared the ball out of the back to midfield, where UNO center back
Mo Salama won a loose ball. Salama played a ball over the top of the Cougars' back line, which forward
Craig Buettner ran on to. Buettner nicked the ball with his head over SIUE goalkeeper Nick Collico, and as the ball rolled in to the six-yard box toward the goal, an SIUE defender slid to try and clear the ball but ended up knocking it into SIUE's net.
It didn't take the Cougars long to equalize after halftime, though. In the 47th minute, Derek Huffman volleyed a cross from Nash Maduekwe into the net from six yards out to tie the game at 1-1.
The Mavs shut down the Cougars the rest of the way, however. Christensen officially recorded seven saves in the match and forced numerous SIUE shots high and wide of the goal with his big frame and aggressive decisions. The Mavs' back line steered most of SIUE's threats away from the penalty box throughout the second half and overtime.
Media Coverage
Live stats will be available for the match at Stetson, but not for Jacksonville. The link is available at the start of the game. A webcast is available for purchase for the Stetson game. The link can be found at OMavs.com.
Up Next for the Mavericks
Saturday's game marks the conclusion of the 2011 regular season. The Mavs will play a full Summit League schedule beginning in 2012.
