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The UNO men's soccer team begins its inaugural season at defending Summit League regular-season champion UMKC on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m., at Durwood Soccer Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Mavericks will be playing their first game since the program was established in March.
Scouting the Competition: UMKC Kangaroos
Head Coach: Rick Benben (14th Year)
2011 Record: 0-0-0 (0-0-0 Summit League)
Last Game: W, 2-1 vs. Rockhurst (Exh.)
Website: umkckangaroos.com
UMKC returns six starters from last year's team that won the 2010 Summit League regular-season title. The Kangaroos finished 10-5-3 overall and 4-1-1 in conference play. The Kangaroos are led by forward Jimmy Simon, who scored seven goals and had one assist and was named to the All-Summit First Team in 2010. The Roos won both exhibition games they played this fall. UMKC defeated William Jewell, 2-0, on Aug. 18, then knocked off Rockhurst, 2-1, on Aug. 21. Freshman forward Jordan Rideout scored two goals in the preseason to lead UMKC.
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 10 years as an assistant coach at Creighton, helping then-head coach Bob Warming, now the head coach at Penn State, create the Bluejays' program from the ground up. 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. He also coached club soccer for six years while in Omaha, winning the Nebraska State Cup each season and qualifying for the national tournament once. In 2007, he was an NSCAA National Youth Coach of the Year finalist and the region coach of the year. 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.
Rick Benben is in his 14th year leading the UMKC men's soccer program. Benben holds a 100-118-24 career record at UMKC. Benben has led the Roos to four Summit League regular-season titles and three NCAA College Cup appearances, most recently in 2008. In 2010, Benben was named the Summit League Coach of the Year for the fourth time. Benben earned his bachelor's degree in 1973 from SIU Edwardsville and his master's in 1976, also from SIUE.
OMavs.com to Live Blog UNO/UMKC Match
OMavs.com will run a live blog from Durwood Soccer Stadium during the UNO/UMKC match on Friday night. Maverick fans can follow along and comment on the blog at the men's soccer page on OMavs.com, as the Mavericks embark upon their first season of men's soccer. The live blog may be featured occasionally throughout the year for UNO athletic events.
Mavs Ready for Challenging Historic Season
The 2011-12 academic year will be a year of firsts for all Nebraska Omaha athletic teams because of the Mavericks' transition to the Division I Summit League. However, no program will experience the trials that the UNO men's soccer program will go through.
While most UNO coaches have had since March to adjust their 2011-12 schedules, men's soccer head coach
Jason Mims has had since his hiring in late April to not only put together a competitive schedule, but also build a team from the ground up, as UNO announced it was adding a men's soccer program in March.
The former Creighton and Penn State assistant worked diligently to compile a talented group of players. He also revealed a menacing 13-game schedule for the young Maverick squad that includes 12 games against Division I teams and just three home games overall.
“We want to be able to test ourselves against the best opponents we can possibly play,” Mims said. “We will have to travel more and not have as many home games as we would like, but we are building for the future. This schedule gives us the best chance to be successful down the road.”
For Mims and the Mavericks, the first season in school history isn't about getting results. It's about getting better and growing as a team.
“We know what lies ahead of us,” Mims said. “There will be some growing pains along the way, but we're going to focus on getting better each and every day and see what happens.”
Local Talent Dominates First UNO Roster
Twenty players have signed on to make up the first UNO squad, highlighted by 15 players from the Omaha area and three out-of-state players with youth national team experience. In all, 11 different Nebraska high schools are represented on the first men's soccer roster. Seventeen of the 20 players are Nebraska natives, reaching all the way across the state to Scottsbluff. Mims also locked in the Mavs' first two international recruits in
Vance Rookwood, a midfielder from Kingston, Jamaica who is in the Jamaican U-20 national team pool, and
BJ Kabamba, a former Canadian youth national team captain from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Tyler Dixon, an Overland Park, Kan., native whose KCFC Rangers club team just finished third in the nation, is the lone out-of-state domestic signee in the class. Dixon was a member of the 2006 U.S. U-14 national team camp. The Mavs' first roster consists of 15 freshmen, four sophomores and one senior. Mims searched all over the city, state and country to find talented players with local ties to be a part of the first Maverick team.
Mojo's Bar & Grill to Hold Special Pep Rally for UNO Soccer Fans
When the Mavs host No. 24 UC Irvine on Sunday, Aug. 28, in their home opener at 5 p.m., a large gathering of UNO students and fans is expected to be on hand to witness the first-ever UNO men's soccer game. Beginning at 3 p.m., there will be a gameday pep rally with specials for UNO students at Mojo Smokehouse & Ales in Aksarben Village. All UNO fans are invited to attend the pep rally. Following the party, the students will march to the UNO Soccer Field to watch the game. The first 500 UNO students to show up at Mojo's or the soccer field will receive a free t-shirt. A shuttle will also be available running to and from Mojo's and the field from 4-8 p.m.
Fans Encouraged to Arrive Early to First Maverick Home Game
Gates will open at 4 p.m., on Sunday for the Mavericks' first home game in program history. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as general admission seating will be limited to approximately the first 650 people. Standing room areas will be available in both corners on the west side of the field and on a high vantage point just behind the bleachers.
Tough Schedule Awaits Mavs in First Season
UNO opens the season Aug. 26 at 2010 Summit League regular-season champion UMKC and returns home two days later for the first home game in program history against No. 24 UC Irvine on Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. The Anteaters spent most of last year ranked in the top 10 in the national polls, won the Big West regular-season championship and finished 14-3-3 with 11 shutouts. The Mavs' historic home opener will be played at the UNO Soccer Field near the Chili Greens Sports Complex.
The Mavs' inaugural schedule includes two teams that have won NCAA Division I national championships (Santa Clara, 1989, and SIU Edwardsville, 1979). UNO will face one 2010 NCAA Tournament qualifier (Santa Clara), and in their first four games the Mavs will play three teams that won either a conference regular season or tournament title last year (UMKC, UC Irvine and Santa Clara).
Following its first home game, UNO will play at Summit League opponent Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne on Sept. 4, then travel to California for games at 2010 NCAA Tournament qualifier Santa Clara and San Jose State, Sept. 9 and 11, respectively.
The Mavs return home on Friday, Sept. 23, for a 7 p.m., game against Mercer under the lights at Werner Park. The outfield at Werner Park will be converted into a soccer field for the Mavs' first-ever night game.
UNO follows up with an Oct. 2 game at Summit League competitor Oral Roberts before a trip to Memphis on Oct. 11. The Mavs close out their home schedule on Friday, Oct. 14 against fellow first-year program Fort Hays State. The Tigers are the only Division II team on UNO's schedule.
UNO closes the slate with four straight road games. On Oct. 16, UNO plays at Illinois-Chicago, then the Mavs head back to Illinois to play SIU Edwardsville on Oct. 25. UNO ends its season with a November trip to Florida. The Mavs play at Jacksonville on Nov. 4 and finish at Stetson on Nov. 5.
UMKC, Oakland Tabbed as Summit League Favorites in Preseason Poll
UMKC, The Summit League's 2010 regular-season champion, and Oakland, last season's league tournament champion, were chosen as co-favorites for the 2011 Summit League title as selected by a voting of league coaches.
Both teams collected 32 points to tie for the top spot with Oakland holding a 3-2 edge in first-place votes. UMKC finished first during 2010 Summit League play with a 4-1-1 league mark and 13 points. Oakland, who finished third in the regular season, posted consecutive tournament shutouts to win the 2010 Summit League Championship.
Western Illinois finished third in the poll with 23 points, including one first-place vote, followed by Oral Roberts with 21 points and one first-place vote. Rounding out the poll was Eastern Illinois, who returns to the Summit League in 2011, and IUPUI at 15 points and IPFW, who collected nine points.
Regular-season play begins on Aug. 26 with the Summit League schedule starting Sept. 23. The top four teams in the regular season standings will vie for the Summit League Men's Soccer Championship, Nov. 11 and 13 at the Durwood Soccer Stadium and Recreational Field on the campus of UMKC. The tournament champion earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's College Cup.
Mavericks Reclassify to Division I in 2011-12
Nebraska Omaha announced in March 2011 its plan to reclassify from NCAA Division II to Division I, beginning with the 2011-12 school year. UNO, which was previously a member of the MIAA, accepted an invitation to join the Summit League and will compete as a full-fledged member with a regular-season conference schedule in 2012-13.
Next Up for the Mavs...
The Mavericks will play their home opener on Sunday, Aug. 28 vs. No. 24 UC Irvine. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at the UNO Soccer Field. Tickets can be purchased at the Sapp Fieldhouse ticket office until Saturday, Aug. 27. On gameday, tickets will only be on sale at the UNO Soccer Field, beginning two hours before the start of the game. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students with a school ID. UNO students can get in for free with their Mav Card.
