Game Notes
Live Stats
The UNO men's soccer team continues its inaugural season with the program's first-ever home game, as No. 24 UC Irvine comes to Omaha for a 5 p.m., game on Sunday at the UNO Soccer Field. The game will be the first of three home games on the season for the Mavericks, who are coming off a 2-1 victory at defending Summit League champion UMKC on Friday.
Scouting the Competition: UC Irvine
Head Coach: George Kuntz (17th Year)
2011 Record: 1-0-0 (0-0-0 Big West)
Last Game: W, 1-0 vs. San Diego (8/26/11)
Website: ucirvinesports.com
UC Irvine started the year off with a 1-0 home win on Friday night over San Diego. Christian Hernandez hit the game winner in the 75th minute to lift the Anteaters. UC Irvine 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 Anteaters are led by senior midfielder Miguel Ibarra, who has been named among the top 20 seniors in Division I by Topdrawersoccer.com. Goalkeeper Andrew Fontein was ranked as the fifth-best senior keeper. Fontein earned 11 shutouts last year and was named to the All-Big West Second Team.
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.
George Kuntz is in his 17th season as the head coach at UC Irvine. Kuntz holds a 150-130-46 record at UC Irvine and is 284-192-59 in 23 years as a collegiate head coach. Kuntz graduated from Arizona State in 1989.
Mojo's Bar & Grill to Hold Special Pep Rally for UNO Soccer Fans
When the Mavs host No. 24 UC Irvine on Sunday, a large gathering of UNO students and fans is expected to be on hand to witness the first-ever UNO men's soccer home 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 or the soccer field will receive a free t-shirt. A shuttle will also be available running to and from Mojo 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 500 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.
Last Time Out
The UNO men's soccer team got its program off to a thrilling start with a 2-1 win over defending Summit League champion UMKC on Friday night at Durwood Soccer Stadium. The game was the first form of competition for the Mavs since the program was founded in March. UMKC had already played two exhibition matches this season.
The Mavs (1-0) gave up a penalty kick goal in the first four minutes of the match, but responded with two second-half goals to win their inaugural game over the Kangaroos (0-1).
Mo Salama scored the game winner in the 64th minute off a corner kick from
Jordan Gealy.
In the fourth minute, UMKC played a corner kick into the six-yard box, and the ball hit a UNO hand in the scramble in front of the goal, resulting in a penalty kick for the Kangaroos. Chris Markey slotted it home in the left corner for the 'Roos for the 1-0 lead. UNO goalie
Josh Christensen had the right read on the shot, but the shot was executed well.
In the 13th minute, UNO nearly drew even. A nifty ball by
Logan Mendez sprung
A.J. Chedel down the right side. Chedel dropped it back to Mendez, whose cross found Cody Thayer streaking into the box. Thayer took a touch and ripped an odd-angled shot from 10 yards out that went just wide of the far post.
In the second half, the Mavs finally struck. In the 56th minute,
Vance Rookwood played a long through ball behind the Kangaroos' backline, and Mendez dribbled in on a breakaway from about 40 yards out. About eight yards away from the goal, Mendez tucked the ball inside the right post for the first goal in UNO history.
The Mavs weren't done, though. In the 64th minute, Gealy played in a corner kick, and Salama deflected it into the net with his head from inside the six-yard box for a 2-1 Maverick lead, setting off a wild celebration among the estimated 50 UNO fans that made the trip down to Kansas City.
Despite a few early season cramps, the Mavs held strong in the tense final minutes to produce the first win in school history. UNO finished with an 11-6 advantage in shots.
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.”
Next Up for the Mavs...
The Mavericks will make a road trip to Indiana next weekend for a noon game on Sunday, Sept. 4 at IPFW. The Mastodons will be the second of three Summit League foes UNO will play this season.
