Weekly Release
The UNO men's soccer team returns home this Saturday for its Summit League home opener against IUPUI at 1 p.m. at the UNO Soccer Field. The Mavericks are 2-4-1 (0-0-1 Summit) coming off a 1-1 tie at preseason Summit League favorite Western Illinois. The Jaguars are 4-6-2 (1-0 Summit) and are unbeaten in their last three games. Live stats will be available for the match at OMavs.com.
Series History
Omaha will be meeting IUPUI for the first time in program history.
Mavs Set Tone in Summit League Debut
The Mavericks couldn't have asked for a tougher test in their first-ever Summit League match on Sept. 22 at Western Illinois. As if traveling on the road to the home of the defending Summit League regular-season and tournament champions wasn't enough, the Mavs also faced adverse weather conditions with constant 20-30 mph winds blowing throughout the game. Still, the Mavs were able to scrape out a 1-1 tie against the preseason Summit League favorite Leathernecks, who returned six starters and 14 letterwinners from last year's NCAA Tournament team. Not only did the Mavs hold their own, they controlled play throughout the second half and overtime, at one point holding the Leathernecks without a shot for 27 straight minutes. UNO outshot Western Illinois 18-13 and nearly took a stranglehold on the game in the 83rd minute when
Craig Buettner's header off the crossbar would have given UNO the lead.
Stats GlanceThe Mavericks are well represented in the national and Summit League statistics so far this season.
Giovanni Giattino is tied for 18th in Division I in assists (4) and is second in The Summit League.
Matt Grosey is fourth in The Summit League with 30 saves.
Vance Rookwood is fourth in The Summit League in points (8). The Mavericks as a team are tied for 26th nationally in total assists (13) and are second in The Summit League. Omaha is second in The Summit League in goals per game (1.7).
Making StridesSeven games into the 2012 season, the Mavs have shown drastic improvement from 2011, when they went 1-11-1 in the program's first year of existence. In seven games this year, the Mavericks have scored 12 goals which is six more than the final goal total through 13 games last season. Omaha's players have combined for 37 points already this season, 22 more than the 15 recorded all last year.
Vance Rookwood's eight points are greater than any UNO point total from all of last season, and Rookwood and
Giovanni Giattino are the first players to record multiple assists in a season.
Next Up for the MavsThe Mavericks visit SIU Edwardsville on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. non-conference contest. UNO tied SIU Edwardsville last year 1-1 on the Cougars' home field.
Last Time Out
MACOMB, Ill. - The UNO men's soccer team earned a 1-1 tie last Saturday at Western Illinois in its first Summit League game in program history. The Mavs scored in the 16th minute for a 1-0 lead, but it lasted just seven minutes, when Western Illinois evened the score. The teams remained deadlocked through regulation and 20 minutes of overtime. UNO moved to 2-4-1 (0-0-1 Summit), while Western Illinois - the defending Summit League champion - moved to 2-4-2 (0-0-1 Summit). Center back
Felipe da Silva headed home a corner kick by
Giovanni Giattino at 15:44 to give the Mavericks a positive start. It was his first goal of the season and Giattino's team-leading fourth assist. But Western Illinois' Nathan Bruinsma scored at 22:22 after a Leatherneck corner kick. Charlie Bales played in the corner and Austin Gochneauer chested it to Bruinsma, who finished to tie the match 1-1. For the second straight game, the Mavs again dominated play after halftime on the road. Western Illinois was held without a shot attempt for a stretch of 27 minutes in the second half. Omaha nearly took the lead in the 83rd minute, but
Craig Buettner's header after a corner kick dinged off the crossbar. Da Silva finished with five shots, including two on frame. The Mavs outshot the Leathernecks 18-13 for the game and 6-3 in shots on goal.
Matt Grosey made one save, a big one after a header by Bruinsma with a minute left in overtime.
Scouting IUPUIIUPUI is 4-6-2 with a 1-0 record in Summit League play. The Jaguars opened conference play last Saturday with a 2-1 win over Eastern Illinois. IUPUI boasts one of the conference's top players in senior midfielder Kyle Hyland. Hyland has eight goals and 18 points this season, leading The Summit League in both categories. Hyland has eight of the Jaguars' 13 goals this year. Freshman Eduardo Cortes has started 11 games in net and has a 1.40 goals against average with a nation-leading 69 saves. He has been named Summit Leage Defensive Player of the Week three times already this season.
