CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Omaha men's soccer team's attack came alive in a 3-0 shutout win at Eastern Illinois on Sunday.
With the win, UNO improved to 4-9-1 overall and 2-3 in The Summit League. Eastern Illinois dropped to 1-13-2 overall and 1-4-1 in The Summit League. The Mavs are in fifth place with one league game remaining and still have a chance to finish as high as third in the final standings.
In Sunday's victory, the Mavericks tied the school record with 24 shot attempts and put 13 shots on goal.
Christian Garcia tied the school record with two goals and added an assist for a five-point day, which also matched the best single-game output in the three years of the Maverick program. Garcia had 10 shots on the day, a new school record, and he put four shots on goal to tie the school record held by
Logan Mendez.
Chava Garcia had a goal and an assist, and
Craig Buettner added two assists to tie the school record.
The dominant day began at the 25:16 mark when
Chava Garcia played a through ball to
Christian Garcia, who beat goalkeeper Ben Feltes and scored from seven yards out on the right.
The Mavericks made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute when
Chava Garcia tapped in a centering pass into the six-yard box from
Craig Buettner.
Christian Garcia also notched an assist on the play.
Christian Garcia capped the scoring in the 84th minute after a pass from
Craig Buettner. It was the freshman's third goal of the season and he now has seven points after the big day.
Chava Garcia has a team-high nine points now with two goals and five assists this season.
Matt Grosey made a season-high six saves to record his third shutout of the season and the sixth of his career. Defenders
Sam Langston,
Felipe da Silva,
Nick Miller and Mendez played all 90 minutes to aid in the shutout. Over the past five games, UNO has allowed just three goals in regulation.
Omaha finished with a 24-16 shot advantage and 13-6 edge in shots on goal. The Mavericks have had no troubles creating shots this season, as they rank first in the league with 15.9 shots per game. However, the Mavs' outburst on Sunday was just the second time they've hit three goals this season.
The Mavs close out Summit League play next Saturday at Caniglia Field against Fort Wayne at 4 p.m. The season finale is Nov. 16 against Incarnate Word.
