Omaha Athletics

The Omaha men's soccer team will look for its first win of the season on Sunday when it hosts Columbia at the UNO Soccer Field at 11 a.m. Live stats will be available at OMavs.com. The game is part of a doubleheader with the women's team, which hosts Wyoming at 1 p.m.

    Omaha is 0-2 after a pair of one-goal losses last weekend in which the Mavericks outshot  both of their opponents. The Mavericks dropped their season opener on Aug. 30 at home to Grand Canyon, 2-1, despite outshooting the Antelopes 18-6 with a 6-3 edge in shots on goal. Emir Alihodzic scored the first goal of the season for the Mavs on a penalty kick. UNO then fell at Missouri State in double overtime, 1-0, on Sunday despite a 9-7 shot advantage with a 3-2 edge in shots on goal. The Mavericks will no doubt hope for improved finishing in the upcoming matches, having netted 1-of-27 shots so far to start the regular season.

    Columbia plays its first game of the season on Friday, Sept. 6 at Creighton. The Lions were 4-8-4 last season with a 2-3-2 record in the Ivy League. Senior forward Will Stamatis was a first-team All-Ivy League honoree in 2011, leading the Lions with six goals, three of them game-winners in overtime. Stamatis missed all of last season with an injury, which affected the Lions' attack. Columbia scored just 12 goals last season after recording 18 in 2011. Senior midfielder Henning Sauerbier returns after leading Columbia with five points (2g, 1a) last season. The Lions were tough defensively in 2012, allowing just 1.00 goals per game.

    The Mavericks will be playing Columbia for the first time.

    The Omaha men's soccer team dominated the stat sheet for 90 minutes last Sunday night at Missouri State but had no goals to show for it. And in overtime, Missouri State snatched the win on a 102nd-minute goal by Emmerich Hoegg. Hoegg received a cross in the middle of the box from Cole Alexander and finished it low past goalkeeper Matt Grosey to give the Bears (2-0) the win. Despite the loss, the Mavericks (0-2) were the aggressor against the Missouri Valley Conference foe. In regulation, Omaha outshot Missouri State 9-4 overall and 3-0 in shots on goal. At one point late in the second half the Mavs held an 8-1 shot advantage. Lalo Gamboa, Christian Garcia and Emir Alihodzic each hit the target for the Mavs, forcing saves from Trevor Spangenberg. But Missouri State had the only two shots of the first overtime period and then the sudden-death winner early in the second overtime period. Both of Missouri State's shots on goal in the game came in overtime. Hoegg had both of them. UNO finished with a 9-7 edge in shots and 3-2 advantage in shots on goal, as well as a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.
  

    The Mavericks go back on the road at Drake this Friday at 8 p.m. That match marks the final road game for the Mavs in nearly a month, as UNO plays five straight home games before an Oct. 5 road game at IUPUI.