The Omaha men's soccer team returns to conference play on Saturday, Nov. 1 against Fort Wayne at 6:00 p.m. (CST). The Mavericks look to extend their season high three game winning streak.
The Teams
Omaha (7-4-2, 2-1-1 Summit League) defeated Drake University 2-0 on Tuesday evening in Omaha. UNO is riding a three game winning streak entering Saturday's game against Fort Wayne.
Fort Wayne (5-8-4, 2-3 Summit League) defeated Valparaiso 1-0 on Wednesday evening in Valparaiso, Ind.
Scouting the Mavericks
Omaha is currently tied with Denver for second place in the Summit League. The Mavericks have an outside chance of winning the conference depending on results over the next two weeks. Omaha is 4-1-1 over their last six games and have won three straight games. UNO is 2-2-1 on the road and 0-0-1 at neutral sites. Omaha is 5-2 within the friendly confines of Caniglia Field.
Vance Rookwood regained the team lead in points with a goal and an assist against Drake on Tuesday evening. Rookwood broke the program's record for goals in a season with his sixth strike of the year against Drake University. He is also currently one point away from tying the program record of points for a season (15). On the season, Rookwood has fourteen points on six goals and two assists.
Mark Moulton has tied the programs record for assists in a season (7). For the season, Moulton has three goals and seven assists for 13 points. Defender Nick Miller has scored three goals and has an assist for seven points.
Logan Mendez has set the program record for assists in a career with ten. For the season, Mendez has a goal and four assists. Christian Garcia and Xavier Gomez each have one goal and two assists for four points. Jordan Gealy has a goal and an assist for three points. Emir Alihodzic and Felipe da Silva each have a goal.
Jake McCain has two goals on the season. Lalo Gamboa and Jesus Perez each have tallied one assist.
Josh Christensen and Joseph Ghitis split time in goal this season for Omaha. Christensen has started six games and has a 4-1-1 record. Christensen has a .870 save percentage with 20 saves. He has allowed three goals and has a 0.47 goals against average. Ghitis has started seven games this year and owns a 3-3-1 record. Ghitis has made 21 saves and has a .700 save percentage. He has allowed nine goals and has a 1.21 goals against average. Christiansen has four shut-outs, while Ghitis has two shut-outs.
The Mavericks boast seven individual players who have earned all-league awards this season. Mark Moulton has been named the Summit League Offensive Player-of-the-Week twice this season. Josh Christensen, Felipe da Silva, and Joseph Ghitis each have been named conference Defensive-Players-of-the-Week once, while Nick Miller has won the award twice.
As a team, Omaha has outscored their opponents by an 18-12 margin. The Mavs have six shut-outs this season.
Scouting the Mastodons
Fort Wayne is 5-8-4 overall this season and hold a 2-3 mark in the Summit League. The Mastodons are 3-2-2 overall this season at home and hold a perfect 2-0 home conference mark. They are 2-6-2 on the road this season. Opponents are outscoring Fort Wayne by a 25-18 margin.
Corey Tom is the offensive spark for Fort Wayne. Tom has five goals and 11 points this season. He also leads the team with 1501 minutes. Austin West has added four goals, while Stephen Danielian chipped in two goals. Jacob Murphy has the team lead with three assists. Austin West and Corey Tom each have been named Summit league Offensive Players-of-the-Week this season.
Fort Wayne has used two goalkeepers this season. Raphael Kotzock has appeared in ten games, while Cody Schweitzer has appeared in nine games. Kotzock has a 3-3-3 record with a 0.93 goals against average and a .816 save percentage. He also has four shut-outs this season and has been named conference Defensive Player-of-the-Week twice. Schweitzer has a 2-5-1 record with a 0.709 save percentage and a 1.95 goals against average.
Series History
This is the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs. Fort Wayne owns a 2-1 lead in the series, but Omaha won the last meeting between the two sides last year. The Mavericks defeated the Mastodons by a 4-0 margin last season. In 2013, Craig Buettner, Chava Garcia, Christian Garcia, and Logan Mendez each scored in the game for Omaha. Matt Grosey earned the win in goal for Omaha.
Up Next
Omaha wraps up the home portion of the season on Saturday, November 8 against IUPUI. Kick-off is set for 1:00 p.m. at Caniglia Field. Following the game, the Mavericks will honor seniors Felipe da Silva, Jordan Gealy, Joe Marinkovich, Nick Miller, and Vance Rookwood.
