OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha men's soccer team remains on the road this weekend for a crucial Summit League match-up against Western Illinois in Macomb, Ill. at 1:00 p.m.
The Teams
Omaha (4-3-2, 1-0-1 Summit League) hit the road for a conference game in Tulsa, Okla. against Oral Roberts. The two teams played to a 0-0 draw. Omaha held a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Mavericks had a chance to win the game in regulation, but the shot was knocked out of bounds by the ORU goal keeper.
Western Illinois (6-4-1, 1-0-0 Summit League) has won five of its last six matches. The Leathernecks defeated the Panthers 2-0 on a pair of second half goals. Western Illinois held a 17-14 advantage on shots. WIU opened conference play on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Fort Wayne. Western Illinois scored in the opening ten minutes and held on for the win.
Scouting the Mavericks
Omaha is off to the best start in program history. The Mavs are 4-3-2 overall and 1-0-1 in conference play. Vance Rookwood leads the team in goals and points. Rookwood has five goals for ten points on the season. Mark Moulton is second on the team in points (7) and leads UNO in assists (5). Logan Mendez has a goal and three assists on the season. Nick Miller has added two goals from his central defender position. Emir Alihodzic and Jake McCain each have two assists.
Josh Christensen and Joseph Ghitis split time in goal this season for Omaha. Christensen has started four games and has a 2-1-1 record. Christensen has a .824 save percentage with 14 saves. He has allowed three goals and has a 0.70 goals against average. Ghitis has started five games this year and owns a 2-2-1 record. Ghitis has made 12 saves and has a .632 save percentage. He has allowed seven goals and has a 1.29 goals against average.
As a team, Omaha has outscored their opponents by a 12-10 margin. They also have a 43-40 advantage in corner kicks. The Mavericks have posted four shut-outs on the season.
Scouting the Leathernecks
Western Illinois owns a 6-4-1 overall mark and a 1-0 record in Summit League play. WIU owns a 3-1-1 record at their home pitch. The streaking Leathernecks have outscored their opponents by a 15-9 margin. They have not allowed a goal since September 19th against Valparaiso. Charlie Bales leads the team with five goals and one assist for 11 points. Jacob Bevan has scored three goals and has an assist for seven points. Mario Alvarez and Armel Kouassi each have two goals. Yves Dietrich has played every minute in goal for Western Illinois. He owns a 6-4-1 record with five shut-outs. Dietrich had a .862 save percentage and a 0.79 goals against average.
Series History
This will be the third all-time meeting between the conference foes. Omaha owns a 1-0-1 advantage over Western Illinois. Omaha defeated WIU last season 2-1 at the UNO Soccer Field. Vance Rookwood notched the game winning goal with 16:38 remaining in the game. Western Illinois scored the first goal of the game in the 25th minute. Mark Moulton tied the game at 1-1 with a goal in the 39th minute, before Rookwood delivered the winner.
Up Next
Omaha does not play again until Monday, October 20 when they travel to Peoria, Ill. to play Bradley University.
