OMAHA, Neb. - Fresh off winning a share of its first Summit League title, the Omaha men's soccer team wraps up the 2014 season with a pair of games in Phoenix, Ariz. The Mavs play Incarnate Word on Friday at 8 p.m. and then finish with Grand Canyon on Sunday at 6 p.m.
The Teams
Omaha (8-5-2, 3-2-1 Summit League) claimed a share of its first Summit League championship on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over IUPUI in Omaha.
Incarnate Word (7-10-1, 6-3-1 WAC) lost a 3-2 decision to Grand Canyon on Wednesday evening in Phoenix, Ariz.
Grand Canyon (5-11-3, 2-6-2 WAC) defeated Incarnate Word 3-2 on Wednesday evening.
Scouting the Mavericks
In just their fourth year of existence and their third as a member of the Summit League, the Mavericks claimed a share of the 2014 regular season title. Omaha is ineligible for the 2014 Summit League Tournament due to its status as a reclassifying Division I program.
Omaha is 4-1 over their last five games and won their last six games at home. They are 2-3-1 on the road and 0-0-1 at neutral sites. Omaha is 6-2 within the friendly confines of Caniglia Field.
Vance Rookwood has a team high 16 points on seven goals and two assists. Rookwood is the programs all-time leader in points (39), goals (17), and game winning goals (7). He also ranks fifth in career assists with five. With his goal on Saturday, Rookwood also set the single season record for points (16) and goals (7).
Mark Moulton is second on the team with 14 points on three goals on eight assists. Moulton currently owns the single season assist mark with eight and ranks third in points with 14. In just his second season, Moulton is in fourth place in points for a career (20) and is in second place in assists for a career (10).
Logan Mendez has set the program career record for assists in a career with 11. For the season, Mendez has a goal and five 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. Defender Felipe da Silva has two goals on the season. Jake McCain has two goals on the season. Emir Alihodzic has one goal. Michael Jaime, 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 seven games and has a 4-2-1 record. Christensen has a .857 save percentage with 24 saves. He has allowed four goals and has a 0.54 goals against average. Ghitis has started eight games this year and owns a 4-3-1 record. Ghitis has made 23 saves and has a .697 save percentage. He has allowed 10 goals and has a 1.19 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 a 20-14 margin. The Mavs have six shut-outs this season.
Scouting the Cardinals
The Cardinals (7-10-1, 6-3-1) finished third in the Western Athletic Conference regular season, but are ineligible for post-season play due to reclassification to NCAA Division I.
UIW has outscored their opponents, 27-26 for the season and have four players with at least five goals. Senior midfielder Alex de la Garza leads the team with 17 points on five goals and seven assists, including a pair of game-winning goals. Junior forward Dylan Kelly leads the team with six goals and has three assists while sophomore forward Ben Conway has six goals and three assists.
Joe Brown headlines a defense that has four shutouts in 10 conference games. Kieran O'Boyle is the team's goalkeeper and he has a 1.44 goals against average with 67 saves.
Scouting the Lopes
The Lopes (5-11-3, 2-6-2 WAC) have been outscored by a 34-19 margin this season. They are ineligible for post-season play due to reclassification to NCAA Division I.
Al Sanchez Garcia is the leading scorer this season for the Lopes. He has eight goals and two assists for 18 points in 18 games this season. Niki Jackson has added five goals and three assists for 13 points.
Kendyl Day and Luca Licciardi have split time in goal for Grand Canyon. Day has appeared in 11 games with a 3-6-1 record. He has a 1.81 goals against average and a .620 save percentage. Licciardi has appeared in ten games with a 2-5-2 overall record. He owns a 1.57 goals against average and a .674 save percentage.
Series History
This is the second all-time meeting between Omaha and Incarnate Word. Last season, the Mavs defeated the Cardinals, 2-1 in Omaha.
This is the second all-time meeting between Omaha and Grand Canyon. Last season, the Lopes came away with a 2-1 victory in Omaha.
Up Next
Omaha will announce their spring schedule later in the academic year.
