The Omaha men's soccer team opens the season this weekend with a pair of high-profile home games. On Friday, the Mavericks host Santa Clara at 7:30 p.m. in the season opener. Then on Sunday, UNO welcomes No. 20 Stanford for a 7 p.m. match. Live webcasts for both matches will be available for purchase at OMavs.com. Free live stats are available as well.
The Teams
Christian Garcia is the Mavs' top returning scorer with four goals and two assists in his freshman season, earning him Summit League Newcomer of the Year. Garcia was named the preseason Summit League Offensive Player of the Year by College Sports Madness. Center back Felipe da Silva was an All-Summit League first-team selection, the first in UNO men's soccer history, and will lead the Maverick back line. Mark Moulton was an All-Newcomer selection with two goals and two assists last season. Senior Vance Rookwood is back after scoring four goals in his junior season. The Kingston, Jamaica native is UNO's career record holder in points (23), goals (10), game-winning goals (4) and shots on goal (24).
Santa Clara finished the 2013 season with an 11-9 overall record and 8-4 West Coast Conference record. The Broncos lost seven seniors from 2013. Edson Cardona is the top returning scorer, posting three goals and one assist in 14 games before suffering a season-ending injury. Santa Clara is picked to finish second in the WCC this season.
Stanford begins its regular season at Creighton on Friday night. In 2013, Stanford went 10-7-4 overall and reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament in Jeremy Gunn's second year as head coach. Jordan Morris was an All-Pac-12 first teamer as a freshman with six goals and seven assists. He was one of just two current collegiate players to make the U.S. U-23 National Team roster this summer and was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Best XI.
Last Time Out
UNO held a Red-Black Scrimmage last Saturday at Caniglia Field, consisting of two 30-minute halves with some players switching teams at halftime. Team White was victorious in both halves, winning 1-0 and 2-0. Christian Garcia had both goals in the second half of the scrimmage. Xavier Gomez scored the only goal in the first half after a corner kick from Logan Mendez. The scrimmage wrapped up the preseason for the Mavericks, who beat the UNL Club & Alumni team, 2-1, and fell at No. 4 UCLA, 5-2.
Up Next
This weekend's home matches kick off a stretch of four straight home games to open the season. UNO will also host Cincinnati on Sept. 5 and Belmont on Sept. 7 before finally hitting the road for the first time at Kansas City on Sept. 13.
Steady Climb
The Mavericks have showed improvement on the field each season of their existence and the numbers don't lie. In 2013, the Mavs dropped their goals against average to 1.31 after allowing 1.75 per game in 2012. In three seasons, UNO has increased its record from 1-11-1 (2011) to 5-10-1 (2012) to 6-9-1 (2013). More impressively, the schedule has increased in difficulty each season and 2014 will be no exception with the Mavs scheduled to play two preseason top 25 teams (Stanford and Cal State Northridge) and one receiving votes (Denver) in the regular season.
Change in Net
The Mavericks will have a different, but not necessarily new face in goal in 2014. After redshirting last season, junior goalie Josh Christensen is in line to guard the net again for the Mavericks. Christensen played all but one minute of the Mavs' inaugural 2011 season, posting 75 saves. He made one start as a sophomore in 2012 as transfer Matt Grosey took over the starting role in 2012 and 2013. The 6-3 Omaha native is one of three goalies on the roster, joining redshirt freshman Joseph Ghitis and freshman Quinn Nelson. As opposed to the 2011 season, whoever is in net for the Mavs will have an experienced back line in front of him. Felipe da Silva, Nick Miller and Jake McCain combined for 42 starts on the back line last season.
Three Returners Lead Mavs After Garnering League Honors in 2013
Three returning Mavericks were honored in last season's Summit League postseason awards. Center back Felipe da Silva was named to the All-Summit League First Team, becoming the first Maverick men's soccer player to achieve all-conference first-team honors. Forward Christian Garcia was named Newcomer of the Year and an All-Summit League second-team selection after scoring four goals and two assists. Garcia and fellow classmate Mark Moulton were named to the All-Newcomer Team as well. Moulton, a Creighton Prep product, had two goals and two assists for six points in his first season at UNO.
First Four-Year Players In Program History
The 2014 season will see three Mavericks become the first four-year class to complete their eligibility. Joe Marinkovich, Vance Rookwood and Jordan Gealy were all freshmen on the inaugural 2011 squad and will be the first senior class to have played all four years at UNO. Josh Christensen and Logan Mendez are also in their fourth years in the program, but both redshirted a season and are juniors. Nick Miller and Felipe da Silva are also seniors after transfering into the program, bringing the Mavs' senior class to five, most in program history.
Last Season of Transition
The 2014 season marks the final one that the Mavs will be unable to compete in the Summit League Championship and NCAA Tournament. As part of its transition to Division I, the Mavs had to sit out postseason play from 2011-12 to 2014-15. The top four teams in the league standings qualify for the Summit League Championship. The Mavs would have qualified as the third seed in 2013 with a 3-3 league record.
Grab Your Season-Ticket Scarves
The UNO men's and women's soccer teams are doing a joint season-long promotion for 2014 where if you buy an official “Omaha Soccer” scarf for $30, you get into every home game as long as you have your scarf with you. Scarves are on sale at the Sapp Fieldhouse ticket office and at each home game. For just $30, you can see $82 worth of Maverick men's and women's soccer games this fall.
FIFA Awards UNO Soccer Pitch Prestigious Rating
The new University of Nebraska Omaha soccer pitch at Caniglia Field, installed by Hellas Construction, has received the prestigious FIFA Recommended 2-Star certification, the highest synthetic turf rating from FIFA, the international governing body of soccer. The Maverick soccer programs are now the only NCAA Division I teams that can call a FIFA 2-Star field their home, distinguishing Caniglia Field as the elite synthetic turf in Division I soccer. Only four synthetic turf fields in the U.S. currently hold the FIFA Recommended 2-Star certification, which lasts for one year but is eligible for a new test each year. Joining Al F. Caniglia Field among that elite group are CenturyLink Field (Seattle Sounders), Gillette Stadium (New England Revolution) and North Shore United soccer club in Cedarburg, Wis. The rating was issued after a series of tests performed by a FIFA approved testing agent to examine the quality, comfort, safety and performance of the playing surface. Caniglia Field features an infill that enhances stability, reduces the field temperature and creates more natural playing characteristics to help decrease the risk of injuries.
