The Omaha men's soccer team travels to Fullerton Calif. For a pair of games this weekend. Omaha will play games in Fullerton, Calif. on their trip. On Friday, UNO will play Cal State Northridge on Friday night at Titian Stadium in Fullerton, Calf. at 9:00 p.m. The Mavericks will play Cal State Fullerton on Sunday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m.
The Teams
Omaha (3-2, 0-0 Summit League) is coming off a 1-0 victory over the University of Kansas City last weekend on the road. Christian Garcia scored his first goal of the season in the 20th minute for the only goal of the game. Josh Christensen faced eight shots and made two saves in his first career shut-out. The Summit League named Felipe da Silva the conference Defensive Player of the Week. Mark Moulton has a team high seven points with a goal and five assists. Vance Rookwood leads the team with three goals, while Nick Miller has two. Goalkeeper Josh Christensen is 2-1 on the season with a 0.98 goals against average and a .769 save percentage. Goalkeeper Joseph Ghitis is 1-1 on the year with a 1.82 goals against average and a .333 save percentage. UNO is on a program best three game winning streak. Omaha has moved up to 6th in the latest NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I Men's Western Region Poll.
Cal State Northridge (3-3, 0-0 Big West) is coming off a double over-time in over Bradley on Sunday, September 14. Northridge senior forward Sagi Lev-Ari scored 19 seconds into double overtime for the win. CUSN had a 27-11 advantage in total shots and a 6-3 shot on goal advantage. Lev-Ari leads the team with five goals and ten points. David Turcois leads the teamwith three assists. Adam Hobbs has a 3-1 record in goal with two shut-outs this season. Hobbs has started four games with a 0.48 goals against average and has a .846 save percentage. Kevin Marquez has a 0-2 record in goal this season. Marquez has started two games and had a 2.00 goals against average and a .636 save percentage.
Fullerton (1-3-2, 0-0 Big West) is coming off a 1-1 showing at the UNLV Nike Invitational over the weekend. The Titians lost a 2-1 decision to Detroit on Friday and won a 4-3 double overtime thriller over the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Fullerton rallied twice from two-goal deficits to earn the win on Sunday. Marc Fenelus and Julian Okai each have two goals to lead the team. Mark Vasquez has a team high two assists. Goalkeeper Jeff Salt has five starts this season and a 0-2-2 record. Salt has a 1.21 goals against average and a .793 save percentage. David Rodriguez Elias has appeared in two games and has a 1-1 record. He has a .692 save percentage and a 2.33 goals against average. Fullerton will play Santa Clara on Friday prior to the Omaha-Northridge match-up.
Series History
Omaha and Cal State Northridge will be meeting for the first time on Friday evening. UNO and Cal State Fullerton have met once before. Last season, Fullerton took a 3-0 decision over the Mavericks in Omaha.
Last Time Out
Kansas City, Mo. – Christian Garcia scored his first goal of the season, leading the Omaha men's soccer team to a 1-0 shutout of Kansas City in non-conference play on Saturday afternoon.
Garcia brought down a cross from Logan Mendez on the left side of the penalty area before volleying the shot that trickled past UMKC goalkeeper Chris McGaughey.
The Mavericks (3-2, 0-0 Summit League) limited the Kangaroos (1-2-1, 0-0 WAC) to just two shots on goal for the game, while Omaha got off five shots on goal.
Omaha's defense took charge early in the game and did not allow many clean looks at the Maverick goal. Coach Mims credited the play of UNO central defenders Felipe da Silva and Nick Miller. Josh Christensen made two saves and earned his first career shut-out.
The win gives Omaha the best start in the program's four year history. The Mavericks hold a 2-1-1 all-time record over UMKC.
Up Next
Omaha opens Summit League play on Saturday, September 27 against Eastern Illinois at Caniglia Field on the UNO campus. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
Grab Your Season-Ticket Scarves
The UNO women's and men'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 women's and men's soccer games this fall.
