OMAHA, Neb. – The top two picks in the Summit League Coaches Preseason Poll match up Saturday evening in Denver, Colo. The Pioneers are currently 10-0-2 and ranked No. 8 in the latest NSCAA NCAA Coaches Poll, while the Mavericks are 7-3-1 and coming off their first home loss since early last season. Kickoff at CIBER Field in Denver is set for 8 p.m. (MT).
Last weekend, Omaha dropped a 2-1 decision against Western Illinois at Caniglia Field, while Denver knocked off Gonzaga on Monday, 2-1, and Oral Roberts on Saturday, 1-0.
Links to live stats will be available at OMavs.com. There will be no video streaming of this match.
Omaha by the Numbers
4245 – Attendance so far this season through seven home games, tops in the Summit League.
606 – Average home attendance this season.
11– Number of starts for Felipe da Silva and Mark Moulton, the duo are the only players on the roster to start every game this year.
37 – Shots against Bradley on Sept. 19, 2015, which is a team record.
20 – Goals this season for Omaha, second in the Summit League.
21 – Assists for Omaha this season, tops in the Summit League.
13 – Points for Mark Moulton on five goals and three assists this season, tops on the team. He ranks second in the Summit League in points.
7 – Number of wins this season for Omaha, the second most in program history.
7 – Number of goals allowed by goalkeeper Joseph Ghitis, which is second lowest in the league.
0.90 – Goals-against average by Ghitis, which is third in the Summit League.
About Omaha
UNO is looking to avoid an October swoon as it visits nationally rated Denver on Saturday evening. The Mavericks are 2-2-1 in their last five games and recently saw their 12 match home winning streak snapped by Western Illinois.
Omaha is in third place in the Summit League standings with a 1-1-1 mark and four points. Denver sits atop the conference with a 2-0-1 mark and seven points, while Oral Roberts is second with a 2-1 record and six points. The Mavericks have three remaining Summit League matches left, including two on the road (Denver and Eastern Illinois) and one at home (Oral Roberts).
Last Saturday, the Mavericks dropped a 2-1 decision to Western Illinois. Defender Felipe da Silva scored the game's first goal in the 48th minute for Omaha. WIU's Drew Whalen scored a pair of goals in a 2:13 span to secure the win for the Leathernecks.
This season Omaha leads the Summit League in assists (21), corner kicks (67), and shots (175). They also rank second in goals scored (20). Defensively, UNO ranks second in goals-against average (1.04) and third in shut-outs (2).
Mark Moulton is second in the league in goals (5) and points (13). Lalo Gamboa and Logan Mendez rank third in assists (4). Mendez is also ranked third in total points (12).
The Mavericks look to defend their share of the regular season Summit League title won last year. This season, UNO is eligible for Summit League and NCAA postseason competitions after completing the transition to NCAA Division I.
Previewing the Pioneers
Players to watch:
Defender Reagan Dunk is a three-year starter for the Pioneers. As a red shirt freshman, he garnered Summit League All-Newcomer honors. Dunk was named Defensive Player of the Week two weeks ago. He was also named the Summit League Player of the Month (Aug./Sept.).
- Stats: 12 games/starts, 1 goal, 6 assists, 8 points.
- Leads the Summit League with six assists and third in the nation in assists with six.
Freshman Andre Shinyashikiis having a break out season for Denver. He was the No. 79 ranked player in the Class of 2015 according to College Soccer News.
- Stats: 9 starts in 12 games, 5 goals, 10 points on 25 shots.
- Ranks second in the Summit League in goals and fifth in points.
DU Notes:
- Denver leads the Summit League with a 10-0-2 overall mark and a 2-0-1 league mark.
- The Pioneers have reached a program high 8th in the national rankings and are one of four teams still unbeaten in 2015.
- DU owns a 25-match home unbeaten streak which is the longest active in the country.
- Five different members of the Denver roster have earned player of the week honors this season.
- Head Coach Jaimie Franks is in his first season leading the Pioneers.
Series History against Denver
This is the third all-time meeting between the two programs. Each team has won on their home turf. Last season, Omaha defeated Denver at Caniglia Field, 3-1. Nick Miller, Jordan Gealy, and Mark Moulton each scored for the Mavericks. Joseph Ghitis made six saves in the win.
UNO Remains in NSCAA NCAA Western Region Top Five
Omaha dropped one spot in the latest edition of the West Region Poll with a 2-1 loss against Western Illinois. UNO is the only other Summit League program to appear in the regional rankings, behind Denver. The Pioneers are 10-0-2 overall and ranked 8th nationally. The Mavericks are 7-3-1 on the year.
Rounding out the top five No. 2 Seattle (10-3-0), No. 3 Utah Valley (10-3-0), and No. 4 UNLV (8-3-1).
West Region Rankings
| Rank |
School |
Previous |
W-L-T |
| 1. |
Denver |
1 |
10-0-2 |
| 2. |
Seattle |
3 |
10-3 |
| 3. |
Utah Valley |
2 |
10-3 |
| 4. |
UNLV |
5 |
8-3-1 |
| 5. |
Omaha |
4 |
7-3-1 |
| 6. |
Drake |
6 |
8-3 |
| 7. |
SIU-E |
7 |
7-3-1 |
| 8. |
Loyola-Chicago |
9 |
5-3-3 |
| 9. |
Bakersfield |
NR |
4-3-3 |
| 10. |
Missouri State |
NR |
5-4-3 |
Up Next
The Mavericks play a pair of games next week. UNO travels to Des Moines, Iowa on Tuesday, Oct. 20 for a non-conference match against Drake. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Cownie Soccer Complex. Omaha hosts Oral Roberts on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. The Mavericks will honor their senior soccer players before the match.
