PISCATAWAY, New Jersey – The Omaha men's soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision at No. 21 Rutgers on Saturday afternoon at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Omaha fell to 8-5-3 on the season, while RU move to 11-4-1 overall.
"I am so proud of our guys today," said head coach Jason Mims. "We had an outstanding performance against a very good Rutgers team. To play the first place team in the Big 10 at their place and have our keeper not make a save is a testament to our defense and to how well we possessed the ball."
Mark Moulton got the first shot of the match for Omaha in the 11th minute. Rutgers' goalkeeper David Greczek was able to make the save.
Fazlo Alihodzic used some quick footwork to create a shot on target, but Greczek was able to corral the effort.
After a great defensive half from the Mavericks, the Scarlet Knights got on the board in the 38th minute. Brandon Tetro dribbled to the end line and laid a perfect from the right sideline to Mitchell Taintor. Taintor was able to place his shot high into the far corner of the goal and give RU the lead, 1-0.
Tetro almost added a goal in the 41st minute, but Maverick defender Jesus Perez was able to make the defensive save. Omaha trailed Rutgers at the half, 1-0.
The Scarlet Knights out-shot the Mavericks, 7-5, in the first half. UNO's first-half shots came from Alihodzic and Moulton.
In the 70th minute, Emir Alihodzic was able to test Grezek, but the goalkeeper was able to stop the shot and maintain the Rutgers' lead.
One of Omaha's biggest chances came in the 74th minute, when Fazlo Alihodzic was able to get behind the Rutgers defense. Alihodzic attacked the RU goal and fired a shot from the left corner of the penalty area that narrowly missed the right post.
The Mavericks had one last attacking chance in the 87th minute. Moulton sent a corner kick into the box that was headed by a Rutgers defender. Omaha was able to get a shot off the clearance, but were called for a foul that ended the UNO threat.
The Scarlet Knights were able to keep possession in the waning moments of the match.
For the game, Rutgers held a slight margin in shots, 7-5, but Omaha had three shots on-goal compared to two from RU. Omaha goal keeper Joseph Ghitis played the full game and made one save in the loss.
"I thought we controlled large portions of the game," said Mims. "We couldn't find the equalizer. I am disappointed that a few guys lost their discipline which forced us to play two men down in the final minutes. Overall, I am proud of the performance and it is something we can build on in the future."
Omaha will return to action at Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 7. Game time is set for 10 a.m. at Lakeside Field in Charleston, Ill. This will be the regular season finale for the Mavericks. Seeding for the Summit League postseason tournament in Denver, Colo. will be set following play next Saturday.
Game Notes
- Omaha held Rutgers Jason Wright, the second leading goal scorer in the country, without a shot. Wright had scored in six straight games.
- The Scarlet Knights have won seven straight games and sit atop the Big 10 standings.
- There are two Summit League men's soccer games tonight that will affect the standings. Fort Wayne plays at Oral Roberts at 7 p.m., while Eastern Illinois plays at No. 8 Denver at 7 p.m. (CT).
- Omaha is in second in the Summit League standings with seven points, Oral Roberts and Fort Wayne are tied with Western Illinois for third with six points.
- UNO has played three Top 25 team in the regualr season.
- Rutgers head coach Dan Donigan coached Omaha skipper Jason Mims at the Saint Louis. Both coaches served as assistants for current Penn State head coach Bob Warming.
