INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Logan Mendez scored for the Omaha men's soccer team, but the Mavericks couldn't finish another opportunity and settled for a 1-1 tie at IUPUI on Saturday night at Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The 23rd rated Mavericks are now 6-1-1 overall and 0-0-1 in the Summit League, while the Jaguars are now 0-5-3 overall and 0-0-1 in league play.
"Conference games on the road are not always easy," said head coach Jason Mims. "I was happy with the fact that we controlled the entire game and allowed one shot on goal the entire game."
Omaha had the first chance of the game in the 16th minute when Lalo Gamboa put a shot on target, but IUPUI's Eduardo Cortes made the save.
UNO had another golden opportunity in the 19th minute. Emir Alihodzic fired a shot toward the IUPUI goal, but his effort was saved by Cortes.
Alihodzic sparked the UNO offense in the 26th minute as he found Mark Moulton with a corner kick. Moulton dribbled to the end line before playing a ball back towards the six yard box. Mendez gathered the pass and blasted a shot that found its way between two defenders and into the net to give Omaha the lead.
The Mavericks closed out the first half which saw them with a 7-1 shot advantage over the Jaguars.
Omaha continued to pepper the IUPUI defense in the second half. Six seconds into the half Fazlo Alihodzic nearly doubled the score, but Cortes again kept UNO off the scoreboard.
Parker Victor and Emir Alihodzic had back-to-back chances midway through the second half, but were denied by Cortes.
Omaha dominated the play from the beginning of the match, but the Jaguars capitalized on its first real chance of the game in the 78th minute. Jacob Singer and Ryan Machonga combined to set up Cristian Soto inside the 18 yard box. Soto was able to beat a defender and level the score, 1-1.
Noor Hamadi looked to have scored the game winner in the 89th minute, but a Jaguar defender made a diving stop to keep the game level.
IUPUI had a golden opportunity at the start of the first overtime. Soto sent a corner kick that found the head of Ben Thornton, but his header effort went wide.
Cortes stopped three Omaha shots in the second overtime to preserve the draw for the Jaguars.
"Their goalkeeper was excellant today," stated Mims. "I was disappointed that we couldn't get the second goal."
UNO outshot IUPUI 24-4 on the evening, including 14-1 in shots on goal. The Mavericks also held an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Moulton had a game high six shots, including four on goal. Mendez and Fazlo Alihodzic each had four shots, including three on goal. Soto led IUPUI with two shots and had their only shot on goal.
Omaha's Joseph Ghitis did not make a save, while Cortes made 13 for IUPUI.
UNO stays in Indiana to play Valparaiso on Monday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. (CT). The game will be aired live on ESPN3. Links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.
