OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha will be playing Valparaiso for the first time in program history on Monday evening at 5 p.m. Monday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Omaha by the Numbers
3505 – Attendance so far this season through five home games, tops in the Summit League.
709 - Minutes played by junior Lalo Gamboa, tops on the team this season.
24 – Shots for Omaha against IUPUI on Saturday evening.
18 – Assists for Omaha this season, tops in the Summit League.
16 – Goals this season for Omaha, tops in the Summit League.
11 – Consecutive home wins dating back to last season. The last home loss came against No. 20 Stanford on Aug. 31, 2014. This is the second longest streak in the nation.
11 – Points for senior Logan Mendez and junior Mark Moulton on four goals and three assists this season. The pair lead the Summit League in points and goals.
4 – Number of goals given up by sophomore goalkeeper Joseph Ghitis this season, lowest in the league.
0.77 – Goals-against average by Ghitis, which is second in the Summit League.
About Omaha
Omaha is coming off a frustrating 1-1 tie against IUPUI on Saturday evening in Indianapolis, Ind. The Mavericks held a 24-4 shot advantage and a 14-1 advantage in shots on goal, but managed one goal. Jaguar goalkeeper Eduardo Cortes made a season-high 13 saves in the tie.
Omaha entered the NSCAA NCAA Men's Top 25 last week for the first time in program history at No. 23. The Mavericks had received votes in the previous two polls. UNO has also made an appearance in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Poll and have received consideration from the CollegeSoccerNews.com poll.
UNO's offense is the story through the first part of the season as they lead the Summit League in almost every offensive category. The Mavericks lead in assists (18), goals (16), points (48), and shots (14) and are in the top 15 in assists, goals, and nationally.
Defensively, Omaha has allowed nine goals this season and has a 1.07 goals-against average. They also have a .735 save percentage and one shutout.
Logan Mendez and Mark Moulton lead the Summit League with four goals and 11 points. Moulton also leads the league in shots (29). Noor Hamadi is tied for fourth in the league with three goals. Mendez, Moulton, and Andres Irvin are tied for fourth in assists (3), while five other Mavericks have two assists each. Joseph Ghitis has the third-highest save percentage in the league (.733), the lowest number of goals allowed (4), and is second in goals-against average (0.77). Christensen is fourth in save percentage (.722) and fourth in goals-against average (1.55).
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.
Critiquing the Crusaders
• Valparaiso is off to a 4-2-2 start this season, including a pair of games against nationally rated programs. They defeated Cleveland State on Saturday in a Horizon League match-up, 1-0.
• The Crusaders defeated No. 18 Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Wednesday evening, 2-0. Earlier in the year, No. 14 Kentucky knocked off Valpo in Lexington, 2-1.
• Valpo also took care of No. 14 Indiana in preseason, 2-1.
• Isaiah Madrid leads the team with nine points on four goals and an assist.
• Matthew Gweh has six points on two goal and two assists, while Stian Sandbekkhaug has a goal and two assists.
• Nico Campbell has 24 saves and allowed six goals this season. Campbell also has four shutouts.
• As a team, Valparaiso has given up only six goals through eight games.
• Head Coach Mike Avery is in his ninth year at Valparaiso and his 14th year overall.
Series History against Valparaiso
This is the first all-time meeting against the Crusaders.
Excelling in the Classroom
OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha men's soccer team was recognized for its hard work in the classroom as the squad earned the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award.
Omaha was one of 305 collegiate men's soccer programs to surpass a 3.0 grade point average during 2014-15, ending the academic year at 3.16 as a team. This is the 4th straight time the Mavericks have been recognized by the NSCAA for their academic performance under Head Coach Jason Mims.
Two other Summit League programs received the honor, Denver and IUPUI.
Omaha was recognized as one of 208 schools to have both their men's and women's programs recognized. This is the fourth consecutive year both Omaha soccer teams have been recognized for their work in the classroom.
Omaha Enters NSCAA NCAA Poll at No. 23
The Omaha men's soccer team made its first appearance in the weekly NSCAA NCAA Division I Men's National Poll, coming in 23rd in this week's poll from NSCAA.com.
UNO received 76 points in the voting after spending the previous two weeks in the "receiving votes" category. They also are receiving votes in this week's poll from CollegeSoccerNews.com.
Up Next
Omaha welcomes Fort Wayne to Caniglia Field on Saturday, October 3 in Summit League Action. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Links to live stats and video are available at OMavs.com.
