This Weekend
Omaha plays its final home match of the season this weekend, hosting No. 4 Denver on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Caniglia Field, and Alex Abler, Owen Godberson and Noah Sullinger will have the radio call on MavRadio.fm, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Fans are encouraged to stay after the game, as UNO will honor its four seniors – Fazlo Alihodzic, Lalo Gamboa, Jake McCain, and Mark Moulton - with postgame festivities.
Maverick Quick Kicks
• Omaha is one of two teams to have clinched a spot in the Summit League Championship, set for Nov. 10-12 in Denver, Colo.
• Senior midfielder Mark Moulton's 45 career points have him tied for UNO's all-time points record. He needs one point to break the tie with Vance Rookwood (2011-14).
• Senior midfielder Fazlo Alihodzic's 22 points this season is tied with Rookwood for the most in a single season.
• Junior forward Emmanuel Hamzat registered seven points from three goals and an assist last week.
• Omaha was picked to finish second in the 2016 Summit League Preseason Poll.
• The Mavericks welcome 11 new players into the fold in 2016 including seven freshmen, two transfers and two redshirt players.
• Omaha returns 13 letterwinners, including eight starters from last season.
• Omaha's defense has allowed one goal or less 11 times this season.
• Freshman defender Seth Rinderknecht has two goals and two assists. Freshman forward Elvir Ibisevic has two goals and three assists.
• Rinderknecht and senior midfielder Lalo Gamboa each have started all 15 games.
• Redshirt junior goalkeeper Joseph Ghitis is in the Summit League's top five in saves (46), save percentage (.767), goals-against (14) and goals-against average (1.10).
• Alihodzic, Ghitis, Hamzat and redshirt junior defender Jacob Weiler each have earned Summit League Player of the Week honors this season with Alihodzic and Ghitis winning three awards, and Hamzat and Weiler garnering the award once.
• Jason Mims is in his sixth season as head coach.
Scouting the Pioneers
Denver enters the weekend ranked in the top five in every national poll and on a 33-match unbeaten streak. The Pioneers are 14-0-2 (5-0 Summit League) after edging New Mexico, 2-1 (OT), and Oral Roberts, 2-0, last week. Head coach Jamie Franks is in his second season at Denver with a 29-1-5 record.
Goalkeeper Nick Gardner is ranked first in the Summit League in goals against (8), wins (14), shutouts (10) and goal-against average (0.48). Blake Elder paces the Pioneers with seven goals and fifteen points on the season. Sam Hamilton ranks second among conference players with seven assists on the season.
Series History
Saturday's meeting marks the fourth all-time meeting between Denver and Omaha programs. DU leads the series 2-1 with the Pioneers winning 1-0 in double overtime last year in Denver, Colo.
Last Time Out: Omaha Tops Western Illinois, 2-1
Emmanuel Hamzat scored the game-tying goal and assisted on the game-winner to help Omaha dispatch Western Illinois, 2-1, at John MacKenzie Alumni Field last Saturday.
Western Illinois netted the match's first goal in the 10th minute. Jacob Bevans one-timed a rebound past Joseph Ghitis to put the Leathernecks up 1-0.
Hamzat put the Mavericks on the board in the 28th minute with a header off Fazlo Alihodzic's free kick. The goal was Hamzat's sixth of the season and third of the week.
Elvir Ibisevic broke the tie at the 36-minute mark. Joel Kazhila sent his throw-in to the feet of Hamzat who beat a pair of defenders and sent a cross into the penalty area. Ibisevic got a head on the cross and beat Tim Hansen to the near post for the 2-1 lead.
Western Illinois had a 16-6 lead in shots, while both teams had five shots on goal, and Omaha had a 9-2 edge in corner kicks.
Hamzat and Ibisevic both had a team-best two shots, while Alihodzic and Seth Rinderknecht each had one shot. Joseph Ghitis logged all 90 minutes in goal and picked up four saves.
Oh, What a Season
Fazlo Alihodzic is having a career season with eight goals and six assists for 22 points. He tied Vance Rookwood's single-season points and goals totals.
Goals, Goals, Goals
Emmanuel Hamzat produced seven points in two games last week. Hamzat had two goals in a 4-0 win at Bradley. He followed the feat with a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win at Western Illinois.
Fantastic Freshmen
On the year, Seth Rinderknecht has tallied six points on two goals and two assists. He has started every game this season and leads the team in minutes played (1,345).
First-year forward Elvir Ibisevic is third on the team with seven points on two goals and three assists. Ibisevic's second goal of the season came in the 36th minute against Western Illinois and proved to be the game-winner.
Defensive Dominance
Heading into the match with Denver, Omaha has posted a 6-1 record over the past seven games. Over that span, the Maverick defense has allowed one goal or less in each game, which includes four shutouts.
Moulton Named Candidate for 2016 Senior CLASS Award
Omaha senior men's soccer standout Mark Moulton has been named out of 30 national finalists for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as a NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Moulton is the first Omaha men's soccer player to be considered for the award. The Omaha native has maintained a 3.96-grade point average while majoring in business administration.
Moulton has served as a team captain for three-straight seasons for head coach Jason Mims. His community service includes leading the team in an assortment of soccer clinics in the Omaha area and participating in the Mavericks' Team IMPACT program.
On the field, Moulton is a four-year starter, having appeared in 62 matches, making 51 starts. He is the program's all-time leader in assists and tied the record for career points this season.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2016 NCAA Men's College Cup® championships in December.
RPI Power
In the latest edition of the 2016 Men's Soccer RPI, Omaha finds itself slated in the No. 65 position, as announced by the NCAA. The Mavericks have already played Cal (41st), Creighton (21st), UConn (31st), Stanford (6th) and Air Force (71st). Still on the UNO schedule is a meeting with Denver (14th).
Rewriting the Record Book
Joseph Ghitis has rewritten the Omaha career record book this fall. Coming into the season, he held the career marks for goals-against average (1.03) and save percentage (.759).
After picking up wins against Bradley and Western Illinois, Ghitis extended his school record to 15 victories. Ghitis also owns the program's record for shutouts in a career with 10.
On the Mark Nationally
As a team, Omaha ranks nationally in seven categories: save percentage (62nd), scoring offense (64th), shutout percentage (64th), team goals-against average (60th), total assists (59th), total goals (64th) and total points (67th).
Fazlo Alihodzic ranks among the top 50 in six categories: assists per game (48th), game-winning goals (28th), points per game (25th), total assists (31st), total goals (38th) and total points (21st).
League Leaders
As a team, the Mavericks are leading the Summit League in attendance and are second in assists (19), corner kicks (74) and shutouts (five).
Fazlo Alihodzic leads the league in points (22) and goals (eight). He is third in assists with six.
Joseph Ghitis leads the league with a .769 save percentage and is second with 50 saves and a 1.10 goals-against average. Ghitis is third in goals allowed (15).
Home Sweet Home
Since opening Caniglia Field in 2013, the Mavericks have dominated the opposition, going a combined 20-5-3 and outscoring opponents 59-27. The Mavs have a record of 8-2 in Summit League action (2013-16) at Caniglia Field. Since the inception of the program, UNO has a 26-13-5 home mark and has outscored opponents 80-52.
Young Bulls
So far this season, seven of Omaha's eight freshmen have seen playing time. Seth Rinderknecht has started 15 games this season has six points on two goals and two assists. Rinderknecht leads the team with 1,345 minutes played.
Elvir Ibisevic has seven points from two goals and three assists while starting 13 of 14 games. Ibisevic has logged 1,006 minutes.
Defender Joel Kazhila made 14 appearances with seven starts, while defender Joey McCain has seven appearances and six starts. Midfielder Fred Frimpong has made two starts and appeared in 13 games, and midfielder Ethan Bowman has appeared in six games. Goalkeeper Ugo Tritz has three games and one start under his belt.
Moulton on the Edge of Etching His Name in the Records
Mark Moulton finds himself among the UNO elite when comparing career stats. He currently sits second on the all-time goal-scoring chart with 13, behind Vance Rookwood, the school's all-time leader, who has 19. Moulton tied Rookwood for the all-time lead in career points with 45 points in 63 appearances. Moulton already owns the school career mark of 19 assists and 128 shots.
Mavericks Remain in Regional Poll
Omaha moved up one spot in the latest NSCAA-NCAA West Region Poll. The Mavericks jumped over Air Force following two wins last week.
Denver sits atop the regional poll and is ranked fourth nationally. The Pioneers are on a 33-game regular season unbeaten streak.
On the Big Stage
This season Omaha has played in two of the top five attended games in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer. UNO played in front of 5,100 fans at UConn on Aug. 28 and 4,766 people at Creighton on Sept. 5.
Omaha leads the Summit League in total attendance and second in average attendance. This season over 4,306 people have attended games at Caniglia Field, and the Mavericks average 615 fans per game.
Three's a Charm
Fazlo Alihodzic and
Joseph Ghitis each have earned three Summit League Player of the Week awards this season. Alihodzic won league honors earlier this season on Sept. 6, Oct. 3 and Oct. 10. Ghitis earned his third weekly award on Oct. 24 after picking up wins over Bradley and Western Illinois. He previously won the award on Sept. 6 and Oct. 10.
Hamzat Earns Player of the Week Honors
Emmanuel Hamzat notched his first career award after scoring three goals and adding an assist for seven total points over two games Oct. 17-23. He recorded his first career brace with a pair of goals in a 4-0 win at Bradley. Hamzat added the game-tying goal in the 28th minute and assisted on the game-winning goal at the 35:47 mark in Saturday's 2-1 win at Western Illinois.
Weiler Earns Player of the Week Honors
Jacob Weiler was named Summit League Defensive Player of the week for his performance, Sept. 19-25. Weiler earned his first career Defensive Player of the Week award and was part of an Omaha backline that registered a 1-0 shutout over a 5-2 Air Force squad to snap its four-match winning streak. He tallied his first career point with an assist on the game-winning goal.
Home-aha
Seniors Jake McCain and Mark Moulton, junior Michael Jaime, sophomores Adam Gottschalk, Noor Hamadi and Quinn Nelson and freshman Joey McCain didn't have to travel a long distance as they made the transition from high school to college. All seven call the Omaha metro area home. Moulton attended Creighton Prep, the McCains attended Papillion-LaVista South, Jaime and Hamadi went to Omaha South, Gottschalk graduated from Skutt Catholic and Nelson came from Westside.
Summit League Preseason Poll
Omaha was picked to finish second in the 2016 Summit League Preseason Poll, and senior midfielder Mark Moulton was named to the Preseason Summit League Watch List, the league office announced in August.
Denver was picked as the favorite to win the league title with 36 points and six first-place votes. The Pioneers enter the 2016 season after sweeping the conference regular and postseason titles.
Oral Roberts was predicted to come in third, with 26 points and the one remaining first-place vote. Western Illinois polled in at fourth place, collecting 21 points. Fort Wayne came in fifth with 14 points, followed by Eastern Illinois (11 points) in sixth and IUPUI (eight points) in seventh.
Tough Road Ahead
Omaha's 2016 schedule includes 17 regular-season matches, and the team will play in five different states. Eight different conferences appear on the 2016 schedule including two teams each from the BIG EAST, Missouri Valley and Pac-12. Five teams that participated in the 2015 College Cup appear on this year's schedule. All five teams - Connecticut, Creighton, Denver, Drake and Stanford - advanced to the second round, highlighted by Creighton in the quarterfinals and Stanford winning the national championship.
UNO plays Air Force, Cal, Connecticut, Creighton, San Francisco and Penn in the regular-season for the first time.
A+ Accolades
Last season, the Mavericks were recognized as one of 205 collegiate men's soccer teams to surpass a 3.0 team grade-point average during 2014-15, ending the academic year with a team GPA of 3.16. UNO has earned four-straight team academic awards.
Senior Mark Moulton was selected to the CoSIDA Men's Soccer Division I Academic All-American Second Team in 2015. Moulton is a business administration major and owns a 3.98 GPA.
Four Omaha soccer players – Felipe da Silva, Logan Mendez, Mark Moulton and Joseph Ghitis – were named to the 2015 Summit League Men's Soccer Academic All-League Team last season.
Getting to Know Coach Mims
Jason Mims was appointed as the first head coach in program history in 2011 and has built a program that has received national recognition across the country.
Last season, UNO finished with a 9-6-3 overall mark and advanced to the Summit League Tournament for the first time. Mims' team achieved the program's first Top 25 ranking after starting the season 6-1-1. He was named the Summit League Coach of the Year following the 2014 season in which the Mavericks tied for the Summit League regular-season title.
Assisting Mims is Tim Walters, who is in his sixth season, and volunteer goalkeeper coach Daniel Galvis, who is in his third year on the Maverick staff.
Summit League Success
Omaha went 3-2-1 in Summit League play in 2015, tying for second in the regular-season league standings. It marked the Mavericks' first time qualifying for the Summit League Tournament.
Welcome the Newcomers
Omaha's roster features 11 new players (six freshmen, two redshirt freshmen, two transfers and a redshirt junior) to the squad this season. The breakdown includes four defenders, three forwards, two midfielders and two goalkeepers as Omaha reloads its roster under head coach Jason Mims.
Featuring a diverse class hailing from four countries and five different states, the Mavericks look to utilize their newcomers to help them return to the Summit League Tournament.
Newcomers (Year, Pos., Hometown)
Ray Barajas (Jr., D, Loyola Marymount/Mexico City, Mexico)
Ethan Bowman (RFr., MF, Drake/Shawnee, Kan.)
Jose Camberos (Fr., GK, Kansas City, Mo.)
Fred Frimpong (Jr., F, Ankeny, Iowa)
Xavier Gomez (Jr., MF, Chicago, Ill.)
Emmanuel Hamzat (Jr., F, West Valley College/Lagos, Nigeria)
Elvir Ibisevic (Fr., F, Urbandale, Iowa)
Joel Kazhila (Fr., D, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Joey McCain (Fr., D, Omaha, Neb.)
Seth Rinderknecht (Fr., D, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Ugo Tritz (Fr., GK, Metz, France)
Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 5, traveling to Oral Roberts for the regular season finale. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Tulsa, Okla., links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.
