Omaha Athletics

OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha men's soccer team entertains Oral Roberts at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4, in the Mavericks' regular-season finale.  Following the match, UNO will conduct Senior Day ceremonies for its seven seniors, Ray Barajas, Brahan Gamarra, Joseph Ghitis, Xavier Gomez, Emmanuel Hamzat, Michael Jaime and Jacob Weiler.

Follow the Match
Links to live stats, audio and video are available on OMavs.com for both matches.  Owen Godberson will handle the play-by-play on both games with Aaron Butler adding color commentary.

Keeping Up with the Mavericks
Stay current with everything going on with the Mavericks by following Omaha men's soccer on Twitter (@OmahaMSOC), Instagram (@OmahaMSOC) and "liking" the Mavericks on Facebook at 'OmahaMSOC.'

Scouting Omaha
Omaha is 8-5-2 overall, and 1-1-2 in Summit League play this season.  The Mavericks dropped a 2-1 overtime decision against Denver last Saturday evening.

Emmanuel Hamzat and Elvir Ibisevic have combined for 32 points and 15 goals so far this season.  Ibisevic leads the team with eight goals and 17 points, while Hamzat is close behind with seven goals and 15 points.  Xavier Gomez is next with 13 points with three goals and a Summit League-leading seven assists.  Diego Gutierrez has two goals, while Cole Nelson and Jacob Weiler each have scored once.

Weiler, Seth Rinderknecht and Stevie Siy each have started more than 10 games this season on the backline.  The Maverick defense has allowed only 14 goals this season.  Goalkeeper Joseph Ghitis (6-5-2) has a 1.03 goals-against average, and a .741 save percentage with three shutouts.  Ugo Tritz (2-0) has a 0.00 goals-against average, and a 1.000 save percentage with two shutouts.

Scouting Oral Roberts
The Golden Eagles are 4-10-1 overall and 1-3 in conference action so far this season.  On Halloween, ORU lost a 6-1 decision versus Central Arkansas in Conway, Ark.

Dante Brigida and Corey Cantor each have four goals to lead Oral Roberts.  Cantor leads the team with nine points, and Brigida is right behind him with eight.  Jose Castro and Sameer Fathazada each have a team-best two assists.

Thibaut Giquel (4-8-1) has started 14 games this season in goal for Oral Roberts.  Giquel has a .719 save percentage and a1.86 goals-against average with a pair of shutouts.  Parker Johnson (0-1) has made two appearances, including one start, this season.  Johnson has a .500 save percentage and a 1.83 goals-against average.

Series vs. Oral Roberts
The eighth all-time meeting between Omaha and Oral Roberts will take place this Saturday at Caniglia Field.  The Mavericks and Golden Eagles are tied 3-3-1 in their previous seven meetings.  Last season, UNO topped ORU 3-1 in Tulsa, Okla., and earned a share of the Summit League regular season title.

So Long, Seniors!
Saturday's match will mark the final regular-season home game for Maverick seniors Ray Barajas, Brahan Gamarra, Joseph Ghitis, Xavier Gomez, Emmanuel Hamzat, Michael Jaime and Jacob Weiler.  These seven seniors have been a part of 37 UNO victories since 2014 and have helped their team win a pair of regular season Summit League titles.    Combined, these seven accumulated 194 starts and have played over 18,000 minutes in the Crimson and Black.  This senior class has combined for 22 goals, 10 assists and 14 shutouts.  The Mavericks' record on Senior Day matches is 3-0-1, and UNO is unbeaten in four-straight regular-season home finales.

Summit League Tournament Picture
With five points and one game to play, Omaha is in third place in the Summit League standings.  The top four teams in the regular season standings earn a spot in the tournament.  Denver sits atop the conference standings with 12 points and a 4-0 record.  Western Illinois is second with nine points and a 3-1 mark.  Eastern Illinois rounds out the top four with four points and a 1-2-1 record.  Oral Roberts is fifth with three points and a 1-3 mark, and Fort Wayne is sixth with one point and a 0-3-1 league record.  The 2017 Summit League Championship will be played in Omaha, Neb. at Caniglia Field.

This and That
•    Omaha played Creighton in front of a program-high 4,986 fans at Caniglia Field on Sept. 26.
•    Through 15 games this season, UNO has started 19 different players.  Four different Mavericks have played over 1,100 minutes in defender Seth Rinderknecht, goalkeeper Joseph Ghitis and midfielders Xavier Gomez and Cole Nelson.  Elvir Ibisevic and Jacob Weiler each have played over 1,000 minutes.
•    Nine players have made their Omaha debuts this year, highlighted by Diego Gutierrez, Stevie Siy and Miguel Gomez combing for 23 starts, two goals and eight assists.
•    Outscoring teams 22-14 on the season thus far, Omaha has only allowed four first-half goals and has surrendered 155 shots (58 on frame).  UNO is 2-2-1 when it concedes the first goal and 6-3 when scoring first.

Get It, Ghitis!
Goalkeeper Joseph Ghitis became the standard-bearer for Omaha goalkeepers this season.  Ghitis collected his program-best 147th save against Florida Gulf Coast on Oct. 3.  Entering the 2017 season, Ghitis already set program milestones in save percentage (.754), goals-against average (1.02), wins (24), shutouts (14), goalkeeper games played (50) and goalkeeper minutes (4,580).  The only other two Mavericks to reach at least 10 wins and 100 saves are Josh Christensen (2011-15) and Matt Grosey (2012-13). 

Exciting Elvir
Forward Elvir Ibisevic has already put together an impressive campaign.  The sophomore leads the Mavericks with eight goals and 17 points, figures that also rank the Johnston, Iowa, product among the top-10 in the Summit League in their respective categories.

Ibisevic is inching closer to etching his name among the top offensive players in Maverick history.  His 12 career goals currently rank him fourth on Omaha's all-time goal scorer chart.  Ibisevic's 28 career points also have him one shy of entering the top five in that category.

Hamzat the Hammer
Last season, forward Emmanuel Hamzat had an outstanding season for the Mavericks totaling 14 points on six goals and two assists.  The senior has already surpassed his totals from last season.  Hamzat has 15 points on seven goals and an assist and ranks in the top five in the conference in points and goals.

The Lagos, Nigeria, native is now in the top three for career goals scored with 13 and is fifth in career points with 29.

Mavericks in the Classroom
Omaha was named a United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award winner for the 2016-17 academic year, the association announced Thursday.

Formerly the NSCAA, United Soccer Coaches recognized 824 collegiate teams (286 men, 538 women) that posted a cumulative team grade point average of 3.0 or higher in 2016-17. Omaha was among one of 202 schools to have both its men's and women's teams honored.  The Omaha men's soccer team finished the 2016-17 year with a 3.30 team GPA.  This award is the fifth overall team academic honor for the men's side.

Welcome Back    
The Mavericks return 18 letterwinners to the program for the 2017 season, including seven starters for the 2016 Summit League regular-season champions.

Of the 87 points tallied as a team last season, the Omaha offense returns 50 of those points.  Offensively last season, Emmanuel Hamzat tallied 14 points on six goals and two assists.  Elvir Ibisevic had 11 points on four goals and three assists, while Seth Rinderknecht added two goals and two assists.

In the net, Joseph Ghitis returns for his senior season.  Along with Ghitis, Ugo Tritz is back for his sophomore season.  Last year, Ghitis went 9-4-4, recorded six shutouts, posted a goals-against average of 1.06 and tallied 62 saves.  Tritz went 1-1 with a 0.50 goals-against average.

The Newcomers
The Mavericks welcomed 11 newcomers in freshmen Oliver Bihuniak, Miguel Gomez, Ed Gordon, Diego Gutierrez, Connor Jokerst, Tim Kaftan, Stephen Siy and Matt Smith and transfers Brahan Gamarra, Gonzalo Ledesma and Billy Hoffmann.

Local Talent a Strong Influence on 2017 Roster
The 2017 Mavericks will have plenty of homegrown talent on the roster as 10 players are from Nebraska.  Nine of those players are from the Omaha metro area while one is from South Sioux City.  It's not only the players that have Omaha ties as head coach Jason Mims spent 10 years at Creighton University as an assistant coach.  Goalkeeper coach Daniel Galvis played two years at Bellevue University before moving on to coach with the Bruins and Bluejays. 
    • Players from the Omaha metro area: Ed Gordon, Diego Gutierrez, Noor Hamadi, Michael Jaime, Tim Kaftan, Joey McCain, Quinn Nelson, Stevie Siy and Matthew Smith.
    • Players from South Sioux City, Neb.: Gonzalo Ledesma