OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha men's soccer team overcame a 1-0 deficit to defeat Grand Canyon 2-1 in overtime on Friday evening at Caniglia Field.
Senior Emmanuel Hamzat scored the game-winning goal with 2:17 left in the first overtime period to give the Mavericks the win. The Lagos, Nigeria, native received a pass from Miguel Gomez and fired a shot that hit the crossbar and far post before going into the back of the net.
Omaha (1-0) fell behind in the first half after Grand Canyon's Niki Jackson received a pass from Charlie Johnson and placed his shot over Maverick goalkeeper Joseph Ghitis. UNO would continue to press, as Xavier Gomez lofted a shot from nearly 50-yards out to tie the match.
Turning point
Grand Canyon (0-1) had a chance for the game winner in the 91st minute when Jackson took a shot from the top of the box, but Ghitis was able to make the save.
Inside the Box Score
• Omaha outshot Grand Canyon 15-13 on the day, but GCU had more shots on goal, 6-5.
• The Mavericks won the corner kick battle 7-2, and both teams were called offsides twice.
• Since opening Caniglia Field in 2013, the Mavericks have dominated the opposition, going a combined 21-5-3.
• Ghitis made five saves in the match.
• The Lopes were called for 16 fouls on the day including three yellow cards. The Mavericks were called for eight fouls and received one yellow.
• Elvir Ibisevic led the squad with four shots (one on goal) while Miguel Gomez and Xavier Gomez each had two shots.
Up Next
Omaha will host No. 17 Virginia Tech on Sunday, Aug. 27. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m