OMAHA, Neb. – The second-seeded Omaha men's soccer team battles the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (No. 3 seed) in the semifinals of The Summit League Men's Soccer Championship on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. (CT).
The Mavericks prevailed over the Mastodons, 4-1, in the regular season matchup, with two goals coming from the foot of sophomore
Diego Gutierrez.
The winner of Thursday's semifinal will move on to play the winner of Denver (No. 1 seed) and Eastern Illinois (No. 4 seed) in the championship finals on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. (CT).
Battle for the Summit
The tournament features a four-team single-elimination format beginning with the semifinal round on Thursday, Nov. 8. Thursday's matches will be aired on Altitude Sports and streamed live on The Summit League website.
The championship, slated for Nov. 10, will be aired on Altitude Sports and simulcast on ESPN3. The tournament champion will earn the league's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship.
First Touches
• Omaha completed its first regular season under head coach
Bob Warming, compiling a record of 6-7-1 and a 4-1 mark against Summit League opponents.
• The Mavericks capped the 2018 regular season by defeating Eastern Illinois, 1-0, at Caniglia Field.
• Freshman
Martin Veys scored his fifth goal of the season in the win.
• Junior
Fred Frimpong and sophomore
Diego Gutierrez assisted on the goal.
• Junior
Ugo Tritz picked up his fourth shutout and improved his record to 6-3-1.
• Senior
Denzel Woods garnered Summit League Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday.
• Following Saturday's match, Omaha honored its three seniors – Woods,
Noor Hamadi and
Billy Hoffmann.
Getting to Know the Omaha Mavericks
Omaha is 6-7-1 overall and finished in second place in The Summit League standings with a 4-1 record. The Mavericks won three of their final four matches to close out the 2018 regular season.
Diego Gutierrez leads Omaha in most offensive categories including points (20), goals (seven) and assists (six).
Martin Veys has 11 points on five goals and an assist, while
Denzel Woods has six points on two goals and a pair of assists. Sophomore
Mitch Hammer has two goals and an assist. Bill Hoffmann and junior
Marcos Bautista round out the goal scorers. Junior
Seth Rinderknecht has two assists, while
Fred Frimpong and freshman
Hugo Ellouk each have one.
Ugo Tritz has anchored the Mavericks between the posts this season. The Metz, France, native has allowed 11 goals in 979:55 minutes, averaging 1.01 per game. He has a .784 save percentage after saving 40 shots, good enough for third in the league.
Matt Smith made four starts, going 0-4 with a 2.00 goals-against average.
Getting to Know the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons
• Purdue Fort Wayne finished the regular season after compiling an overall record of 10-7-1.
• The Mastodons finished third in The Summit League with a mark of 2-3.
• The 'Dons won four of their final five matches to close out the regular season.
• Purdue Fort Wayne has outscored (36-34) but outshot (271-218) the opposition.
• In Summit League play, the Mastodons were outscored (13-7) and outshot (74-60).
• Head coach Mike Harper is in his 12th season at the helm of the program with a career record of 62-134-22.
Tracking the Mastodons
• No. 8 Matthew Lieshout has been a threat all season, netting 12 goals and adding an assist for a team-leading 25 points. He netted two game-winning goals and scored the 'Dons lone goal via penalty kick against Omaha earlier this season. Lieshout also is a two-time Summit League Offensive Player of the Week.
• No. 9 Blake Cearns has added eight goals and an assist for 17 points. He tallied two game-winners and was named Offensive Player of the Week once.
• No. 10 Romain Lopez is the league-leader in assists with 10 and has 18 points for the season. Lopez also has scored a team-best three game-winners.
• No. 39 Tor Erik Larsen spearheads Purdue Fort Wayne in net, allowing 32 goals in 1,587:24 minutes between the posts to average 1.81 per game. He has saved a league-best 88 shots for a .733 save percentage. Larsen and the Mastodon defense have shut out their opponents four times this season. He also has earned two Summit League Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Series Facts
Omaha leads the all-time series against Purdue Fort Wayne 4-3-1. Earlier this season, the Mavericks got by the Mastodons 4-1 in Fort Wayne, Ind.
This will be the first meeting between the two schools in the post-season.
Social Media Shout Outs
Fans are encouraged to connect with the men's soccer team on Facebook (OmahaMSOC), Instagram (@OmahaMSOC) and Twitter (@OmahaMSOC). Supporters also are encouraged to us #EveryoneForOmaha in social media posts.
Last Time on the Pitch
Omaha capped the regular season with a 1-0 win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 3 at Caniglia Field. The Mavericks outshot the Panthers 19-2 and did not allow a shot on goal.
Martin Veys scored the game-winner in the 38th minute on assists by
Fred Frimpong and
Diego Gutierrez.
Following the match, Omaha honored its three seniors
Noor Hamadi,
Billy Hoffmann and
Denzel Woods.
