OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha women's soccer team begins its 2018 campaign tomorrow, Aug. 16, on the road against Memphis at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
After they face the Tigers, the Mavericks will travel to Jonesboro, Ark. to face Arkansas State on Sunday, Aug. 19. Kickoff at the A-State Soccer Complex is set for 1 p.m.
Follow the Mavericks
Links to live stats and video (where available) are on OMav.com.
Quick Kicks
• Omaha begins its 20th season in program history this week when the Mavericks travel to Memphis, Tenn. and Jonesboro, Ark. UNO opens its season on the road for the second consecutive year.
• The Mavericks return 14 letterwinners and eight starters from last year's squad that finished 6-10-1. Omaha notched a fifth-place finish in the Summit League with a 3-4 record.
• UNO will see the return of three of its top five offensive threats from a year ago. Senior
Emily Romero tied for the team lead with three goals. Seniors
Marin Dregelid and
Cydney Skinner each scored two goals in 2017.
• Junior goalkeeper
Erin Bunker finished last season with a 3-5-1 record with a 2.12 goals-against average and a .673 save percentage.
• Head coach
Tim Walters is entering his second season at the helm of the Maverick women's soccer program.
• The Mavericks were picked to finish seventh in the Summit League's Preseason Poll as voted on by the league's coaches.
About the Mavericks
The Omaha Mavericks return 14 letterwinners and eight starters from 2017 squad which went 6-10-1 and finished fifth in the Summit League.
Tim Walters is entering his second season at the helm of the Maverick women's soccer program.
Omaha's offense will be looking to fill the void of four graduated seniors that logged substantial minutes for UNO over their careers. UNO returns three of its top five scorers from a year ago, including senior
Emily Romero, who tied for the team lead in goals and finished second in points. Seniors
Marin Dregelid and
Cydney Skinner each scored a pair of goals last season. The 2018 Omaha roster features four other players who tallied a goal and/or an assist last season.
The Omaha defense is again expected to be stout this year, with the return of two of last season's starters as well as several talented reserves. In 17 matches last year the Mavericks boasted a goals-against average of 1.67 but allowed one or fewer goals in eight of those occasions. Omaha will carry three keepers on the 2018 roster. Junior
Erin Bunker has the most experience of the trio, as she has tallied 11 career starts and has tallied over almost 1,100 minutes in goal for the Mavericks. Last season Bunker collected 37 saves and had a .673 save percentage.
Scouting the Tigers
The Memphis Tigers finished the 2017 campaign with an 11-6-3 record and tied for fourth in the American Athletic Conference with a 4-2-3 mark. The Tigers return 15 letterwinners and eight starters from that squad.
Last season, the Tigers scored 43 goals and were shutout in five of their 20 outings. UNO took 16.8 shots per game and put over 41 percent of those on target. Memphis returns five players who scored three goals or more last season including Marie Levasseur who scored seven goals and led the team with eight assists.
The Tiger defense allowed 29 opponent goals in 2017, which included 15 against American Athletic Conference opponents. The Memphis defense had eight shutouts and held opponents to one goal in five additional matches. Tiger opponents posted 11.6 shots per game, including 6.1 shots on goal per game. Rachel Ashworth Shepard and Elizabeth Moberg are the top two returning goalkeepers for Memphis this season. Ashworth Shepard saw time in 12 matches with 11 starts. In those matches, she amassed 51 saves, stopped 75 percent of shots put on frame and held four opponents scoreless.
Scouting the Red Wolves
The Arkansas State Red Wolves are coming off a 9-6-2 season and a fourth-place finish in the Sun Belt with a 5-4-1 record. The Red Wolves return 17 letterwinners and 10 starters from that squad.
Last season, the Red Wolves scored 25 goals and were shutout in three of their 17 outings. ASU took 9.6 shots per game and put over 51 percent of those on frame. They return their top four scorers from last season, including Sarah Sodoma, who led the squad with 20 points on eight goals and four assists.
The Arkansas State defense allowed 15 opponent goals in 2017, which included nine against Sun Belt opponents. The Red Wolves had six shutouts and held opponents to one goal in seven additional matches. ASU opponents posted just over 17 shots per match, but just 6.4 shots on goal per game. Kelsey Ponder is the top returning goalkeeper after posting an 8-2-1 mark in2017 with five shutouts and a 0.55 goals-against average.
Up Next
Omaha concludes its three-match road trip by heading to Fayetteville, Ark. to play NCAA Tournament participant Arkansas on Aug. 24 at Razorback Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
