OMAHA, Neb. - Omaha women's soccer wraps up its three-match road trip to start the 2018 season this Friday, Aug. 24, against Arkansas. Kickoff at Razorback Field is set for 7 p.m.
Follow the Mavericks
Links to live stats and video (where available) are on OMavs.com.
The Kick-Off
• 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
Sophia Roux and sophomore
Andrea Daves each had three assists last season to tie for the team lead.
• 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 (0-1-1)
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, allowing 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 Arkansas (1-0-1)
The Razorbacks return a total of 14 letter winners, including 12 starters after an 11-win team that appeared in its fourth NCAA Tournament in the last five years and a tallied a school record-tying 10 shutouts.
This season, Arkansas was picked to finish sixth in the SEC preseason poll. Arkansas had four players mentioned as players to watch in the SEC this year. Junior Stefani Doyle, along with sophomores Parker Goins, Taylor Malham and Haley VanFossen all made the list that includes some of the best in the league.
The Razorbacks opened the season 1-0-1, including a 1-0 victory over Duquesne in the Penn State Invitational. Arkansas also earned a 1-1 draw with No. 9 West Virginia.
Doyle and Kayla McKeon each scored over the weekend. Malham, Abbi Neece and Taylor Runnels earned assists. Rachel Harris played over 186 minutes and made nine saves with a 0.48 goals-against average.
History
This weekend will mark the first regular-season between the two programs.
Last season, the Razorbacks topped the Mavericks 3-0 in an exhibition matchup.
Up Next
Omaha makes its home debut on Monday, Aug. 27, welcoming Creighton to Caniglia Field at 7 p.m. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
