OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha men's soccer team opens Summit League play on Saturday, Sept. 22, welcoming No. 4 Denver. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Caniglia Field.
From the Touch Line
• Omaha looks to rebound from a 2-1 setback to No. 11 UCLA in Los Angeles, Calif., last weekend.
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Diego Gutierrez scored on a 25-yard free kick for the Mavericks lone goal.
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Ugo Tritz leads the Summit League in save percentage (.857) and goals against (2) so far this season. Tritz also is third in goals-against average (0.80).
• Omaha is second in the Summit League in home attendance (2,628) and average attendance (657).
• Gutierrez leads the Mavericks in points (five) and goals (two). He also is tied for the lead in assists (one).
• Omaha was picked second in the 2018 Summit League Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll with 22 points, including two first-place votes.
• The Summit League placed Rinderknecht and
Stevie Siy on the league's Players to Watch list.
• UNO qualified for the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament for the first time in program history in 2017.
• Omaha, which has been a member of the Summit League since 2012, has two Summit League regular-season titles and one tournament crown in seven years.
Scouting Omaha
Omaha is 1-4 this season following a 2-1 loss against No. 11 UCLA last week. The Mavericks were 7-1-2 at home last season, including a record of 2-0-1 conference games. This season, UNO holds a 1-3 mark at Caniglia Field.
The Mavericks return 17 letterwinners, including five starters from last season's squad. This year's new-look team has 13 newcomers, including four transfer athletes.
Ed Gordon,
Diego Gutierrez Seth Rinderknecht,
Stevie Siy and
Denzel Woods anchor a UNO squad that is looking to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2018.
Bob Warming is in his first season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 1-4-0 record. Prior to Omaha, Warming had stops at Penn State (2010-17), Creighton (1990-94, 2001-9), St. Louis (1997-2000), Old Dominion (1996), Charlotte (1982-88), Barry (1977-81) and Transylvania (1976). He is the third-winningest active NCAA Division I coach with 462 wins.
Scouting Denver
Denver is off to an impressive start this season with a 6-0-1 mark with a 5-0-1 record at home. The top four major soccer polls all have the Pioneers in the top four. DU blanked No. 22 San Francisco 3-0 last Sunday at home.
Andre Shinyashiki enters Saturday's match the national leader in points (28) and goals (13). The senior has three hat tricks so far this season. He is a three-time Summit League Offensive Player of the Week and garnered six individual national awards. Shinyashiki is also on the MAC Herman Watch List.
Kenny Akamatsu and Moshe Perez have combined for 11 points on two goals and seven assists. Akamatsu has a goal and four assists, while Perez has a goal and three assists.
Nick Gardner has started all seven matches and logged 650:31 minutes. Gardner has allowed four goals while making 11 saves this season.
Series History with Denver
Saturday is the eighth all-time meeting between Omaha and Denver. The Pioneers lead the series 4-1-2 but are 0-1-2 at Caniglia Field. Last season, DU topped UNO 2-1 at CIBER Field on Oct. 28 in the regular season. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in the Summit League championship game before the Mavericks claimed the league title in a shootout, 9-8.
Up Next
Omaha opens the road portion of its Summit League slate on Saturday, Sept. 29, at Purdue Fort Wayne. Kickoff from the Hefner Soccer Complex is 6 p.m. (CT).
Connect with the Mavericks on Social Media
Fans are encouraged to connect with the Mavericks on Facebook (OmahaMSOC), Instagram (@OmahaMSOC) and Twitter (@OmahaMSOC). They are also encouraged to use #EveryoneForOmaha in social media posts.
