OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha men's soccer team visits Purdue Fort Wayne this Saturday, Sept. 29. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT) at Hefner Soccer Complex in Fort Wayne, Ind.
From the Touch Line
• Omaha looks to snap a two-match losing streak this weekend after dropping back-to-back matches to Top 15 opponents.
• The Mavericks lost their Summit League home opener 4-3 to No. 4 Denver last Saturday.
• Sophomore
Diego Gutierrez led the Mavericks with a career-best four points on a goal and two assists against the Pioneers.
• Senior
Billy Hoffmann and freshman
Martin Veys also added second half goals. Hoffmann's tally was the first of his Omaha career.
• Sophomore
Matt Smith and junior
Ugo Tritz rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the Summit League in fewest goals allowed. Smith has allowed a league-low four goals, while Tritz has allowed only six goals.
• Tritz ranks fourth in save percentage (.750) and fifth in saves (18), while Smith is fourth in goals-against average (1.60).
• Omaha leads the Summit League in average home attendance (680 per match) and is second in total attendance (3,401).
• The Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll picked Omaha to finish second. The Mavericks garnered 22 total points, including two first-place votes.
• Junior
Seth Rinderknecht and sophomore
Stevie Siy earned spots on the league's Players to Watch list.
• UNO captured the 2017 Summit League Tournament championship by defeating regular-season champion Denver 9-8 in an 11 round shootout. The victory allowed Omaha to qualify for the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament for the first time in program history.
• UNO became a member of the Summit League in 2012 and claimed a share of two league regular-season crowns and one postseason tournament title in seven seasons.
Scouting Omaha
Omaha is 1-5 overall and 0-1 in Summit League play this season following a 4-3 loss to No. 4 Denver last Saturday at Caniglia Field. The Mavericks were 7-1-2 at home last season, including a 2-0-1 mark in league matches. This season, UNO is 1-4 at home.
Diego Gutierrez leads the Mavericks in every scoring category this season with nine points on three goals and three assists.
Martin Veys is next with four points on two goals. Billy Hoffman has a goal, while
Seth Rinderknecht and senior
Denzel Woods each have an assist.
Matt Smith and
Ugo Tritz each have started three games in goal this season for UNO. Smith is 0-3-0 with a 1.60 goals-against average and .500 save percentage. Tritz is 1-2 with a 1.71 goals-against average and .750 save percentage. He also has the team's lone shutout this season.
Bob Warming is in his first season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 1-5-0 record. Prior to Omaha, Warming had stops at Penn State (2010-17), Creighton (1990-94, 2001-09), 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 victories.
Scouting the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons
Purdue Fort Wayne is 6-3-0 this season after claiming a 1-0 road win at Green Bay on Tuesday. Saturday's match will be the Mastodons' Summit League opener.
The Purdue Fort Wayne offense features three players with double-digit points this season. Matthew Lieshout leads the way with a team-best 17 points and eight goals. Romain Lopez next with 13 points on three goals and a Summit League-leading seven assists. Blake Cearns is next with 10 points on five goals.
Tor Erik Larsen is the current Summit League Defensive Player of the Week after going 2-0 and posting a 0.99 goals-against average last week against Bowling Green and Northern Kentucky. Larsen has started all nine matches for the Mastodons with a 6-3 overall mark with a 1.70 goals-against average and .766 save percentage. He had 2.5 shutouts this season.
Head coach Mike Harper is in his 12th season at the helm of the Purdue Fort Wayne men's soccer program with a career mark of 58-130-21.
Tracking the Mastodons
• Purdue Fort Wayne is 3-2 at the Hefner Soccer Complex, 2-1 on the road and 1-0 on neutral sites.
• Matthew Lieshout's header in the 77th minute proved to be the game-winner against Green Bay.
• Lieshout's 17 points and eight goals rank second in the Summit League behind national leader Andre Shinyashiki of Denver.
• Cearns five goals are fourth in the league while Lopez is the league-leader with seven assists.
• Larsen is the league-leader in saves (49) and second in save percentage (.766).
• Through nine matches, the Mastodons have 24 goals and 19 assists to rank second in the Summit League.
• Purdue Fort Wayne averages 2.67 goals per game while allowing 1.61 goals per game.
• The Mastodons rank eighth nationally in RPI, the highest in the Summit League.
Series History with Purdue Fort Wayne
The all-time series between Omaha and Purdue Fort Wayne is tied 3-3-1. In the last meeting, the two teams played to a 1-1 draw at Caniglia Field on Sept. 30, 2017. The Mastodons have a 3-1 advantage in matches played in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Up Next
The Mavericks return to Caniglia Field on Wednesday, Oct. 3, for a non-conference match against Campbell. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and links to audio, video and live stats are available on OMavs.com.
