OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha women's soccer team kicks off its 2019 campaign this weekend with a pair of matches at Caniglia Field. The Mavericks welcome Illinois State on Friday night at 6 p.m. before hosting Kansas State on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Follow The Matches
Links to live stats, video and radio are available on OMavs.com. The matches can be seen on OMavs.com with student broadcasters Owen Godberson, Jack Hoover and Matt Kirkle on the call.
Quick Kicks
• Omaha begins its 21
st season in program history this weekend as the Mavericks host Illinois State and Kansas State in the season-opening weekend at Caniglia Field.
• The Mavericks open the season at home for the first time since kicking off the 2016 campaign with a 2-0 victory over UMKC on Aug. 19, 2016.
• Omaha returns 17 letterwinners and seven starters from last year's team that finished 8-11-2 and appeared in the Summit League Championship Final.
• The UNO offense returns 76.5 percent of its scoring and 78.3 percent of its assists from last year.
• Junior
Bailey Cascio returns after leading the Mavericks with 17 points and seven goals last season.
• Sophomore
Hannah Heinemann tallied four points with a goal and two assists while sophomores
Tabitha Allberg and
Brylie Meyer each chipped in a goal and an assist in 2018.
• Senior goalkeeper
Erin Bunker finished last season with a 7-6-1 record with four shutouts while tallying 57 saves, .760 save percentage and 1.40 goals-against average.
• Junior
Andrea Daves was one of 13 players selected to the Summit League's Players to Watch List after scoring a goal and leading Omaha with six assists last season.
• UNO placed fourth in the Summit League last season, earning the program's first berth in the Summit League Tournament.
• Omaha knocked off top-seeded South Dakota State in the semifinals before falling to second-seeded Denver in the Summit League Championship.
• The Mavericks were picked to finish fourth in the Summit League's Preseason Poll as voted on by the league's coaches.
• Head coach
Tim Walters enters his third season at the helm of the Omaha women's soccer program.
Scouting the Illinois State Redbirds
The Illinois State Redbirds are coming off a 10-9-2 season and a fourth-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 4-3 record. The Redbirds return 22 players and 10 starters from that squad.
Last season, the Redbirds scored 32 goals and were shut out in six of their 21 matches. ISU took 16.6 shots per game and put over 49 percent of those on target. Illinois State returns over 75 percent of its scoring from last season's squad.
The Redbird defense allowed 35 opponent goals in 2018, which included 12 against MVC opponents. The Illinois State defense had three shutouts and held opponents to one goal in nine additional matches. Redbird opponents tallied 13.1 shots per game, including 6.7 shots on goal per contest. Haley Smith is the top returning goalkeeper after tallying a 10-8-2 record in 2018 with three shutouts, 104 saves and 1.37 goals-against average.
Redbirds to Watch
• No. 22 Abby Basler - led the Redbirds with 14 points, five goals and four assists in 21 starts last season.
• No. 8 Kate Del Fava - finished with team-high five goals and four assists in 21 matches last season.
• No. 5 Mikayla Unger - placed second on team with four goals and notched the third-most points with 10.
Omaha vs. Illinois State
The 2019 season opener is the second all-time meeting between Illinois State and Omaha. The Redbirds notched a 2-0 win over the Mavericks last season on Sept. 16, 2018 in Normal, Ill.
Scouting the Kansas State Wildcats
The Kansas State Wildcats capped the 2018 campaign with a 4-12-2 overall record and finished 10th in the Big 12 with an 0-9 mark in conference contests. The Wildcats return 17 letterwinners and eight starters from that squad.
The Wildcats scored 13 goals and were shut out in 10 of their 18 outings last season. The KSU offense took 13.1 shots per game with 45.3 percent of those on frame. The Wildcats return 27 of the 37 points from last season, including nine goals and nine assists.
The Kansas State defense allowed 26 opponent goals in 2018, including 20 against Big 12 opponents. The Wildcats had six shutouts and held opponents to one goal in four additional matches. K-State opponents posted just over 16 shots per match, but just 6.6 shots on goal per game. Emma Malsy is the top returning goalkeeper after posting a 4-12-2 mark in 2018 with six shutouts, 91 saves and 1.37 goals-against average.
Wildcats to Watch
• No. 20 Katie Cramer - led the team in goals (two), assists (three) and points (seven) last season.
• No. 8 Brookelynn Entz - tied for team-high in goals (two) and placed second on team with two assists last season.
• No. 22 Hannah Davis - tallied a goal and an assist in 933 minutes of action on the pitch in 2018.
Omaha vs. Kansas State
Sunday's match marks the third all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Mavericks. Kansas State leads the all-time series 2-0, including a 2-0 victory over Omaha in their last meeting on Aug. 30, 2017 in Manhattan, Kan.
Home Sweet Home
The Mavericks have found success in their home debuts, posting a 13-6-1 record in home openers in their 20-year history. Omaha strung together seven consecutive victories in home openers in 2005-11 and last recorded a home-opening victory in a 2-0 win over UMKC on Aug. 19, 2016.
Score Early, Score Often
Omaha has outscored opponents 53-22 in home openers. The Mavericks have averaged 2.65 goals per game in home-opening contests while the defense has shut out opponents eight times in home debuts.
Home-Field Advantage
The Mavericks have found success at home in the
Tim Walters era. In the two seasons, Omaha is 10-3-1 playing at Caniglia Field, including a 6-1-1 mark in 2018. UNO has outscored opponents 20-12 in the span of 15 home games while shutting out opponents on four occasions.
New Year, New Faces
The Omaha women's soccer team welcomes seven new members to the program this season, including two transfers.
Amanda Rapaduski comes to Omaha from Butler and
Chloe Behrens joins the Mavericks from Creighton after they played their freshman seasons in the BIG EAST.
Five freshmen join the program after playing their high school careers in Nebraska, including Omaha natives
Regan Zimmers,
Laurin Mertz and
Grace Thede.
Carly Cameron arrives in Omaha from Elkhorn, and
Maria Eubanks hails from Lincoln.
Battle Tested
The Mavericks face some of their toughest competition in program history in 2019 with three matches against 2018 NCAA Tournament teams - Kansas, Memphis and Denver. Six of Omaha's opponents finished in the top 100 of the 2018 NCAA RPI including Memphis (15), KU (20), Oklahoma State (51), Nebraska (60), Ball State (73) and Denver (89).
Up Next
The Mavericks hit the road for the first time in the regular season as Omaha battles UNI on Friday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
