OMAHA, Neb. – The Mavericks advanced to the Summit League Championship for the second time in program history with a 3-1 shootout win over the No. 2 South Dakota State squad. Thursday's meeting marked the third time this season that Omaha and SDSU played to a 0-0 draw, which forced the decision to a penalty kick shootout. The Mavericks will play No. 1 Denver for the title Saturday at 4 p.m. at Caniglia Field.
Follow the Match
The links to live stats and stream are available on OMavs.com. Admission into the match is free at Caniglia Field.
Quick Kicks
- Omaha will make its second appearance in the Summit League Championship in program history. Both have come under the direction of Tim Walters. The Mavericks upset the top seeded South Dakota in 2018 for their first appearance in program history.
- In the shootout vs. SDSU, Grace Ostergaard, Sophia Green, and Emilie Erland all made PKs, while Madeline Smith made one stop in goal and faced two off-target shots to help clinch the shootout win.
- Following the draw with South Dakota State, the Mavericks have played in eight overtime matches this season. Omaha saw overtime vs. Western Illinois, Kansas City twice, South Dakota, North Dakota State, and South Dakota State three times. The five draws is the most Omaha has ever had in a single-season, including both Division I and II eras.
- The Mavericks collected nine All-Summit Honors and two major awards last week. Sophia Green was named the Newcomer of the Year and Mia Reedtz Rehde Olesen was tabbed the Goalkeeper of the Year.
- Green leads Omaha on the field with six goals this season. Andrea Daves and Hannah Heinemann have five each.
- Olesen recorded her seventh shutout in goal with the draw vs. SDSU. She now leads the DI era single-season record book.
Scouting the Denver Pioneers
Denver won the regular season title and earned the No. 1 seed in the Summit League Tournament after finishing the regular season 14-2-1 (14-1-1). The Pioneers face No. 4 South Dakota in the semifinals and downed the Coyotes, 2-0, to advance to the championship. Denver has won 14 conference tournament titles and Saturday's would make the program's 15th.
Pioneers to Watch
- Natalie Beckman was named the Summit League Offensive Player of the Year last week. She had 32 points, 10 goals, and 12 assists this season for Denver. Beckman leads the Pioneers with 40 shots and 24 on goal.
- Sami Feller has seven goals and eight assists for 22 points on the year. She was an All-Summit First Team selection for Denver. Feller has 40 shots and 22 shots on goal this season.
- Nerea Arrazola has played every minute of the season between the pipes for the Pioneers. Over 18 games, she's allowed only nine goals and boasts a .48 goals against average. She has 35 saves and 10 shutouts this season.
Series History
Denver leads the all-time series 9-1-0 vs. the Mavericks. The teams met twice this season in Denver. The Pioneers swept the Omaha for the regular season series.
In game one, Beckman and Malak Rafik scored two consecutive goals for the Pioneers in the first half.
Andrea Daves connected in the second for an Omaha goal in the 58th minute, but the Mavericks would fall 2-1 in the first meeting.
In game two, Denver took a 1-0 win over Omaha. A defensive game, held both the Mavericks and Pioneers to under six shots each. Six Mavericks combined for Omaha's six shots in the match.
Madeline Smith made one stop between the pipes.
