SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Summit League announced Tuesday that Omaha will be its representative at the upcoming NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament, replacing regular-season champion Denver in the field of 36.
The Pioneers were scheduled to play UNC-Greensboro in the opening round but will not be able to participate due to Covid-19 protocols.
Based on league policies, the Mavericks, who finished second in the league standings as determined by points per game, were the next team in line to participate. This will be Omaha's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2017.
Omaha will play at No. 23 UNC-Greensboro (9-2-2) in the first round on Thursday, April 29, at 5 p.m. CT. The winner will face No. 4 overall seed Stanford (9-2-1) on Sunday, May 2.
Omaha is 6-2-1 this season, posting a 5-2-1 Summit League record to place second in the standings. The Mavericks currently rank fourth in the West Region in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, the highest ranking of a Summit League team in the polls.
The Mavericks led the league this season with 17 goals scored for an average 1.8 goals per game, nearly half a goal per game more than the second-best team.
Preliminary round games of the tournament will take place at the campus venues of University of North Carolina Wilmington, UNC Greensboro and Wake Forest, in addition to Bryan Park (Greensboro, North Carolina), J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex (Wilson, North Carolina), Sportsplex (Matthews, North Carolina) and WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, North Carolina).
