LEADING OFF 

The Mavericks defeated the South Dakota Coyotes with two goals in the final eight minutes of play on Friday, Oct. 27 in Denver, Colorado. No. 4 Omaha is set to face No. 1 Denver in the semifinal match of the 2023 Summit League Championship. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT in Denver. 

QUICK KICKS 

• For the second-straight season, Emilie Erland netted the game-winning goal to send the Mavericks to the semifinal round. Last year in the quarterfinals against No. 6 North Dakota, Erland scored in the 83rd minute, helping Omaha advance to the semifinal match at No. 2 SDSU. 

• Erland scored in the 82nd minute of this year's quarterfinal match against No. 5 South Dakota to put the Mavericks in the semifinals. The senior's third goal of the season was assisted by Grace Ostergaard. 

• Ostergaard notched her fifth assist this year as she shares the team-lead with Alyssa Kellar. 

• Sophia Green scored in the 87th minute against the Coyotes to seal a 2-0 victory for the Mavericks. Green's 10th of the year matches Chelsi Rohloff's Division I era program record for goals in a season set in 2014. 

• Mia Reedtz Rehde Olesen made her fifth start of the season and picked up her fourth shutout. The senior made her first start in a Summit League Championship match after making her first tournament appearance in the second half of the quarterfinal last year. 

• Head coach Tim Walters earned his 50th victory in his seventh season as manager of the Mavericks with the win over South Dakota. 

• Omaha is 3-0-3 in the month of October as the Mavericks are unbeaten in their last six matches after a 2-1 loss to Oral Roberts on Sept. 28. 

• The Mavericks were tabbed third in the Summit League Preseason Poll and finished tied for third place with an overall record of 3-1-4 in conference play. 

• Sophia Green was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday, Oct. 26, as the Summit League announced its postseason awards. Green led the conference with nine goals, 22 points and 50 shots during the regular season and recently scored her 10th in the first round of the Summit League Championship. 

• Regan Zimmers was named the Defensive Player of the Year after helping the Mavericks to five of their seven regular-season shutouts. Zimmers helped Omaha to another clean sheet in the Mavericks' last match, holding South Dakota to just one shot on target in the quarterfinal. 

• Grace Ostergaard, Green and Zimmers were all named First Team All-Summit League. Ostergaard earned First-Team honors after three seasons as a Second-Team selection. 

• Marissa Gohr earned Second Team All-Summit League, Jordyn West was named to the Honorable Mention Team, and Jasmyn Brown joined Alyssa Kellar on the All-Newcomer Team as seven Mavericks garnered all-league honors. 

• West and Ostergaard have started 76 matches for the Mavericks and share the Division I era program record for career starts. 
   

SCOUTING THE DENVER PIONEERS 

The Pioneers of Denver earned the No. 1 seed as they earned their sixth-straight Summit League Regular Season title. Denver finished with a record of 9-2-6, 5-1-2 in league play after a 3-3 draw at North Dakota on Sunday, Oct. 22. The Pioneers had an unbeaten conference season in their sights but fell 1-0 to North Dakota State in the penultimate match of the year on Oct. 19. Denver leads the league with an average of 6.35 points and over two goals per game. 

PIONEERS TO WATCH 

• Freshman Liv Moritz was named Newcomer of the Year as she shares the team-lead with seven goals, four assists and 18 points in her debut campaign. Moritz recorded a brace of goals in Denver's 2-0 win at Oregon on Sept. 10. Moritz also has a pair of two-assist games in a 3-3 draw at Milwaukee and a 4-2 win over NC State. Liv last scored in the Pioneers' 3-3 draw with the Fighting Hawks. 

• Kaitlyn Glover shares the team-lead with Moritz as the graduate student has posted identical numbers with seven goals, four assists and 18 points. Like Liv, Glover most recently scored in the draw at North Dakota. Glover recorded a season-high three points with a goal and an assist in a win against South Dakota. 

• Goalkeeper Molly Wissman has started all 17 games for the Pioneers this season. Wissman averages 1.18 goals-against per game. The freshman has made 39 saves this season, garnering a save percentage of .661. 

SERIES HISTORY 
Omaha is 1-12-1 in the all-time series after a scoreless draw with Denver at Caniglia Field this season. The Mavericks are 0-2 in postseason play when facing the Pioneers. Denver and Omaha's last postseason meeting came in the Spring 2021 Summit League Championship match, with DU taking a 3-0 victory to the NCAA Tournament.