LEADING OFF 
GAME TIME CHANGE: Due to the forecast of severe storms in the Metro, the Omaha Mavericks match Thursday against San Francisco at Caniglia Field will now begin at 4 p.m. CT.

QUICK KICKS 

• The Mavericks are 2-0 to start the regular season for the first time since 2017, when they opened the season 6-0 en route to regular season and post-season Summit League titles, including the school's first Division I NCAA bid.
• Omaha starts 2024 ranked 6th in the first United Soccer Coaches West Region poll. Omaha is one of three Summit League schools represented. The University of Denver is 4th and Oral Roberts University 7th.
• In their home opener Sunday, the Mavericks used the energy from a raucous crowd to battle back from deficits three times and claim a 3-2 win at Caniglia Field over visiting Florida Atlantic. The Mavericks are 2-0 for the first time since 2017. The crowd of 1,103 was the fifth largest in Caniglia Field regular season history for men's soccer.
• The Mavericks used their depth to weather the heat, with 18 players playing significant minutes (50+). Seniors Martin Lago, Thore Boehm and Nathanael Sallah have played every minute thus far.
• A balanced attack has supported the tip of the spear: Theo Klein. In two games, the team's returning scoring leader paces his mates in points (5/2.5), goals (2), shots (6) and shots on goal (5).
• In Sunday's home win, senior Matthis Pilon St-Louis was one of several Mavericks who gave the team a spark off the bench; his unassisted goal in the 83rd minute was the difference. The Mavericks rallied from 2-1 down in the closing ten minutes, as senior Theo Klein curved a free kick from 20 yards in front of Owls goalkeeper Nacho Alfaro to tie the game at 2-2 with just under ten minutes to play. In the 33rd minute, Omaha's Klein added to his career school record for penalty kick goals (8) when he drilled it home at 32:08. He also assisted on the game-winner.
• In game one at Oakland, midfielder Brett Perkins drove home a rebound late in the match for the game winner, the Gretna sophomore's first collegiate goal. Senior Martin Lago also scored his first career goal in a Mavericks kit at Oakland, when his direct kick from inside the midfield circle deflected off several Golden Grizzlies for the score.
• After representing the Summit League in last year's NCAA tournament, Omaha was selected to finish second in a pre-season poll of coaches, the highest in Dowling's tenure. Two seniors who led the Mavericks to the NCAA tournament in 2023, Theo Klein and Nathanael Sallah, were named Players to Watch. 
• In 2023, Omaha finished 8-8-4 and third in the Summit League regular season standings at 3-3-2. They claimed the league's NCAA berth with a dramatic Summit League Tournament Championship.

SCOUTING THE SAN FRANCISCO DONS

• The Dons have tied both of their matches thus far, a scoreless match against Cal Poly last Thursday followed by a 2-2 draw Saturday against the Kansas City Roos. Both were played in San Francisco.
• Gabriel Bracken Serra and Reid Roberts were named to the West Coast Conference Preseason Team while the Dons were picked to finish fifth out of nine teams in the Preseason Poll. 
• Bracken Serra and Olivier Sylvain have scored the two goals for San Francisco.
• Redshirt senior Eric Waltz has made 33 starts in goal for the Dons, carving a stellar 0.97 career goals against average. He was named WCC Goalkeeper of the Year after last season.

SERIES HISTORY 

• This is the third meeting between the two schools, all at Caniglia Field. Omaha won the first matchup 3-1 in 2016. In the most recent battle between the two programs in 2021, Naz Astwood started and played 90 minutes, Thore Boehm came off the bench and played 35 minutes and Abdi Adan played briefly in a 1-0 loss at Caniglia Field. They are the only holdovers playing currently for the Mavericks from that team.