Mavs One Step Away from Final Four
Nov 19, 2004 | Women's Soccer
OMAHA, Neb.---The University of Nebraska-Omaha soccer team is one win away from its third-straight trip to the NCAA Division II final four, but the team has a big barrier in its way, Ashland University. It may seem like a David vs. Goliath match, but the Eagles aren't to be overlooked and are no stranger to the NCAA limelight; making their eighth consecutive trip to the playoffs.
The Eagles are the Great Lakes region champion with 1-0 victories over Northern Kentucky and regional top-seed Wisconsin-Parkside. Ashland carries a 15-game winning-streak into the quarterfinal match set for Sunday 11 a.m.(cst) and have an overall record of 19-1-1. AShland has outscored its opponents 60-14, and are led by 2003 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference player of the year, junior forward Maria Manzo. Manzo has torn through opposing defenses recording 21 goals, tacking on seven assists. In last weekend's regional, Manzo scored both goals for the Eagles en route to the Great Lakes region crown.
Defensively, the Eagles have shut down offenses, shutting out its last four opponents.
UNO enters the match on a streak of its own. Breezing through the North Central Conference tournament, the Mavs were seeded second in the central regional hosted by Truman State last weekend. First opponent for UNO, Southwest Baptist, took the Mavs down to the wire, literally, as the two teams finished two extra frames deadlocked at one. Nebraska-Omaha prevailed coming away from the shootout with a 4-3 advantage.
The Mavs were to face unbeaten, #1 seed, and NSCAA/Adidas No. 3 Truman State in the region championship game. Truman defeated UNO earlier in the season 1-0, so the Mavs had some revenge to dish out. UNO was up for the task, sending the game to an extra period, scoring the golden goal within the first four minutes in overtime, giving UNO a 2-1 advantage and a ticket to Ashland, Ohio for the NCAA Division II quarterfinals.
Overall, the Mavs are 18-3-2 and will meet Ashland for the first time in school history. UNO has advanced to the final four two consecutive years, while Ashland has not returned to the final four since '98.
The Eagles are the Great Lakes region champion with 1-0 victories over Northern Kentucky and regional top-seed Wisconsin-Parkside. Ashland carries a 15-game winning-streak into the quarterfinal match set for Sunday 11 a.m.(cst) and have an overall record of 19-1-1. AShland has outscored its opponents 60-14, and are led by 2003 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference player of the year, junior forward Maria Manzo. Manzo has torn through opposing defenses recording 21 goals, tacking on seven assists. In last weekend's regional, Manzo scored both goals for the Eagles en route to the Great Lakes region crown.
Defensively, the Eagles have shut down offenses, shutting out its last four opponents.
UNO enters the match on a streak of its own. Breezing through the North Central Conference tournament, the Mavs were seeded second in the central regional hosted by Truman State last weekend. First opponent for UNO, Southwest Baptist, took the Mavs down to the wire, literally, as the two teams finished two extra frames deadlocked at one. Nebraska-Omaha prevailed coming away from the shootout with a 4-3 advantage.
The Mavs were to face unbeaten, #1 seed, and NSCAA/Adidas No. 3 Truman State in the region championship game. Truman defeated UNO earlier in the season 1-0, so the Mavs had some revenge to dish out. UNO was up for the task, sending the game to an extra period, scoring the golden goal within the first four minutes in overtime, giving UNO a 2-1 advantage and a ticket to Ashland, Ohio for the NCAA Division II quarterfinals.
Overall, the Mavs are 18-3-2 and will meet Ashland for the first time in school history. UNO has advanced to the final four two consecutive years, while Ashland has not returned to the final four since '98.
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