Mavs Travel to Creighton, Host Missouri State
Sep 18, 2013 | Women's Soccer
The Omaha women's soccer team has an eventful weekend coming up. On Friday, the Mavericks visit crosstown foe Creighton at Morrison Stadium at 7 p.m. UNO then hosts Missouri State at the UNO Soccer Field on Sunday at Noon. This weekend marks the final non-conference action for UNO this year. Live stats will be available at OMavs.com for both matches, while a live webcast (fee required) will be available at OMavs.com for the match at Creighton on Friday.
The Teams
The Mavs enter the weekend with a 2-4-1 overall record after a 3-3 draw with Montana at the UNO Soccer Field last Friday. Senior forward Melanie McCormick entered this weekend's matches leading the Mavericks with four goals and nine points on the season. McCormick, playing forward for the first time in her career this season, has already surpassed her career goals (two) and points (seven) entering the season. Chelsi Rohloff has one goal and a team-best two assists for four points. Monica Bosiljevac has three points on one goal and one assist. Meaghan Clark has played every minute in net and has made 35 saves with a 2.08 goals against average and .700 save percentage.
Missouri State (3-7) has played in four straight 1-0 games and has a 2-2 record in that stretch. The Bears are coming off a 1-0 win at home over Kansas City on Tuesday. Shelby Stewart has three of the team's six goals this season. Molly Huber has three assists.
Creighton (6-2) has won six in a row after starting out with losses at Utah State and Boise State. The Bluejays beat Montana in overtime, 2-1, and South Dakota, 4-1, last week. Kirstyn Corder has a team-high five goals for 10 points. Lauren Cingoranelli also has 10 points on three goals and four assists.
Series History
Creighton owns a 3-1 record all-time against the Mavericks. Last year on Sept. 7, the Bluejays defeated the Mavs 4-1 at the UNO Soccer Field. The Mavs are 0-1 all-time against Missouri State. The lone meeting was last season on Aug. 24, with Missouri State earning a 3-0 win at home over the Mavs.
Last Time Out
The Mavericks and Montana combined for three goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation, and neither team scored in overtime, resulting in a 3-3 draw at the UNO Soccer Field last Friday night. Melanie McCormick had two goals, and Chelsi Rohloff had a goal and two assists.
Up Next
The Mavericks have a long break before returning to game action on Oct. 4, when South Dakota visits Omaha to begin Summit League play.
Caniglia Field Status
The Mavericks continue to play their home matches at the UNO Soccer Field while the renovation of Caniglia Field continues. The Mavs' new home will seat 3,466 fans and will feature a state-of-the-art soccer pitch. The exact date of the first game on the new surface is not yet known, but both the men's and women's soccer programs are anticipating playing on their new field this season.
Halfway Through Division I Transition
The Mavericks have now completed two full years of their four-year transition to Division I and are therefore ineligible to compete in the conference tournament and NCAA Tournament until the 2015 season. The 2013-14 season will see UNO's teams going through a full Summit League schedule for the second time.
Senior Class Sets Tone
After having just one senior last year, the Mavericks have an entirely different make-up this season with six seniors on the roster. Not only are there six seniors, but all six have been at UNO since their freshman seasons in 2010. Monica Bosiljevac, Jordyn Braun, Melanie McCormick, Sarah Nordstrom, Kerry Pivovar and Logan Watts have combined for 279 starts entering the 2013 season.
Transfers Add to Mavericks' Depth
Among the Mavs' eight newcomers, three are no strangers to high-level Division I soccer. UNO welcomed aboard three transfers in the offseason - Chelsi Rohloff (Nebraska), Courtney Neville (Memphis) and Marquette Pick (Iowa State). All three are sophomores for the Mavs this season and will push for significant playing time. Rohloff, a Papillion native, played in five games as a freshman at Nebraska. Neville, an Oakdale, Minn., native, played in three games for Memphis as a freshman. Finally, Pick, an Omaha native, appeared in 18 matches for Iowa State and made one start.
Mavs Picked Sixth in Summit League Preseason Poll
The UNO women's soccer team came in sixth in the Summit League Preseason Poll. The Mavs collected 20 points from the league's head coaches to finish ahead of IUPUI and South Dakota, who tied for seventh with 10 points. Denver was picked as the league favorite and garnered the maximum seven first-place votes and 49 total points, as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team, so Fort Wayne received the only other first-place vote and finished second with 39 points. Denver's selection comes as no surprise, as the Summit League newcomer advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament last season after compiling a 17-3-4 record. Denver is ranked No. 20 (TopDrawerSoccer.com) and No. 25 (NSCAA/Continental Tire) in the national preseason polls. Western Illinois (34), North Dakota State (32) and South Dakota State (30) were picked third, fourth and fifth, respectively. The Mavs went 3-15 overall last season and 3-5 in The Summit League but lost just one player from that squad, All-Summit League forward Danielle Archuleta.
