Emmanuel Hamzat and the Omaha men's soccer team face Florida International in the First Round of NCAA Tournament.
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Omaha Men’s Soccer Faces Florida International for First Round of NCAA Tournament
Nov 13, 2017 | Men's Soccer
OMAHA, Neb. – For the first time in program history, the Omaha men's soccer team is dancing in the NCAA Tournament as the bracket was announced Monday afternoon on NCAA.com.
The Mavericks will travel to Miami, Fla., on Thursday, Nov. 16, where they will take on the Florida International Panthers in the NCAA Championship First Round. Â Game time is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Omaha earned the Summit League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after tying Denver and claiming the title on penalty kicks, 9-8. Â FIU received an at-large bid after falling to Charlotte 3-1 in the Conference USA Championship game.
The Mavericks have a 10-5-3 overall record and concluded Summit League play with a 2-1-2 mark. Â Omaha has tallied 27 goals this season from seven different players, including a team-best nine goals by sophomore Elvir Ibisevic. Â Seniors Emmanuel Hamzat and Xavier Gomez add seven and five scores respectively. Â UNO also has 32 assists from 14 players, including a Summit League-leading eight from Gomez.
Senior Joseph Ghitis has started 16 games this season in goal, picked up 52 saves and has five shutouts on the season. Â He has a 0.90 goals-against average and a .776 save percentage. Â Sophomore Ugo Tritz has two starts in 2017 with three saves and two shutouts. Â Tritz has a 0.00 goals-against average and a 1.000 save percentage.
FIU has an 11-1-4 overall record and won the Conference USA regular season. Â The Panthers are ranked No. 21 in the NCAA RPI standings on Monday. Â Thursday's matchup will be the first-ever meeting between Omaha and Florida International.
The winner of the match will travel to No. 6 overall seed Duke on Sunday, Nov. 19. Â As a national seed, the Blue Devils earned a bye in the first round.
The Mavericks will travel to Miami, Fla., on Thursday, Nov. 16, where they will take on the Florida International Panthers in the NCAA Championship First Round. Â Game time is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Omaha earned the Summit League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after tying Denver and claiming the title on penalty kicks, 9-8. Â FIU received an at-large bid after falling to Charlotte 3-1 in the Conference USA Championship game.
The Mavericks have a 10-5-3 overall record and concluded Summit League play with a 2-1-2 mark. Â Omaha has tallied 27 goals this season from seven different players, including a team-best nine goals by sophomore Elvir Ibisevic. Â Seniors Emmanuel Hamzat and Xavier Gomez add seven and five scores respectively. Â UNO also has 32 assists from 14 players, including a Summit League-leading eight from Gomez.
Senior Joseph Ghitis has started 16 games this season in goal, picked up 52 saves and has five shutouts on the season. Â He has a 0.90 goals-against average and a .776 save percentage. Â Sophomore Ugo Tritz has two starts in 2017 with three saves and two shutouts. Â Tritz has a 0.00 goals-against average and a 1.000 save percentage.
FIU has an 11-1-4 overall record and won the Conference USA regular season. Â The Panthers are ranked No. 21 in the NCAA RPI standings on Monday. Â Thursday's matchup will be the first-ever meeting between Omaha and Florida International.
The winner of the match will travel to No. 6 overall seed Duke on Sunday, Nov. 19. Â As a national seed, the Blue Devils earned a bye in the first round.
Players Mentioned
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