Jack Hoover
SPORTS EDITOR
If one thing is certain after the Dodge Street Derby game on Monday, Sept. 16, it’s that a rivalry is alive and well between Creighton and Omaha.
At the end of the game, the Morrison Stadium PA system blared “Taking Care of Business” on repeat. Meanwhile, the Creighton players headed off to the south goal end to celebrate with their student section. It was clear that this was a win that meant something to them.
And it should have. For the last 90 minutes, Omaha and Creighton battled tooth and nail in a game that provided plenty of drama. Emotions had been running high between the two teams all night long.
Sept. 16 was the first competitive game of the Dodge Street Derby (as the game has come be known in recent years) since 2017. Already, it was set to be a huge turning point for both teams this season.
The Mavericks came into this game 0-3-2, looking for their first win of the season. Meanwhile, the Bluejays had only been moderately more successful, as they were 2-2-1 and coming off a tough 3-1 lose to UC Irvine. Both teams had a strong urgency to win this game.
It seemed at first like it would be Omaha who would win the night, as they opened the scoring in the 26th minute. A well-hit free kick from senior Marcos Bautista found the head of fellow senior Seth Rinderknecht who nodded the ball into the net.
The story of the game changed drastically in the 38th minute of the match, however. After a corner from Creighton, a mishit clearance by Omaha fell to the foot of Creighton’s Tor Trosten. Trosten rifled home his shot and the game was level at 1-1.
The point of no return came for the Mavericks one minute later. Quickly after the restart, junior Miguel Gomez was on the receiving end of a hard challenge from Creighton’s Charles Auguste. After getting back on his feet, Gomez head-butted Auguste and was promptly handed a red card for his action.
With only 10 men for the remainder of the game, the Mavericks were forced to play defensively and give most of the possession to Creighton. For an indicator of how much the sending off changed the game: in the first half, Omaha outshot Creighton 6-5. In the second half, the Bluejays dominated as they had a 13-2 shot advantage. Additionally, Creighton took an astonishing 12 corner in the second half of the game alone.
The Mavericks did their best to resist the onslaught for most of the match, but their resistance was finally broken in the 88th minute of the game. A low cross from Creighton’s Musa Qongo found its way to Luke Haakenson, who fired a low shot into the goal. That goal would be enough to give the Bluejays a 2-1 win and help write another exciting chapter in the Dodge Street Derby story.
Omaha will be back in action and seeking a win at home on Sept. 27 as they get set to play No. 23 California State University, Northridge. That game can be streamed live on OMavs.com or Mavradio.fm.
