Note: This article has been updated as of Oct. 30, 2018. A previous version of this article contained language in reference to Omaha’s chances at making the Summit League tournament. These lines were additions from the Sports Editor and have since been removed. The team has since made the final four.
Drake Foss
CONTRIBUTOR
The Mavericks struggled at the beginning of the season to get the ball in the back of the net. But they managed to finally get some goals on the board, starting with a game on Sept.19 as the Mavericks faced the Drake Bulldogs.
The Mavericks would come out on top of that game with a score of 2-1. Days later, the squad would travel to the Texas border to take on the UTRGV Vaqueros. Omaha would lose that match 1-0 in a game that went to double overtime.
Next, the Mavericks opened Summit League play with a loss to Oral Roberts, 0-2. The pair of conference losses would also be their third straight loss – coming at the hands of the Denver Pioneers, 3-1.
The Mavericks got their first win in the Summit League portion of their schedule against Purdue University Fort Wayne by a score of 2-0. A tie with North Dakota days later would halt their momentum as they escaped with a 1-1 draw in a game that also took double overtime to settle. Snowfall on senior day wouldn’t stop the Mavericks from getting a win against South Dakota 1-0, sending the seniors out on a positive note at Caniglia Field.
On Oct. 19 Omaha played a close match with league rival South Dakota State. The match was settled in the final minute, when Jackrabbit Leah Manuleleua scored, giving SDSU a 1-0 lead with nothing but seconds remaining on the clock.
The Mavericks will play Western Illinois on Sunday, Oct. 28, before the conference tournament begins in Brookings, South Dakota.
To make it to the top four, the Mavs would need to pass North Dakota (with seven points), Oral Roberts (with nine points) and South Dakota (also with nine points). With two wins in their two final games, Omaha can bring their point total up to 13 – but any chance at postseason hopes would also most likely require that the aforementioned teams lose their final games.
The two-goal leaders for the Mavericks as a season comes to a close are sophomore Bailey Cascio and senior Emily Romero, with three goals each. Assist leaders are sophomore Andrea Daves with four total assists, and sophomore Bailey Cascio with three of her own. Freshman Ina Gudjonsdottir leads the goalies in saves with 37, good for a total save percentage of 77 percent.
*All statistics and standings are as of Oct 20.
