(OMAHA. Ne)—Derby Days tend to bring out the best in players. There’s nothing quite like taking the pitch, knowing that bragging rights and city ownership are on the line. In the 2019 edition of the Dodge Street Derby, Omaha was not at its best, falling 2-1 at Morrison Stadium.
The match sprang to life early, with junior forward Diego Gutierrez smacking the underside of the crossbar on an opportunity at the back post. The Maverick’s star player was subbed off a few moments later, seemingly injuring himself on his attempt.
Omaha struck first, scoring in the 26th minute off a header from senior defender Seth Rinderknecht from a free kick played in from senior midfielder Marcos Bautista. This was Rinderknecht’s first goal of the campaign. Omaha continued off of their strong showing against Michigan and went toe-to-toe with the crosstown foes.
Creighton would respond before the intermission. They drew level off a shot at the near post from Tor Trosten in the 38th minute.
From there, it was all downhill for Omaha. Miguel Gomez saw a red card in the 39th minute for a headbutt on Charles Auguste, forcing the Mavs to play over 50 minutes down a man.
The second half was all Creighton, with the Bluejays piling on the pressure. The Jays couldn’t capitalize on five corner kicks in the span of three minutes. They would finish the match with eleven more shots than Omaha, after trailing in that category at halftime.
Despite the resilient Maverick defense, Creighton broke through off a finish at the near post from Luke Haakenson in the 88th.
Omaha then had transfer forward Aaron Uribe sent off for his second yellow card, forcing the Mavericks to play the final 20 seconds with nine men, solidifying yet another Maverick unable to play in the next match.
Omaha finishes their recent gauntlet of games with a road trip to Air Force to take on the Falcons. Both Gomez and Uribe will be suspended for that match following their ejections against Creighton.
