OMAHA, Neb. — The Omaha Mavericks men’s soccer team kicked off their regular season at home Friday night by hosting the Grand Canyon University Lopes. The game was neck and neck until Herrmann Award candidate Niki Jackson struck the back of the net in the 39th minute.
The Mavericks trailed at the half, but clawed their way back in the second half off a free kick from Xavier Gomez. The long shot was caught by goalkeeper Corey Marques, but his momentum took him and the ball into the net and that tied the game. After a back and forth second half, the match ended level at 1-1.
This meant golden goal overtime, where the first team to score wins. The game winning goal was certainly golden, as Emmanuel Hamzat saw his bending effort from outside the box hit both the crossbar and the far post on its way into the back of the net. Click here to watch the golden goal.
This sent Caniglia Field into delirium, with the Omaha bench clearing to pile on top of the night’s hero. One of the most interesting dynamics from the match was the physicality with which the Lopes played — they ended the game with 16 fouls. After the game, head coach Jason Mims said the beating his players took was a surprise.
“They did foul us a lot, I didn’t expect that,” Mims said. “Our guys did really well to not react and retaliate.”
The Mavericks next game is August 25th against the Virginia Tech Hokies at 6 PM. The Hokies come into this weekend ranked at #17 in the nation and defeated Creighton University Friday 2-0.
