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Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Fremont

Head Coach – Charlee Wiese

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell 

NEST Analysis – The 2021 outlook for Fremont is yet to be determined as there is simply not enough information to make an informed analysis. What can be said is that Fremont is a community that cares deeply about its soccer culture. Fremont Soccer Club provides a myriad of opportunities for local athletes to improve upon their skills. In the program’s recent history, the records have not been favorable. However, in sports all it takes is one year to change the narrative. A concentrated effort from Coach Charlee Wiese and the Tiger players will be needed to progress the program. An opportunity is there for the taking for the older players on the team: leave a legacy of care, determination, and improvement for future classes to build upon. This may be a multi-year project and we look forward to watching this evolution. The Fremont community will embrace a pride-filled program, and that momentum could carry over for years to come.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Although it is rarely covered by the traditional media giants of the state, Nebraska is filled with exciting and competitive collegiate soccer programs. In fact, Nebraska contains a grand total of THIRTY programs for men and women. Those thirty programs compete across a wide variety of collegiate levels including Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and junior college.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to examine, cover, and promote all of these teams. This task has been made a bit more challenging by the circumstances created by COVID-19. Depending on the playing level, conference, and school, the season outlook changes drastically. Roster information can also be in flux, depending on the school. Despite these challenges, our staff attempted to put together the best program summaries possible. To our knowledge, we are the only outlet providing such coverage to our state’s college programs.

Just like Nebraska Soccer Talk, this column will grow and become more in depth as the years pass. In the future, we hope to provide sideline coverage of games, facility features, coach and player interviews. We look forward to the journey ahead. Thank you for being a part of our community. The sport of soccer is growing in Nebraska, and we intend to see it thrive.

Disclaimer – In the making of this article, team websites and other research sources were utilized. Although we attempt to avoid them whenever possible, errors can occur. Please contact us directly with corrections.

Creighton University

Head Coach – Ross Paule

After a highly successful playing career for the Creighton men’s program, Coach Paule returned to Creighton to coach the women’s side in 2014. Since that time, the Bluejays have posted three winning seasons.

Assistant Coaches – Lisa-Marie Woods, Karli Kopietz, Josue Rivas

Mascot – Bluejays

Nebraska Homegrown Players On Roster – 

• #12 Emma Paule – So – Omaha Marian – Mid
• #20 Skylar Heinrich – So – Elkhorn High – F

2/32 = 6%

Known Recruiting Class

• Hitami Yamaue – Tyler JC / Okayama, Japan – D
• Greta Betz – Cincinnati, OH – M
• Taylor Daffer – Gretna High School – D
• Bailey Laplante – De Soto, KS – GK
• Hailey Rothwell – Madison, WI – F
• Kennedy Ruark – Overland Park, KS – D

NEST Analysis – Nebraska has three Division I women’s soccer programs; all of which seem to be at the same point in terms of recent records and trajectory. Creighton has a big opportunity to establish itself as the flagship women’s soccer program for the state. Located in the state’s most populous and talent rich city, Creighton must take the next step and begin to compete in the Big East. All of the pieces are in place; it is time to put the puzzle together. 2021 Signee Taylor Daffer is an excellent in-state addition, on what seems to be a more national and international roster. In the next few years, a dominant women’s program needs to arise from Nebraska. Will Creighton fill that role?

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through multiple different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Although it is rarely covered by the traditional media giants of the state, Nebraska is filled with exciting and competitive collegiate soccer programs. In fact, Nebraska contains a grand total of THIRTY programs for men and women. Those thirty programs compete across a wide variety of collegiate levels including Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and junior college.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to examine, cover, and promote all of these teams. This task has been made a bit more challenging by the circumstances created by COVID-19. Depending on the playing level, conference, and school, the season outlook changes drastically. Roster information can also be in flux, depending on the school. Despite these challenges, our staff attempted to put together the best program summaries possible. To our knowledge, we are the only outlet providing such coverage to our state’s college programs.

Just like Nebraska Soccer Talk, this column will grow and become more in depth as the years pass. In the future, we hope to provide sideline coverage of games, facility features, coach and player interviews. We look forward to the journey ahead. Thank you for being a part of our community. The sport of soccer is growing in Nebraska, and we intend to see it thrive.

Disclaimer – In the making of this article, team websites and other research sources were utilized. Although we attempt to avoid them whenever possible, errors can occur. Please contact us directly with corrections.

Concordia University

Head Coach – Jason Weides

2020 will be Coach Weides 13th season as head coach of the bulldogs program. Throughout his years in charge, his squad has compiled a 117-89-24 record and consistently achieved program firsts. Overall, this is a great coaching story as Coach Weides worked his way through the high school ranks and served as an assistant coach before getting a chance to lead a program. Since that time, Concordia has been a consistent winner in a tough GPAC field. With Weides at the helm, Concordia will have a stable and successful program for many years to come.

Mascot – Bulldogs

Nebraska Homegrown Players On Roster – 

• #9 Isaiah Shaddick – Soph – Lincoln – F
• #19 Braden Spath – Fr – Kearney – Mid
• #27 Caleb Goldsmith – Jr – Lincoln – Mid
• #28 Moises Jacobo – Soph – Grand Island – Mid
• #29 Daniel Campbell – Jr – Bellevue – F
• #30 Matt Schultz – Soph – Lincoln – Mid

6/28 = 21%

Known Recruiting Class – Carter Hinman (Gretna High School)

NEST Analysis – Concordia is a solid Nebraska program that represents the state very well on the collegiate stage. Concordia has elevated itself to a contender status in the GPAC. The roster is filled with international talent from Nebraska to England to Columbia. With that type of variety, some teams would fail to develop proper on-field chemistry. However, that is simply not the case with these bulldogs, which is a testament to the strong team culture. We can’t wait to cover this program for years to come.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through multiple different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Although it is rarely covered by the traditional media giants of the state, Nebraska is filled with exciting and competitive collegiate soccer programs. In fact, Nebraska contains a grand total of THIRTY programs for men and women. Those thirty programs compete across a wide variety of collegiate levels including Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and junior college.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to examine, cover, and promote all of these teams. This task has been made a bit more challenging by the circumstances created by COVID-19. Depending on the playing level, conference, and school, the season outlook changes drastically. Roster information can also be in flux, depending on the school. Despite these challenges, our staff attempted to put together the best program summaries possible. To our knowledge, we are the only outlet providing such coverage to our state’s college programs.

Just like Nebraska Soccer Talk, this column will grow and become more in depth as the years pass. In the future, we hope to provide sideline coverage of games, facility features, coach and player interviews. We look forward to the journey ahead. Thank you for being a part of our community. The sport of soccer is growing in Nebraska, and we intend to see it thrive.

Disclaimer – In the making of this article, team websites and other research sources were utilized. Although we attempt to avoid them whenever possible, errors can occur. Please contact us directly with corrections.

University of Nebraska-Omaha

Head Coach – Tim Walters

Coach Walters arrived as the head of the program in 2016. Since that time, results have not fulfilled the expectations of a program with UNO’s standing. 2018’s advancement in the Summit league tournament provided a glimmer of progress and optimism for the future. However, it really needed to be followed up with a strong campaign in 2019, and that failed to materialize. Coach Walters seems to be a good candidate for this job, but it does need to be demonstrated by on-field success. From all accounts Coach Walters has been a dedicated and passionate soccer advocate as he honed his skills across many different levels of the game. The next few seasons will be crucial for the direction of his program.

Assistant Coaches – Kelly Farrell, Denzel Woods, Erin Bunker

Mascot – Mavericks

Nebraska Homegrown Players On Roster – 

• #0 Madeline Smith – So – Millard South – GK
• #2 Carly Cameron – RFR – Elkhorn High – GK
• #3 Maria Eubanks – RFR – Lincoln East – D
• #5 Grace Ostergaard – Fr – Millard West – M
• #6 Gracie Parsons – Fr – Omaha Burke – M
• #7 Grace Crockett – Fr – Omaha Marian – D
• #12 Grace Thede – RFr – Omaha Marian – D
• #13 Brylie Meyer – Jr – Lincoln Pius X – D
• #14 Laurin Mertz – So – Omaha Skutt – F
• #17 Mali Seran – RSo – Omaha Skutt – M
• #19 Regan Zimmers RFr – Millard North – M
• #20 Bailey Cascio – Sr – MIllard North – F
• #23 Avery Ripple – RSo – Papillion-LaVista South – D
• #25 Alyssa Hansen – Fr – Lincoln Pius X – M
• #26 Leah Kirchner – Jr – Millard West – D

15/27 = 55%

Known Recruiting Class – 

• Sena Ahovissi – Millard North – D
• Cece Behrens – Omaha Skutt – Mid
• Reagan Bourgeois – Houston, TX – M
• Mia Reedtz Olesen – Denmark – GK
• Mo Gohr – Kansas State / Elkhorn South – F
• Kayla Futakami – Northglenn, CO – F

NEST Analysis – Since its jump to division one athletics in 2011, UNO’s women’s soccer side has struggled to find consistent success. Since 2011, this program has not recorded a winning record. Simply put, that is very surprising given its location, facilities, and local recruiting pool. There have been moments of hope during that time with 2018 being the highlighted year of the Maverick program under Coach Walters. The state and the sport of soccer within our borders need more of that success. Women’s soccer at UNO must elevate itself to being a brand synonymous with winning, advocacy, and an attractive style of play. 

An uptick in local talent acquisition also serves as a point of optimism. Approximately half of the current roster is made up of homegrown Nebraskans, most of which are in their first or second year. Hopefully those players can serve as a launching point for Coach Walter’s program. On a lighter note, if you are a female soccer player that is located in the metro area and named Grace you have a very high chance of playing on this squad.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through multiple different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison