Three first half goals, an opener by junior Ed Port and a brace by junior Hugo Kametani, along with a solid game-long defensive effort helped the University of Omaha Mavericks to a decisive victory over cross-town rival Creighton University.  The game was well-attended safely by supporters from both schools.  Today’s win was the Mavericks’ first ever competitive win over the Jays in four meetings.  This was also the first time the Mavericks shutout the Jays in competitive play.

The Mavericks put the Jays on the back foot right from the opening whistle.  Within 6 minutes, Port, a Reading, England native and Genesee Community College transfer, opened the scoring for the Mavericks after a defensive miscommunication in the backline.  The Mavericks kept the pressure up, and two minutes later scored the prettiest goal of the three.  Senior Nil Ayats threaded a great ball through to Kametani, who finished well for his third goal in three games.  Less than 15 minutes later, Kametani put the game to bed scoring his second goal by finishing a rebound from a Stevie Siy shot.

Save for a couple offside goals called back (one for each team), the second half was fairly sleepy.  Creighton was able to create a couple nice moments of build up, but wasn’t able to find the finishing product.  Callum Watson was active in both halves trying to create chances for the Jays.  The early goals took the edge off the traditional derby feel, but the second half did provide a few hard tackles and a yellow card to Creighton’s Landon Sloan.  The Mavericks move to 1-1, and the Jays fall to 1-1.

Both teams return to their respective conference schedules in what will feel more like a sprint and less like a marathon, as both teams play 8 games over the next 5 weeks.  UNO welcomes Western Illinois to town for a Thursday-Sunday set of games, and Creighton welcomes Xavier to town for a Saturday morning Big East tilt.

Game Notes

Player of the Game – Hugo Kametani.  The junior striker for the Mavericks has scored 4 goals in 3 games for UNO.  It will be hard for him to keep up that strike rate, but even if he slows down a little bit, he is going to be a force up top for Bob Warming’s squad.  He took his chances really well, and has a great work rate as a lead striker.  Hopefully he stays healthy and continues to score goals.

Pulling the Strings – Nil Ayats dished out two assists on the day, and he was fun to watch.  He was moving the ball well and playing some great passes.  I look forward to seeing how the senior from Spain performs the rest of the season.

Running down the Wing – Stevie Siy, a senior from Omaha Central, was active up and down the wing today.  The dynamic right back was present in both the defense and the attack.  For me, he was the best local player on display in today’s derby.

Shorthanded Jays – Creighton University was without Musa Qongo, Dominic Briggs, Cameron Briggs, and former Maverick Diego Gutierrez.

Tactical Thoughts – I thought Coach Bob Warming and the UNO staff got their tactics spot on and the Maverick players executed.  High pressure early in the game paid off, and the personnel choices in the backline kept the Blue Jay attackers mostly at bay.  Ed Gordon off the bench provided necessary work-rate and physicality in the midfield.  I don’t think the Creighton coaching staff necessarily got their tactics wrong, but the team as a whole came out flat, made some silly defensive errors, and didn’t execute on the final ball in the attacking third.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated.

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

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

Joe Cleary

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

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.

Creighton Prep

Head Coach Info – Tom Hoover

Previous Records

Players to Watch – Ryan Brakke – Creighton University soccer signee

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

Previous Season Accomplishments – 2019 Class A State Runner-Up

NEST Analysis – Creighton Prep is a program very familiar with high expectations, and the 2021 season will be no exception. The last time we witnessed their play was in the 2019 Class A state championship. It will be exciting to see if this team can return to that stage and finish with a different result. An excellent season is anticipated as Creighton Prep ranked #1 in our Class A pre-season poll.

Prep has a fantastic squad that is filled with talent at almost every position. It is a school that attracts soccer talent year in and year out. Ryan Brakke will be a player to watch as he is the latest Bluejay to fulfill Division I dreams. Brakke recently signed with Creighton University and will be showcasing his talents in Omaha for years to come. 

Finally, Coach Hoover brings an almost unrivaled amount of experience. He and his staff have built a tremendous program. His teams are a pleasure for any soccer fan to watch. 

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

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. In the following article series, we will reveal our Pre-season Top 10 rankings for the 2021 season. 

This poll was developed while considering many different factors including program track records, recommendations from coaches, and roster strength. With that being said, much of this is subjective and opinions can vary. The rankings will be updated on bi-weekly basis. To the best of our ability, these rankings will reflect the reality of the soccer environment. Adjustments will be made as the season progresses and many conversations will take place. We look forward to those discussions. At season’s end, we will look back to review these preseason rankings. What did we get right? Where did we go wrong? Which team surprised us all? 

Also including in each article is a section title Teams on the Verge. These teams ranked just outside our Top 10 but are considered to be in contention. The rankings are fluid and flexible, any team could quickly enter our Top 10 list.

Class A Boy’s Pre-Season List

1. Creighton Prep
2. Omaha South
3. Gretna
4. Lincoln Southwest 
5. Papillion-La Vista South
6. Papillion-La Vista
7. Kearney
8. Grand Island
9. Lincoln East
10. Omaha Bryan

Teams on the Verge: Omaha Burke, Lincoln High, Millard West, Elkhorn South, Omaha Central, Millard North, Omaha Westside, Columbus High, North Platte

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 Men’s Soccer

Head Coach – Johnny Torres

A well-known face on the sideline for the Bluejays, Torres was in charge for the first time in 2019. While the team didn’t have much success during his first year as head coach, he will be given a fair amount of time to make this program his own. He previously spent twelve seasons as an assistant coach during one of the most successful runs in Creighton program history. In addition to coaching, he was also a two-time National Player of the Year while wearing the Creighton jersey. There are clear reasons why Torres is a beloved individual in this athletic department. He has a history of being a winner; because of that, a quick turnaround is expected.

Assistant Coaches – Ian Sarchan, Michael Gabb

For soccer fans, Coach Ian Sarchan will be a familiar name as his father guided the United States Men’s National Team during its transition two years ago. The younger Sarchan has followed in his father’s footsteps, and that path has led to the sidelines of Creighton University. Sarchan was brought onto the staff in 2019. As a result, there is still a lot to be determined. At this point, he seems to be a young coach with a bright future. 

Overseeing the keeper position, Coach Michael Gabb is going to be a proven commodity for the Bluejays. Gabb has a diverse soccer background as both a player and coach, reaching the highest levels of the sport. 

Mascot – Bluejays

Nebraska Homegrown Players On Roster –

• #11 Diego Gutierrez – Ralston/UNO – Sr – F (Drafted by Portland Timbers)
• #13 Duncan Mcguire – Creighton Prep – RFr – F
• #28 Luke Waters – Creighton Prep – RFr – D

3/25 = 12%

NEST Analysis – Creighton is the state’s premier soccer brand at this point in time. It is well-known for its history of high tempo style of play and passionate crowds. The competitive Big East conference consistently provides intriguing match-ups on a regular basis. Simply put, if you can compete in this conference, you have a real shot at a title run.

Creighton University is also home to Nebraska soccer’s most revered facilities: Morrison Stadium. Its role as host for the high school state tournament, as well as Nebraska State Cup, means every young soccer player dreams of competing on this field. Creighton will likely benefit from that advantage by pursuing more of the top talent in the area.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, 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 or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison