Tag Omaha Westside

This contest was featured as Nebraska Preps’s game of the week and for good reason. Nebraska Soccer Talk tagged along with Mike Sautter to cover the game. It is worth noting that it was wonderful seeing the stands packed with fans from both sides. These fan bases really got into the game and that enhanced the atmosphere on the field.

Omaha Skutt is a traditional Class B powerhouse that looks to be the frontrunner again this year. Skutt is correctly the #1 ranked team in Class B according to Nebraska Soccer Talk. Their opposition, Omaha Westside, is looking to reclaim a position atop the competitive Class A field. Westside is a big name with a new coach and high expectations. 

Really evident from the beginning was the differing attacking philosophies. Omaha Westside did very well to remain in possession of the ball, especially on their half of the field. Their defenders and goalkeeper were very comfortable with the ball, and Skutt seemed content with not opening themselves up. 57% of the game possession went to the Warriors but only five shots were created during the game. Using athleticism in the final third seemed to be the tactic as long passes were played in from the back. As timing develops throughout the season, goals should be produced, and forward Tristan Alvano looks to be that goal scorer for Westside. 

While having less of the ball, Skutt Catholic seemed to do more with it. Their possession and passing patterns were attack centric. It was a fun style of soccer that did contain more risk and turnovers, but also created more attacking chances. Even with almost ten minutes less of ball possession, the Skyhawks were able to double the amount of shot opportunities. Their entire team seemed to be connected and well organized. 

Thanks to players such as Caleb Vos, Andrew Davidson, and John Meyers, the Skyhawks put on an impressive display. Vos controlled the left side of the field and had more than a few impactful runs. Davidson really controlled the midfield. He was the connector, and the game really went through him.

This game was a physical and chippy matchup as both teams were awarded and converted a penalty kick. This PK would be Westside’s lone goal, while Skutt would find the net two more times.  As the night progressed, Westside did earn a few yellow cards. That will happen to a team that has many strong athletes. 

Game Result – Omaha Skutt 3   Omaha Westside 1

Man of the Match – Andrew Davidson 

NEST Quick Hits 

• Nebraska Wesleyan is getting a very good player with Caleb Voss. He is a fluid athlete with exceptional ball skill. Perhaps even more important, he seems to understand the game in real time. He was able to impact the game through his vision and defensive angles. 
• Omaha Skutt is the absolute frontrunner for Class B boys. There are other contenders, but this is a very good team at every position. 
• It was fantastic to see both communities come out and support their team. The stands were full and enthusiastic. The game of soccer is growing in Nebraska, this game solidified my belief in that.
• During the post game conversations, Nebraska Soccer Talk was able to discover the secret sauce of the Skutt program. It turns out the soccer program really took hold once a “borrowed” plastic lawn decoration was brought into the fold. The medium sized and decorated plastic bird has seen better days, but it is sure to have some fond soccer memories. Just to be clear, the previous owner was long ago notified and gave their blessing for further usage. 

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.

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.

Omaha Westside

Head Coach – Chris Dunford

Previous Records

Players to Watch – Lena Homan (Black Hills State soccer signee), Ellie Temero (St.Thomas soccer signee)

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

Previous Season Accomplishments – 2019 Class A State Qualifier

NEST Analysis – Omaha Westside enters 2021 with exciting talent and state title aspirations when it comes to the girls soccer program. Lena Homan and Ellie Temero are two talents sure to garner attention from opposing coaches throughout the year. Game planning against them may prove to be a tough task, especially if other players are able to emerge. Qualifying for the state tournament in 2019 was an impressive accomplishment for the Warriors, but there are questions surrounding the follow-up campaign. Despite those unknowns, Coach Dunford has built a solid program, which usually produces at a high level. Given that reputation, Omaha Westside lands on our list of Teams on the Verge. With a few weeks of early season observation, the Warriors entering our Top 10 list is a very real possibility.

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.

Bellevue University

Head Coach – Mark Heath-Preston (5th Season)

Assistant Coaches – Scott Robertson, Graeme Eaglesham

Mascot – Bruins

Nebraska Homegrown Players On Roster – 

• #7 Juvenal Jacinto – Sr – Omaha South – Mid
• #8 Zach Robbins – Jr – Omaha Burke – Mid
• #10 Ricky Reyes – Jr – Omaha Burke – Mid
• #13 Jack Finocchiaro – Jr – Omaha Westside – F
• #14 John Cover – So – Gretna HS – Mid
• #15 Morgan Penn – Sr – Columbus HS – Mid
• #17 Eli Brown – So – Lincoln East – Mid
• #18 Nate Fibich – So – Gretna HS – Mid
• #19 Marvin Ramirez – Jr – Omaha Westside – Mid
• #22 Alan Mendoza – Fr – Omaha South – GK
• #24 Jared Robles – So – Nebraska City HS – GK
• #25 Eduardo Castillo – So – Omaha South – D
• #29 Max Lambert – Fr – Papillion-La Vista South – F
• #31 Ivan Hernandez – Omaha South – D

NEST Analysis – The men’s program at Bellevue University is one of the intriguing squads in the state for several reasons. First and foremost, there are many homegrown Nebraskans that have been given an opportunity to play at the next level by the Bruins. Secondly, there is an overhanging feeling that this program is at the cusp of becoming a consistent title contender in the conference. Their 2018 season demonstrated how far this program has come in recent years, and they are looking for that to become the norm. Finally, from a recruiting and living standpoint, Bellevue University has advantages simply because of its placement in Sarpy County. Newly constructed  facilities located at Papillion Landing give the Bruins a major upgrade. Unlike many other small-town NAIA schools, the allure of the Omaha metro area is there for the Bruins to exploit.  With all of those recruiting pulls, the Bruins are a team 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 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.

Midland University

Head Coach – Greg Jarosik

Assistant Coaches – Rachel Smith

Mascot – Warriors

Nebraska Homegrown Players On Roster – 

• #10 Chloe Dietz – Fr – Papillion-La Vista – M
• #11 Kisa Omerovic – Jr – Lincoln – M
• #15 Sidney Wells – Sr – Waverly – D
• #16 Melissa Warner – Jr – Waverly – D
• #26 Anastasia Bitzes – Fr – Omaha Westside – M
• #29 Kennedy Kress – So – Millard North – M
• #31 Hannah DeStefano – Sr – Brady – F

7/27 = 26%

NEST Analysis – Midland represents one of the most competitive, consistent, and stable women collegiate soccer programs in the state of Nebraska. This team’s roster incorporates players from all over the United States, indicating a national recruiting strategy. Greg Jaroski and his staff appear to search high and low to find the proper additions to their team. Despite that diversity, the Warriors are able to find a common purpose once on campus. From 2016 to 2019, Midland won a combined 60 matches, an impressive mark that many programs dream about. Coach Jarosik has served as head coach for 8 seasons. With his continued leadership, Midland has a bright future competing in the GPAC. 

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