UNO women’s soccer is one win away from the NCAA tournament

UNO is one win away from advancing to the NCAA women’s soccer tournament on its home field for the first time. A perfect storm of events led to that opportunity.

It all happened last Sunday. UNO, the third seed in the Summit League tournament, was playing the last unbeaten team in the country, South Dakota State, on its home field. SDSU hadn’t lost at home in 38 matches, but UNO rode a first-half goal off a corner kick to a 1-0 win.

At the same time in Denver, fourth-seeded Oral Roberts upset the top-seeded Pioneers on penalty kicks. The highest-seeded team remaining gets to host the Summit final – that’s UNO with a 3 pm game Saturday at Caniglia Field.

“It was pure excitement,” UNO junior Grace Crockett said of the team’s reaction after the final was set last Sunday. Crockett delivered the corner kick that Grace Ostergaard headed in to beat SDSU. “So excited, so grateful that we have the opportunity to play at home. We all love the field, this is my favorite place to play soccer.

“We celebrated for probably 30 minutes straight, everyone was so happy. We really have a sense that we can win the conference this year and go to the NCAAs. That’s everyone’s dream at this point.”

It’s a dream that has come into focus in recent weeks. UNO had a 2-8-4 record on Oct. 8 before going 5-0-1, allowing a total of two goals in those six games.

“It’s a pretty big achievement what the group has done the past three weeks,” UNO coach Tim Walters said.

Walters had to juggle his lineup as the Mavs lost Cece Behrens and Grace Thede to season-ending knee injuries. Sophia Green missed the early part of the season with a knee injury.

Still, the Mavs have reached the Summit final for the third time since 2018, but the first time that it’s the higher seed. A number of Mavs currently in the lineup, including Crockett, Ostergaard, Green, Emilie Erland, Regan Zimmers and Jordyn West, started in the final in the spring of 2021.

“To have that group back here where we want to be, I’m really happy for them,” Walters said. “It feels different to be able to (have the final) at home with what we’ve been through this year.”

Added Crockett: “It’s gotten to the point that we’re doing it for (injured teammates) since they don’t have the chance to play again this year.”

UNO is playing an Oral Roberts team it defeated 1-0 less than two weeks ago. That was the regular-season finale.

Crockett, an Omaha Marian graduate, did not play in that game because of an illness. But she sees the Mavs getting more and more comfortable with each other as the season goes on.

“I think this team responds well to adversity,” Crockett said.

Busy day at UNO: UNO will host four sporting events Saturday with the women’s soccer final being the marquee event. Men’s soccer will play Eastern Illinois at 10:30 am; volleyball faces Oral Roberts at 12:30 p.m.; women’s soccer is at 3 and then the hockey team squares off with North Dakota at 7.