Graduate forward Ednilson Voiles showcases his playmaking skills on the field. The University of St. Thomas men’s soccer team defeated the Omaha Mavericks 4-0 on Oct. 24 at South Field. (Rich Makor/The Crest) 
St. Thomas senior goalkeeper Moritz Krenc maintains a sharp focus in the net during match action. (Rich Makor/The Crest) 
Graduate midfielder Quentin Hauswald celebrates after assisting on a goal. (Rich Makor/The Crest) 
Members of the University of St. Thomas men’s soccer team celebrate following the second goal of the match. (Rich Makor/The Crest) 
Voiles advances the ball on offense. (Rich Makor/The Crest) 
Krenc takes a momentary break on the turf during a stoppage in play, holding the ball after a save. (Rich Makor/The Crest)
St. Thomas men’s soccer defeated Summit League No. 2 team Omaha in a 4-0 shutout on Saturday, marking the second time the Tommies have beaten the Mavericks in six matches since 2021.
Heading into Saturday’s game, the Tommies (5-7-3, 1-2-1 Summit League) were tied for fifth in the conference with Oral Roberts and had not seen a win since their game against Utah Tech in September. This was Omaha’s (8-4-3, 2-1-1) first Summit League loss of the season, breaking their conference win streak of two games.
“The last couple weeks have been really hard, but I think in those moments the group has stuck together,” St. Thomas coach Jon Lowery said. “We’ve quietly come out here and just done our work every day, and I could tell that the group was starting to move in a direction where something like this was possible.”
The Tommies played defensively in the first 20 minutes, but they steadily increased their pressure on the Mavericks throughout the rest of the first half.
St. Thomas’ two shots on goal in the first half were successful, both made by senior forward Oliver Corris. He scored the first goal in the 22nd minute, assisted by graduate midfielder Quentin Hauswald and graduate forward Ednilson Voiles.
“I think getting the first goal just settled our nose a lot, because in recent games we’ve been going down one nothing or two nothing and then we’d have to react and come back,” Corris said.
Sophomore defender Jack Kuelthau assisted the Tommies’ second goal in the 23rd minute, which Corris accomplished through a fake kick with his left foot, then a power shot with his right into the upper-right corner of the net.
“As a striker, once you get that first goal, you’re always riding on that confidence. I think even after the second goal, I had more confidence to try and shoot,” Corris said.
Corris now leads the Tommies in goals this season with four.
St. Thomas continued that offensive momentum into the second half, turning four more shots on goal into two goals. Assisted by first-year forward Jacob Nokken, graduate forward Johann Joensen scored in the 46th minute.
Omaha sophomore midfielder Brady Robins received a yellow card in the 86th minute, allowing senior midfielder Tommy Kniser to score his first goal of the season off a free kick.
“We stayed on our front foot and we stayed offensive. I think we found some seams where we could penetrate and really penetrate off the dribble, and it really neutralized their back line,” Lowery said.
Saturday’s match against Omaha was tied for the most goals that St. Thomas has scored against a single team this season and was the most for a shutout game this season. The Tommies beat Chicago State 4-1 at home in August, which marked their first win of the season.
“(The first goal) just showed today that everyone was up for the fight, and throughout the 90 minutes, everyone was consistent,” Corris said. “You know, so it’s not only me scoring the goals; it’s a team. It’s a team product at the end of the day.”
Looking to the Tommies’ final regular season game next week against Oral Roberts, Lowery said the focus is “just about drilling down the game plan and recovering.”
“But this experience today, this is what I needed for the guys so that the optimism continues to flow,” Lowery said.
St. Thomas will play Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Case Soccer Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Ilah Daood can be reached at daoo3174@stthomas.edu.
Rich Makor can be reached at mako9015@stthomas.edu.
