Noe Meza becomes Omaha’s all-time scorer
PAPILLION, Neb. (July 8, 2023) – Saturday night was nothing short of excitement at Werner Park as Noe Meza became Union Omaha’s all-time scorer, and the Owls soared to a 4-1 win over Richmond Kickers.
Omaha returned home to a season-high 3,524-strong crowd at Werner Park, looking for its third-straight win and first against Richmond since October 2021. The Owls and Kickers, both coming off solid performances, would be looking to build momentum in a challenging midseason test.
The Owls were challenging offensively from the opening whistle, creating plenty of early chances to test a solid Kickers defense.
In the 12th minute, Joe Brito flicked a gorgeous ball for Noe Meza, who just narrowly missed the header to put the Owls up quickly.
The Conor Doyle and JP Scearce connection struck for the second-straight match at Werner Park as Doyle, who became the club’s all-time assist leader in June, booted a corner kick that found the head of Scearce and was slammed home for the early lead in the 24th minute. It was Scearce’s third goal of the season and Doyle’s team-leading fourth assist.
An tough penalty call in the 39th minute gave way for Emiliano Terzaghi to equalize the match.
The Owls faced some extra adversity when Joe Gallardo was sent off the pitch with a red card in the 42nd minute. An eventful, dramatic first half sent the teams back to the locker room all knotted up at 1-1.
Meza etched his name into the Union Omaha history books in the 49th minute, rising up to smash home a header from Dion Acoff for his 20th all-time goal, the most in club history. The Sunnyside, Washington native continued his productive year, topping his 8-goal season from last year and retaining sole possession of second place in the League One Golden Boot race.
“I feel really grateful,” Meza said. It’s just an awesome feeling … I just want to give thanks to the organization. (Former Union Omaha Head Coach) Jay (Mims) for initially giving me the opportunity to come here and then this year, Dom with his playing style, I think has been really good for me individually, but then also the team and I think we’re seeing it now with the results that we’re getting.”
Still down a man, the Owls were able to double their lead in the 68th minute. Noe Meza forced another save out of Palmquist, while Steevan Dos Santos, having just entered the match 8 minutes prior, was able to capitalize off a scramble and tap in the rebound for his 3rd goal of the season.
Dos Santos made it a brace in the 79th minute, the 13th of his career, when Joe Brito was able to find the USL veteran to bring the Owl lead to 4-1.
“It’s always good when we score, and I think more important is if the team wins,” Dos Santos said. “If the team wins and I score, I’m happy with that. Today I scored two, but the more important thing was the three points here on a very difficult game.”
“That’s why we signed him,” Union Omaha Head Coach Dominic Casciato said. “He’s a goal scorer. He’s a physical presence, and he’s got a lot of quality, as well for a man of his size. His first touch and his hold-up plays. He’s outstanding, so that’s why he’s here and hopefully he has plenty more goals to come from him.”
Not to be outdone, the Owls’ defense also put on a show, with Rashid Nuhu coming through with a trio of major saves in the 85th and 90th minutes, respectively, to deny the Kickers another goal and keep the lead intact to conclude the match.
The result marked the fifth-straight unbeaten match for Omaha, now sitting just outside the playoff line with 22 points, and the first time the Owls have scored 4 goals on the year.
“I think it’s an indication of togetherness in the group,” Casciato said. “We went through a difficult period where we didn’t win for seven games. And in that period, we weren’t necessarily losing, but the guys kept believing. They kept buying into what we were trying to do and kept working hard every day. And I think now, those ties that we were getting are turning into wins, and that’s really galvanizing the group.”
The Owls will be on the move again next week, starting a tough 3-match road trip with Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC Saturday, July 15. Omaha returns home Saturday, July 29 when it hosts South Georgia Tormenta for STEM Night presented by Olsson.
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
“This team’s got a lot of character and we’ve spoken about being together as a group and fighting through difficult moments, knowing that things are never going to be perfect, and I think the second-half response was just outstanding from the guys, and I’m super proud of the fight and the togetherness that they showed.” – Dominic Casciato
ABOUT UNION OMAHA
Union Omaha, the 2021 USL League One Champion, is the only professional soccer team in the state of Nebraska. USL League One is a United States Soccer Federation-sanctioned professional men’s soccer league that occupies the third tier of the American soccer landscape, below USL Championship (tier two) and Major League Soccer (tier one). Union Omaha plays its home matches at Werner Park in Sarpy County, also home to the Omaha Storm Chasers of Minor League Baseball. The team is led by General Manager Peter Marlette in the front office and by Head Coach Dominic Casciato on the field.