OMAHA, NEB. –
Gerard Broussard scored the game's lone goal in the minute and
Edu Rodriguez recorded his third-straight shutout Wednesday to lift Campbell to a 1-0 victory over Omaha at Caniglia Field.
Campbell (13-3-2) stretched its unbeaten string to eight matches (7-0-1) and Rodriguez ran his personal scoreless streak to 514 minutes for the Big South regular season champs. Coming off a 2-0 win over Summit League leader Denver, Omaha (5-9-1) was shutout for the eighth time this season and dropped its fourth in the last five outings.
After a scoreless first half, Campbell outshot the Mavericks 5-0 in the opening 15 minutes of the second period.
Moses Mensah's left-footed effort was headed for the lower left corner, but Omaha keeper Lute Lillo Portero dove to his right to tip the ball by his post.
Facing a team that conceded only 12 goals through its first 14 matches, the Camels finally broke through after 70 minutes when
Jake Morris slid the ball to Mensah down the left flank. The Camel left back then squared a low pass across the face of the goal, where Broussard met in from point blank range for his fifth strike of the season and first career game-winner.
"I'm pleased with our ability to come into a tough environment and grind out a result," said Campbell head coach
Dustin Fonder. "This was just the type of performance we needed heading into the conference tournament."
Rodriguez posted his third consecutive shutout and fifth of the season by making three saves, including a diving stop to his left in the 89th minute to keep the Mavs off the board. He lowered his Big South-leading goals-against average to 0.88.
The Camels finished with a 13-12 edge in shots, 5-3 in attempts on target.
Ranked No. 9 in the South Region, CU improved to 5-2-1 on the road this season, 4-0-1 in its last five away from Buies Creek.
BIG SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: Top-seeded Campbell and second seed High Point have earned first-round byes in the Big South Championship and will host semifinal matches on Wed., Nov. 10. First round contests are set for Sunday, Nov. 7 with the third seed hosting the sixth and the fourth seed hosting the fifth. The highest remaining seed will host the league final Nov. 14.