OMAHA – Senior Andre Shinyashiki (Sao Paulo, Brazil) netted the fourth hat trick of his career and scored a career-high four goals to propel the [4/4] University of Denver men's soccer team from 2-0 down to a 4-3 win at Omaha in both teams' Summit League opener on Saturday night at Caniglia Field.
 
"The group showed great resiliency after going two goals behind, but we lacked focus and discipline in some key moments tonight," head coach Jamie Franks said. "It was disappointing because they didn't have many chances against us, and to give up three goals tonight showed our immaturity. Besides those poor moments, overall I thought we played really well, and did a good job of coming back in such a short amount of time. That's a testament to the leaders of this group. They didn't get frustrated and played the next play. Omaha tried to put two or three guys on Andre throughout, but he didn't get frustrated either, made plays and converted on his chances."
 
Shinyashiki's first three goals came 3:51 apart, the eighth fastest three-consecutive goals by the same player in NCAA Division I history. The Denver skipper's four tallies brings the nation's leader in the category up to 17 goals through his first eight matches of the 2018 season. The game-winning goal was his sixth of the campaign, which also leads the NCAA. Denver's Division I career leader in both categories now sits on 40 goals in 70 career matches and 14 game-winners.
 
The Brazilian striker broke Denver's single-season goals record with his 16^th of the campaign, passing Brian Todd's 1999 season. Shinyashiki's points total also reached 36, one off Todd's 1999 campaign.
 
Following an 11-round penalty kick shootout loss (officially a tie) at Omaha in the 2017 Summit League Final, Denver picked up its first win in four tries at Omaha on Saturday (1-1-2) in a series that has seen seven of the eight meetings decided by a goal or less. Shinyashiki now has six goals in his career against Omaha.
 
Denver is 7-0-1 through eight matches of the regular season for the third time in four years (2015 and 2016).
 
Diego Gutierrez got Omaha on the board just shy of the half hour mark, on an individual play on the end line, beating his defender before finishing into the roof of the net for his third of the season.
 
With a goal advantage, the home side was reduced to 10 men in the 36^th minute after Seth Rinderknecht received his marching orders for a foul at midfield.
 
Overall the Pioneers controlled a majority of the possession and chances in the opening 45 minutes, but it was Omaha that took advantage of theirs with Gutierrez goal from a low angle. Denver outshot Omaha 10-4 in the first half, including 3-1 in shots on target. The Pioneers took seven of the eight corners in the first 45 and earned multiple attacking free kicks before the intermission, but couldn't find the leveler.
 
Omaha doubled its advantage right on the other side of halftime as Billy Hoffman headed home a Gutierrez corner kick into the back of the net for his first goal of the 2018 campaign and put the Mavs up 2-0 in the 47^th minute.
 
Denver scored three times in a 3:51 span to pull the Pioneers all the way back in-front in the 54^th minute. Senior winger Kenny Akamatsu (Niigata, Japan) played Shinyashiki in down the left for Denver's first goal. Shinyashiki's shot went off the end of the hands of Ugo Tritz before Hoffman blasted it into the roof of Denver's net after it crossed the goal line. Akamatsu's assist was the 10^th of his Pioneer career.
 
Shinyashiki finished his 51^st minute chance 1:01 after the Pioneers' first goal of the match, banking his shot in the corner off the lower part of the post to make it 2-2. Senior co-captain Scott DeVoss (Centennial, Colo.) played the long ball over the top to setup Shinyashiki's equalizer to earn his second career assist.  
 
The Pioneers grabbed the lead in the 54^th minute as a sliding volley from Shinyashiki off a well-placed Shae Smalley (Columbus, Ohio) cross just outside the six yard box found the twine past the Omaha keeper to put the Pioneers 3-2 ahead. Freshman centerback Callum Stretch (Encino, Calif.) earned his first of two assists Saturday night on the play, getting Smalley free down the Denver left.
 
Omaha made it 3-3 in the 78^th minute as Martin Veys placed a rebound into the corner for his second of the campaign after Gutierrez' initial attempt was deflected by senior goalkeeper Nick Gardner (Marvin, N.C.).
 
Stretch got Shinyashiki in behind with one pass on the game-winner, playing the Denver captain at the top of the box from the midfield line to setup Shinyashiki's final goal in the 11^th multi-goal game of his career.
 
Omaha was flagged for offside in the 81^st minute in its best chance for another equalizer in the final 10 minutes. In his first season at Omaha and his 41^st as a collegiate head coach, Mavs' bench boss Bob Warming was shown his second caution and was sent off following the offside decision.