A new era in UNO athletics starts Friday night, as the Maverick women's soccer team faces Wisconsin-Green Bay in the first official Division I contest other than hockey for the school.

"We're trying to stay level-headed and focus on this being like any other game," senior forward Hilary Jackson said. "Because if we go out there with anxiety or nerves, we're not going to perform at our best. The whole department, and everyone in the program, is treating it like any other game, like it should be."

If last week's 1-1 exhibition draw with defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Creighton is any indication, then maybe this four-year transition won't be as perilous as previously predicted.

UNO coach Don Klosterman, who guided the Mavs to eight Division II tournaments, including four final fours and the 2005 national championship, isn't ready to stamp the Mavs a title contender (they aren't eligible for that until 2015 anyway).

But he said the draw with Creighton did answer some of the team's questions while adding to its confidence level.

"The biggest thing it probably did was that it verified to our players that they can compete if we play hard and do the things we've been trying to work at the last six or seven months," he said. "Maybe that will take away some of the first-half jitters. My worry was, what would happen if it didn't go our way right away and how would we react. And the positive reaction we had was a big deal."

Outplayed in the first half and trailing 1-0, UNO rallied to tie on a Maggie Olson goal against Creighton, predicted to repeat as Valley champion.

"I don't think it surprised us, but it gave us some momentum for the year," Jackson said. "We all knew we could compete, and that we had prepared all summer to have a good outcome in that game. It gave us a solid start and showed us that we're able to hang with these teams."

In Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Mavs are facing a team that went 3-9-4 overall and 1-5-2 in the Horizon League. The Phoenix lost 2-0 to Illinois State in an Aug. 10 exhibition.

"They play in a pretty tough conference, more competitive than a lot of the women's soccer leagues in the Midwest, and so I wouldn't just go by their record," Klosterman said.

Despite the losing record, Wisconsin-Green Bay allowed only 15 goals all season and allowed only two teams to score more than two goals.

Goalkeeper Maddie Drusch, with an 0.91 goals-against average, earned second-team All-Horizon.

Trying to break through that defense is an attack led by Jackson, who until a few weeks ago was known as Hilary Horvatic — she got married over the summer. Jackson is UNO's leading returning scorer after collecting six goals and adding three assists last season.

"We've got to find people who are going to score and be finishers, and we expect a lot out of her," Klosterman said. "We need her to play more like she did in the second half against Creighton ... going after people, taking people on and beating them. But at the same time we need her finishing goals, because she's going to get a lot of opportunities."

So how much different is the pregame buildup to Friday's first official opportunity compared to the Creighton exhibition?

"I haven't noticed or measured it, but I'm thinking that in the back of their heads they're thinking this is a big deal, the first real Division I game and we're the first team (other than hockey) to do that at UNO," Klosterman said. "They know there's a little responsibility there. I think enough has been said about it. They know what's going on."

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