Huskers Return Home to Face Golden Hurricane

Lincoln -- The Nebraska soccer team returns home to take on Tulsa on Friday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m., after playing its toughest games of the season at the Stanford/Nike Invitational in Stanford, Calif., over the weekend.

The Golden Hurricane and second-year Coach Damon Gore comes to Lincoln with a 4-3-0 record after suffering a pair of weekend losses to San Diego and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.

The Huskers, ranked No. 4 in this week's NSCAA Top 25, suffered their first loss of the season with a 2-1 loss to No. 1 Santa Clara on Sunday, Sept. 19.

Nebraska's loss to the Broncos came on the heels of a hard-fought 2-1 victory over No. 22 Stanford on Friday, Sept. 17. The Huskers trailed 1-0 to the Cardinal, before getting clutch goals from Kori Saunders and Isabelle Morneau for the victory.

Junior midfielder Jenny Benson continues to spark Nebraska's attack, extending her streak of games with at least one assist to five with an assist on Saunders' goal against Stanford and an assist on Lindsay Eddleman's goal against Santa Clara.

Benson leads the Huskers with nine assists this season. She is also Nebraska's career leader with 30 assists.

Nebraska's win over the Cardinal was its fourth win over a top 25 opponent and its fifth over a 1998 NCAA Tournament team this season. The Huskers will battle their sixth team that has been ranked in the top 25 and seventh 1998 NCAA Tournament team of the season when they travel to Clemson, S.C., to play the Tigers on Sunday, Sept. 26, at 1 p.m.

Clemson and co-head coaches Tracey and Ray Leone also head into the game with the Huskers after a pair of losses over the weekend. The Tigers lost to No. 2 North Carolina, 4-0, on Sunday, after falling 2-1 to No. 16 Wake Forest. Clemson fell to 5-3-0 on the year, with its other loss coming to No. 20 Richmond.

Both of Nebraska's weekend opponents feature players from the Cornhusker State. Tulsa's roster includes four players from Omaha and one from Lincoln.

Sophomores Melissa McCormick and Shannon Blatny were teammates of Nebraska's Paige Phillips at Millard North High School in Omaha. Freshman midfielder Megan Papenfuss (Omaha Westside) and sophomore defender Molly Adams from (Omaha Marian) also call Nebraska home, along with freshman midfielder Barbara Bohn, who graduated from Lincoln Southeast High School.

Clemson's roster features senior Libby King, a graduate of Lincoln East High School. King scored the Tigers' only goal in a 4-1 loss to the Huskers in Lincoln on Sept. 11, 1998, but unfortunately for the Tigers, King is out for the 1999 season with an ACL injury.

Husker Weekend Recaps

Nebraska 2, Stanford 1
Senior All-America defender Isabelle Morneau scored on a cross from senior All-America defender Sharolta Nonen at 72:03 to give the No. 3 Nebraska soccer team a 2-1 come-from-behind win over No. 22 Stanford in the Stanford/Nike Invitational on Sept 17.

The Huskers trailed 1-0 after Stanford's Kelly Adamson scored on a header off an assist from Kelsey Carlson at 63:52.

But the Huskers turned up the pressure and answered with Kori Saunders' header at 67:51 off an assist from Jenny Benson to tie the score, 1-1. Saunders' goal set up Morneau's game-winner, which also marked her first goal of the season.

Nebraska Coach John Walker said he was glad the Huskers came away with the win.

"Stanford is just so talented that I am happy that we were able to find a way to win," Walker said. "I thought we responded well after they got the first goal, which is a sign of a veteran team. It was also great that Isabelle got the game-winner for us."

Junior goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc recorded two saves to help the Huskers and record her seventh victory of the season.

Nebraska and Stanford each attempted eight shots, and the Huskers outcornered the Cardinal, 5-0.

No. 1 Santa Clara defeated Seton Hall, 4-0, in the tournament's first game.

Santa Clara 2, Nebraska 1
The Huskers suffered their first loss of the season, falling to top-ranked Santa Clara, 2-1, in the championship game of the the Stanford/Nike Invitational on Sept. 19.

With the victory, Santa Clara improved to 7-0-0 while the Huskers fell to 7-1-0 on the season.

The Broncos opened the scoring with a pair of first half goals. Heather Aldama put Santa Clara up 1-0 with a goal in the 25th minute off an assist from Mandy Clemens. Aldama took a back heel from Jacqui Little and lofted a 16-yard shot from the right flank over NU goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc for her first goal of the season. Clemens, who was chosen as Soccer America's Preseason National Player of the Year, made it 2-0 at 42:37 when she chipped a 12-yard shot over the head of the onrushing LeBlanc for her seventh goal of the season.

Despite being outshot 11-3 in the contest, the Huskers cut the Santa Clara lead to 2-1 in the 69th minute when All-America forward Lindsay Eddleman scored off a corner kick from junior Jenny Benson. The goal was Eddleman's sixth of the season, and she needs just five points to tie Kim Engesser's school record of 116 career points. Benson's assist was her team-best ninth of the season, and she has at least one assist in the last five games. The Huskers continued to apply pressure in the final minutes, but were unable to put the match into overtime.

"Santa Clara was better than us today, but at the same time, I thought we did some good things," Nebraska Coach John Walker said. "Most importantly, we didn't give up when we got down early. We continued to battle and fight. I thought in the second half we were the ones controlling the game. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get more shots off, but they are a great team."

LeBlanc finished the match with four saves while Santa Clara goalkeeper Crystal Gordon had one.

Nebraska placed three players on the Stanford/Nike Invitational All-Tournament Team with Jenny Benson, Amy Walsh and Sharolta Nonen earning honors.

Scoring Sophomores
While the Huskers boast four senior All-Americans, the sophomore class has been doing plenty of damage of its own this season.

All six members of Nebraska's sophomore class have found the scoring column, led by Meghan Anderson, who ranks second to Lindsay Eddleman with 14 points. Anderson's six goals are tied with Eddleman for the team lead, and her three game-winning goals lead the Huskers, along with her team-high 29 shots on the year.

Last week, Anderson also earned a spot on the Soccer America Team of the Week for the second time this season. She earned her first appearance on the team after scoring the game-winning goal against Baylor.

Sophomores Najah Williams and Kelly Rheem are tied for fourth among the Huskers with six points on three goals.

Sophomore Becky Preston added her first goal of the year in the Huskers' win over Portland, to go along with an assist against Oral Roberts. Sophomores Shannon Tanaka and Danica Carey have each added one assist.

Overall, Nebraska's sophomores have combined for 31 of the Huskers' 74 points and 13 of NU's 25 goals.

Benny's Blazin'
After missing the entire 1998 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, Jenny Benson is showing All-America potential again in the midfield for the Huskers.

The junior from Huntington Beach, Calif., has reeled off eight assists in the last five games, including the game-winning assist on Lindsay Eddleman's overtime header against Portland.

After producing assists in the Huskers' win over No. 22 Stanford and loss to No. 1 Santa Clara, Benson earned a spot on the Stanford/Nike Invitational All-Tournament Team.

With assists in five straight games, Benson owns Nebraska's all-time lead with 30 career assists.

Through eight games, Benson ranks third among the Huskers with 11 points on one goal and a team-high nine assists. Benson is already knocking on the door of Nebraska's single-season assist record, which she set as a freshman in 1996 with 13 assists.

Husker Highlights

• With her a goal in Nebraska's loss to No. 1 Santa Clara, forward Lindsay Eddleman crept closer to Nebraska's all-time scoring record with 110 career points. Eddleman, a senior from Lakewood, Colo., needs just five points to tie Kim Engesser for the Nebraska career record of 116 points. Eddleman leads the Huskers this season with 16 points on six goals and three assists.
  
• Senior All-America defenders Sharolta Nonen and Isabelle Morneau continue to shine for the Huskers at the back. After allowing only one combined shot to All-Big 12 forwards Courtney Saunders of Baylor and Kristy Frantz of Texas Tech, Nonen and Morneau held Connecticut All-American Mary-Frances Monroe to just two shots and no shots on goal. The Huskers shut out Oral Roberts completely, outshooting the Golden Eagles, 35-0.
  
• Boasting the deepest lineup in school history, Nebraska has had all 22 players see action this season, including first-year players Kori Saunders, Christine Latham, Brooke Jones, Breanna Boyd, Michele Culbertson and Paige Phillips. Saunders, who scored Nebraska's first goal against No. 22 Stanford, has scored five points on two goals and one assist with extensive playing time.

Husker Quick Hits

• The Huskers have been ranked in 42 consecutive NSCAA Top 25 Polls dating back to the preseason poll in 1996. Nebraska has appeared in 28 NSCAA top 10 polls during that span.
  
• The Huskers have dominated their opponents this season, outscoring the opposition, 25-7, outshooting their opponents, 162-48, and outcorning their foes by a staggering 83-15 margin.
  
• Nebraska owns a nine-game home winning streak dating back to a 1-1 tie with then-No. 7 Portland on Oct. 9, 1998. Since tying the Pilots, the Huskers have outscored their opponents by a combined, 36-3.
  
• Nebraska is 49-4-1 all-time at the Abbott Sports Complex, and the Huskers have not lost at home since the 1998 season-opening loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sept. 4, 1998, marking a streak of 16 straight home games without a loss.

Staggering Schedule Boosted By Booming Big 12 Conference

Nebraska's 1999 schedule is the best in school history and undoubtedly one of the best in the nation.

Before battling No. 1 Santa Clara on Sept. 19, the Huskers had already defeated four top 25 teams, including perennial NCAA Final Four contenders Connecticut and Portland.

The Huskers' schedule includes nine teams that have been ranked in the top 25.

The Huskers defeated then-No. 17 Baylor, 3-0, Aug. 29, before knocking off then-No. 12 Connecticut, 4-1, on Sept. 10, and No. 19 Portland, 3-2, on Sept. 12. Nebraska's 2-1 win at then-No. 22 Stanford on Sept. 19, gave the Huskers four victories over top 25 teams.

Along with Sunday's skirmish with Clemson to close a staggering non-conference schedule, the Huskers must face the best field of Big 12 Conference teams in the four-year history of the league.

Five Big 12 Conferences teams are ranked in the NSCAA Top 25.

Along with the No. 4 Huskers 7-1-0 Texas A&M is No. 9 in the poll, with its only loss coming to No. 6 Notre Dame on Sept. 17.

No. 14 Baylor, 6-2-0 and the defending Big 12 regular-season champion, is ranked 19th.

No. 21 Iowa State solidified its top 25 ranking with wins at Vanderbilt and Tennessee over the weekend to improve to 7-1-0 on the year. The Cyclones also own a win over then- No. 22 Minnesota, and a win over Iowa, which defeated then-No. 12 Wisconsin, 4-1, on Sept. 17. No. 24 Missouri is ranked with 6-2-0 on the season, including a wins over No. 15 Illinois and No. 22 Michigan.

Texas, which features first-year head coach Chris Petrucelli, who led Notre Dame to four straight Final Fours from 1994 to 1997, including the NCAA title in 1995, improved to 5-2 on the year with a win over Alabama on Sept. 19.

Colorado also looks to be an improved team after moving to 5-3-0 on the year with a pair of weekend wins over Alabama and Colorado College.

AbbottMania
The Abbott Sports Complex provides the Huskers with one of the most dominant home-field advantages in all of college soccer.

Nebraska set back-to-back regular-season attendance records at the Husker Fila Invitational Sept. 10-12. In the Huskers' opening-round win over Connecticut on Sept. 10, 1,789 fans cheered Nebraska to victory. On Sunday, Sept. 12, 1,851 rowdy Big Red fans helped the Huskers knock off Portland in overtime.

Both attendance marks clipped the previous regular-season record of 1,742 fans who witnessed Nebraska's 4-1 win over Clemson on Sept. 11, 1998.

Nebraska's average home attendance of 1,355 fans through five games is on pace to shatter the school record of 944 fans per game set in 1996.

Coach John Walker understands the importance of large, vocal crowds.

"The crowd provides a tremendous boost for our players," Walker said. "It is just a great atmosphere for college soccer and a strong home-field advantage. If we can keep the crowds coming, we promise we will keep playing hard."

The Huskers own a 49-4-1 all-time record at the Abbott Sports Complex, including a nine-game winning streak. Nebraska set a school record with a 27-game winning streak that began on Oct. 20, 1995, and ended on Sept. 4, 1998.

Scouting Tulsa
Coach Damon Gore (South Alabama, 1996)and the Golden Hurricane come to Lincoln with a 4-3-0 overall record after a pair of losses in California over the weekend.

Tulsa lost to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, 7-2, on Sept. 19, after falling to San Diego, 3-2, on Sept. 17. The Golden Hurricane also opened the season with a 4-0 loss to Southwest Missouri State on Aug. 27.

In between the losses, Tulsa reeled off four straight victories over Arkansas (4-1), Creighton (2-1), Drury (4-2) and Centenary (2-0).

Gore, who owns a 16-10-0 career record in his second season at the helm with the Golden Hurricane, led Tulsa to a third-place finish in the mountain division of the Western Athletic Conference in 1998.

Tulsa is led on the field by freshman midfielder/forward Julie Twellman, who has scored 12 points on five goals and two assists. Junior midfielder/defender Julie Davidson has added eight points on three goals and two assists. Senior midfielder Kaci Epp has contributed seven points on three goals and an assist, while midfielder Melissa McCormick has notched six points on two goals and two assists.

McCormick, a sophomore from Millard North High School who was a teammate of Husker freshman Paige Phillips, is one of five players on the Golden Hurricane roster from the Cornhusker State. Shannon Blatny, another sophomore from Millard North, is also a member of Tulsa's starting lineup as a defender.

Molly Adams, a sophomore defender from Omaha Marian, has started five games for Tulsa, while freshman midfielder Barbara Bohn from Lincoln Southeast High School has seen action in four contests. Freshman midfielder Megan Papenfuss from Omaha Westside is also on the roster, but has not competed.

Sophomore midfielder/forward Beth Taruscio is Tulsa's top returning player after scoring 18 points in 1998. She has started every game, but has been held to just one assist. Junior forward Kelly Noonan, who scored 13 points last season has also started every game, with three points on one goal and an assist.

Nebraska is 1-0-0 all-time against Tulsa with a 4-0 win over the Golden Hurrican in Lincoln on Oct. 4, 1996.

Scouting Clemson
Clemson heads into the weekend on a three-game slide after losing to No. 2 North Carolina, 4-0, on Sept. 19, and No. 16 Wake Forest, 2-1, on Sept. 17, and No. 20 Richmond on Sept. 12.

Clemson's three losses came after racing to a 5-0 start with wins over UNC-Asheville (9-0), William & Mary (2-0), Washington (3-0), SMU (4-1) and Princeton (1-0).

Co-Head Coaches Tracey and Ray Leone will try to get the Tigers back on track this weekend. Before battling the Huskers, Clemson faces Florida State on Sept. 24.

Freshman forward Deliah Arrington has been Clemson's most consistent point producer, scoring 10 points on three goals and four assists, including a two-goal, one-assist performance against Washington.

Freshman Rachel Gallegos has added eight points on three goals and two assists, but all came in the 9-0 win over UNC-Asheville. Freshman Heather Burpee has scored eight points on two goals and four assists, while seniors Allison Burpee has produced seven points on three goals and an assist, while senior Beth Keller has added six points on three goals.

Junior Lea Shreve has added a pair of goals, while Leigh Clark and Audria Lyons have each added one goal and one assist. Tiffany Lambert, Kati Reid, Cindy Mullinix and Nancy Augustyniak have each added goals for the Tigers.

Nebraska is 1-0 all-time against Clemson with a 4-1 win over the Tigers in Lincoln on Sept. 11, 1998. In that game, starting Husker goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc suffered a concussion late in the first half and was lost for the remainder of the game. Backup keeper Jackie Erdkamp suffered a torn ACL at 53:39, forcing midfielder Meghan Anderson into goal with the Huskers clinging to a 2-1 lead. Anderson, who was a true freshman playing in just her second game, recorded four saves to preserve the win.

The Huskers are 5-0-0 all-time against Atlantic Coast Conference competition.

Husker Honor Roll

• Nebraska possesses four returning All-Americans in 1999, including 1998 NSCAA Second-Team All-America defenders Isabelle Morneau and Sharolta Nonen, 1996 NSCAA Second-Team All-America forward Lindsay Eddleman and 1998 Soccer Buzz Honorable-Mention All-America midfielder Amy Walsh. In the five previous seasons of the Nebraska soccer program, six Husker players have earned seven first-, second- or third-team NSCAA All-America awards.
  
• Four Huskers played for the Canadian National Team in the 1999 Women's World Cup, including Isabelle Morneau, Sharolta Nonen, Amy Walsh and Karina LeBlanc. Nebraska Head Coach John Walker was also an assistant on Canada's World Cup team, while former Husker defender Tanya Franck was also a member of the squad.
  
• Nebraska ruled the 1998 All-Big 12 soccer team with seven Huskers earning first- or second-team honors. Five of those players return in 1999, including midfielders Amy Walsh and Meghan Anderson, defenders Sharolta Nonen and Isabelle Morneau and forward Lindsay Eddleman.
  
• Overall, the Huskers have had 22 selections on All-Big 12 teams in the last three years. Eighteen of those selections have been first-team picks. Texas A&M is second with 18 total selections and 10 first-team picks.
  
• Nebraska is one of 19 teams that have made the NCAA Tournament the last three seasons and one of seven teams to advance to each of the last three Sweet 16s.

Coach John Walker

After producing three consecutive top 10 national finishes and three straight trips to the NCAA Sweet 16, Coach John Walker has the Huskers aiming even higher in 1999.

Walker owns an 89-22-1 record and a .799 winning percentage in his sixth season at NU. The Kingston, Ontario, native came to Nebraska after posting a 38-28-18 record at his alma mater, Queen's University, in Ontario.

Walker graduated from Queen's with bachelor's degrees in physical education and physical therapy in 1987. He earned his master's degree in coaching science from Miami of Ohio in 1988.

During his tenure at Nebraska, Walker has led the Huskers to a pair of Big 12 Conference Tournament titles in 1996 and 1998, and the 1996 Big 12 regular-season crown.

In 1996, the Nebraska program erupted onto the national scene by reeling off 23 consecutive wins before falling to Portland, 1-0, in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

The Huskers' success helped Walker earn 1996 NSCAA/Umbro National Coach-of-the-Year honors. Along the way, he claimed NSCAA Central Region and Big 12 Coach-of-the-Year honors.

The Huskers continued their winning ways with an 18-4-0 record in 1997, followed by a 17-4-1 season in 1998.

Against Big 12 Conference competition, Walker has led Nebraska to a 33-3-0 record, including a perfect 21-0-0 mark at the Abbott Sports Complex. Overall, Nebraska is 49-4-1 at the Abbott Sports Complex.

Walker has also enjoyed success against top-25 teams, guiding Nebraska to a 14-8-1 record since the start of the 1996 season.