Huskers Open 2003 with DePaul and Iowa

Lincoln -- The <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska soccer team will officially open its 10th anniversary season at 7 p.m. Friday when it takes on DePaul University at the Abbott Sports Complex.  The Huskers extend the opening weekend when they face the Iowa Hawkeyes Sunday at 7 p.m.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

NU faces DePaul for the first time since 1997 and Iowa for the first time in school history.

 

The Huskers are coming off a 16-6-3 season and their seventh consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 run.  Nebraska wrapped up its preseason workouts Sunday, and enters the regular season with a 1-0-1 exhibition record.

 

NU tied the Canadian Under-17 National Team, 1-1, on the first day of training camp.  The Huskers came back and defeated Denver, 1-0, Friday, Aug. 22, in the final exhibition match of 2003.

 

 The DePaul Blue Demons notched a 10-8-1 record last season and a 3-6-1 mark in Conference USA.

 

During the preseason, DePaul dropped a 3-2 decision at Wisconsin in a contest that went to double overtime.

 

The Blue Demons took a 2-0 lead in the first half of the contest on an own goal by Wisconsin and a score by senior Shana Mills.

 

Coach John Wilson has collected a 19-34-2 record in his first three seasons with DePaul.

 

The Blue Demons lost five starters from the 2002 season, but are well balanced with 13 upperclassmen and 13 underclassmen, including six seniors and seven freshmen.

 

Sophomore forward Julianne Sitch is DePaul's top returning scorer from 2002, notching 21 points as a freshman.

 

Nebraska will face Iowa on Sunday after the Hawkeyes face another Big 12 opponent, Missouri, on Friday night in Iowa City.

 

The Hawkeyes have a definite Big 12 feel to their 2003 slate, facing Iowa State in a preseason scrimmage that was cut short by heavy storms.

 

Iowa finished the 2002 season with an 11-7-1 record and a 3-6-1 mark in the Big Ten Conference.

 

The Hawkeyes return eight starters from the 2002 season, and add nine newcomers to this season's roster.

 

Britta Vogele is one of Iowa's top returnees this season. The junior goalkeeper notched a 1.18 goals-against average in 2002.

 

Nebraska is also breaking in a young crew, with nine freshmen and only one senior on the 2003 roster.

 

On the Air

The Huskers' home games will be carried for the second year on KRNU 90.3 and can be found at Huskers.com. All games will be live on Huskers.com, while a few will also be carried on 90.3 FM, the campus student station. A student team of Chris Liberto, Dave Hunt, and Tony Gorman will call the action throughout the season. Nebraska's games against DePaul and Iowa can both be found on the dial as well as the internet.Live stats will also be available to fans on Huskers.com for those wishing to follow the game statistically.

 

This Time Last Season

The Huskers opened the 2002 season after a trip across the ocean for a training camp in England.  Nebraska had four preseason games under its belt, before returning home to the states to face Wisconsin and North Carolina in the adidas Invitational.

 

In the first game of the season, NU started setting records.  The Huskers had 4,830 fans in attendance to watch them battle the North Carolina Tar Heels to a 1-1 tie.

 

Christy Harms notched the Huskers' only goal 1:55 into the game. Allysa Ramsey scored for the Tar Heels at the 72:28 mark, on a free kick, which eventually led to two overtimes and a tie game after 110 minutes of play.

 

The Huskers put their first W on the board for the season the following Sunday in a 1-0 win over Wisconsin. Christine Latham set the Nebraska school records for career goals (54), surpassing former Husker Kim Engesser, as well as the career record for game-winning goals (16).

 

The Last Time Out

Nebraska finished 1-0-1 in exhibition play, with a win against Denver and a tie with the Canadian Under-17 National Team.

 

The Huskers faced the Canada U-17 team with just a brief morning practice under their belt.  Nebraska reported for preseason camp on Tuesday, Aug. 11, and went through all its preseason meetings.  The Huskers went through physical testing and straight into their first practice Wednesday morning, before facing their first opponent Wednesday evening.

 

The Huskers showed great resolve in their first game, playing hard for 90 minutes.  Nikki Baker put in the Huskers' only goal just a minute into the second half to spark an offensive run by NU.

 

Baker received a pass from freshman Jessie Bruch, and nailed a shot from nearly 20 yards out.

 

The Huskers went back to the drawing board with a week and a half of two-a-days before they faced Denver in the final exhibition game of the season.

 

Ashley Carter got her freshman season off to the right start, notching her first unofficial collegiate goal off a Jenna Cooper pass.

 

Fellow freshman Jessie Bruch looked promising as well, getting off four shots in the contest.  The defense also played a solid game led by senior Christy Harms and junior Jenna Cooper.

 

Up Next

The Huskers will face one of their toughest challenges of the season Sept. 5-7, at the North Carolina Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C.  Nebraska will open the tournament against the Duke Blue Devils Friday, Sept. 5, at 1 p.m. Central time.

 

With three games down, Nebraska will face the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels at 2 p.m. on Sept. 7. UNC is an experienced team with eight returning starters, including defender Cat Reddick and ACC Rookie-of-the-Year Lindsay Tarpley. The Tar Heels posted a 21-2-4 record last season and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Championship for the 16th consecutive season.

 

Game Condition

Iman Haynes topped the performance index charts for the second consecutive year.  The Huskers were tested the day after they reported to campus and were ranked on the performance index, which is made up of four tests (10-yard dash, the 40-yard dash, pro-agility and vertical jump).

 

Haynes had the best performance of the 19 tested with 1,992 points, followed in the top three by Jenna Cooper (1,929) and Aly Scace (1,738).

 

On an individual basis, Brooke Bredenberg, Cooper and Vern Fitzgerald made the greatest improvement.

 

Fitzgerald and Cooper improved their personal-best marks in every area, while Bredenberg recorded a personal best in everything but the pro-agility run.

 

Cooper ran the best 10-yard dash with a time of 1.74, as well as the best 40-yard dash in 5.27.  Bredenberg posted the best time in the agility run with a time of 4.51, while Haynes notched the best vertical jump with a leap of 25 inches.

 

Senior Leadership

Christy Harms will carry the load and pick up where a strong 2002 senior class left off.  Harms is the lone senior and will serve as the team captain.

 

The Blue Springs, Mo., native has set the standard for the Huskers in the backfield. Harms earned her place in the starting lineup as a sophomore, and began setting the pace for NU as a junior.  Harms was the glue that held the Nebraska defense together during the Huskers' race to the Big 12 Tournament title.  All-Big 12 defender Breanna Boyd missed the first two games to be with the Canadian National Team as it played for a spot in the 2003 World Cup.  In her absence, Harms made her presence known, keeping Kansas, Texas and Texas A&M at bay.  She was honored as the Big 12 Tournament Defensive MVP and continued to make a strong impact in the Husker defense next to Boyd in the NCAA Tournament.

 

The Huskers lost four seniors in 2002, including Boyd and Christine Latham.  Both of them have made a solid contribution in the WUSA in their rookie seasons and were two of the best players in Nebraska school history.

 

Harms has big shoes to fill, but she has both the desire and the ability to take on that role.

 

 

Freshman Domination

As the only senior in 2003, Christy Harms is outnumbered nine-to-one by the freshmen. With the loss of Christine Latham, Breanna Boyd, Kori Saunders and Leah Lamale, the Huskers had huge holes to fill.

 

The Nebraska coaching staff filled in the gaps with nine new faces.  Ashley Carter and Jessie Bruch have made the biggest impact out of the gate, but the coaches have big expectations for all of the newcomers.

 

Six of the nine newcomers have seen action in the first two exhibition matches. Ashley Carter scored her first collegiate goal against Denver to give NU the win.

 

Freshmen Brittany Timko and Tanya Dennis have only made a brief appearance, as they are both training with the Canadian National Team in preparation for the 2003 World Cup.

 

The Numbers

Nebraska is 5-3-1 in season-opening games.  The Huskers opened 1997 against DePaul in the two teams' only other meeting in school history.  Nebraska defeated the Blue Demons, 4-1, on Aug. 29, 1997.

 

The Huskers have not lost a season opener in the last four years.

 

Nebraska is one of only four teams (and the only Big 12 team) to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past seven seasons.

 

Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, the Huskers have claimed five of the seven conference tournament championships, winning in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2002.  Nebraska also won regular-season titles in 1996, 1999 and 2000.

 

In seven seasons of Big 12 action, the Huskers have produced an overall conference record of 59-8-2, for a league-best winning percentage of .870.

 

Through the past six seasons, the Huskers have a combined record of 24-2-2 against the ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Pac-10 conferences.  Nebraska is 4-0-2 vs. the ACC, 7-0 vs. the Big Ten, 7-1 vs. the SEC, and 6-1 against the Pac-10.

 

The Polls

Nebraska is ranked No. 12 in the National Soccer Coaches of America/adidas preseason national rankings.

 

The Huskers finished the 2002 season ranked 13th with a 16-6-3 record and their seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA Sweet 16.

 

The Huskers face four opponents ranked in the preseason top 25 this season, including North Carolina, Texas A&M, Texas and Michigan.

 

NU has proven its preseason records, finishing in the final NSCAA Top 15 for the last seven seasons.

 

Nebraska was also picked third in the Big 12 coaches poll.  NU received 88 points and two first-place votes. 

 

The Huskers have won three conference titles and five of the seven Big 12 Tournament crowns, including the tournament championship in 2002.

 

Texas was picked to win the 2003 Big 12 soccer title with 96 points and seven first-place votes, while Texas A&M was chosen second with 89 points and two first-place votes.  Missouri and Colorado rounded out the top five with 63 and 62 points, respectively.

 

Head Coach John Walker

After nine seasons at the helm of the Nebraska program, John Walker has accumulated staggering numbers, including a 159-35-7 record and an .808 winning percentage that ranks second among all Division I active coaches.

 

Walker led the Huskers to the NCAA postseason in 1996 and has finished in the top 15 nationally for the last seven seasons.

 

He has taken NU to the NCAA Sweet 16 the last seven consecutive seasons, including two trips to the Elite Eight.

 

The Kingston, Ontario, native posted his best season in scarlet and cream in 1999, when the Huskers finished with a 22-1-2 final record. Under Walker, NU has won three Big 12 regular-season titles and five of the seven Big 12 Tournament championships.

 

Around the Big 12 Conference

All 11 Big 12 teams will get underway Friday night.  Seven of the 11 will play at home.  Colorado will face one of the toughest tests against 2002 NCAA Champion Portland on Friday.  Missouri will take on Iowa before the Hawkeyes head to Lincoln for the Sunday matchup.

 

Iowa State will compete in the Arizona Invitational against Arizona on Friday and Weber State on Sunday.  The Baylor Bears will play host to the Baylor Invitational, including Houston, North Texas and Eastern Washington.

 

The TCU Horned Frogs travel to Texas A&M on Friday, while Texas takes on Duke.

 

Huskers in the WUSA

Several former Huskers made major impacts in the Women's United Soccer Association this past season.

 

Christine Latham garnered Rookie-of-the-Year honors, while Jenny Benson was named the Humanitarian of the Year.

 

Sharolta Nonen and Karina LeBlanc were both named to the All-WUSA teams.

 

Nonen, LeBlanc and Breanna Boyd were all named to the World All-Star team for the WUSA All-Star Game in June.