Pacific Defeats Nebraska, 2-1

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln ? Regina McGee scored two goals and Pacific held off several late scoring chances by Nebraska, as the Tigers defeated the Huskers 2-1 Friday night at the Abbott Sports Complex.

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With the loss, Nebraska dropped to 3-2-0 on the season, while Pacific improved to 3-1-1.

 

“We had lots of chances,” NU Head Coach John Walker said. “We had great effort and commitment in the second half, but a couple of defensive mistakes cost us. We didn’t commit ourselves in the first half and put ourselves in that position [to be trailing by two goals].”

 

The game was scoreless at halftime, but McGee was able to score twice in a span of six minutes to put Pacific on top. McGee beat NU goalkeeper Katie Wright, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, to a ball outside the box and found the back of an empty net from 10 yards out. The goal ended Wright’s scoreless streak at 2:95:26.

 

McGee extended the Tigers’ lead to two goals at 58:32 when she was able to take a cross away from Wright and score.

 

Nebraska broke through for its first goal 2:29 later when sophomore Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week Brittany Timko scored her third goal of the season. Following an attempted clear by Pacific’s goalkeeper Jaime Souza, Timko controlled the ball and lofted it over the Tiger defense and into an empty net to bring Nebraska to within 2-1.

 

In the final 30 minutes, Nebraska had numerous chances to tie the game, but Souza and Pacific’s defense were able to hold off the Huskers.

 

Junior Nikki Baker had an excellent scoring chance at 25:35 when Souza was out of position following a breakup of an attempted cross. Baker controlled the ball, but a Pacific defender was able to fend off her chance before it crossed the goal line.

 

Perhaps NU’s best chance came when Timko drew a foul inside the box and was awarded a penalty kick at 76:29. Timko’s kicked was saved by Souza to help preserve the Tiger’s victory.

 

Nebraska returns to action at 1 p.m. on Sunday when it plays host to Stanford at the Abbott Sports Complex.