Huskers Ready for First Road Challenge

The Nebraska soccer team will leave the friendly confines of the Abbott Sports Complex for the first time in the regular season this week when it travels to Omaha on Tuesday night to face in-state rival Creighton. Following the game with the Bluejays, the Huskers will open Big 12 Conference play at Kansas on Friday before heading to Ames, Iowa, for a contest against the Cyclones on Sunday.

When Nebraska (5-3-0) faces Creighton on Tuesday, it will mark the second meeting between the two teams this season. In both team’s second game, the Huskers erased a 2-0 Bluejay lead and fought back for a 4-2 win in Lincoln.

A win over CU would even the all-time series record at 3-3-1 and would mark the first time the Huskers notched two victories over a non-conference opponent since Nebraska defeated Brigham Young twice in 2001.

If the Huskers can get by the Bluejays, Kansas, ranked No. 8 in the latest USA Today/NSCAA Top 25 poll, stands between Nebraska and a season-best four-game winning streak. The Jayhawks (8-1-0) knocked off 16th-ranked Nebraska, 1-0, in Lincoln last season.

Against Iowa State, NU will be looking to improve to a perfect 10-0 all time against the Cyclones (3-5-0). Nebraska defeated Iowa State, 5-1, at the Abbott Sports Complex in 2003 and has outscored ISU 20-1 in the last five meetings.

Nebraska is coming off a two-game sweep last weekend. The Huskers were relentless in a 7-0 win over Northern Colorado and unleashed an agressive offensive attack in a 2-1 victory against Montana.

Against UNC, Nebraska recorded season highs of seven goals, six assists, 32 shots and 13 shots on goal. NU racked up an overwhelming 32-3 advantage in shots, led by sophomore Brittany Timko who had a career night. Timko tied the Nebraska single-game record with nine total points, scoring three goals and adding three more assists. She finished just one goal and one assist shy of tying the single-game record in those categories as well. Junior Nikki Baker also added two goals for Nebraska and sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wright recorded her third shutout of the season.

Although the final score against Montana close, the Husker offense continued to post impressive numbers. NU matched its season-high shot total of 32 and surpassed its season high with 17 shots on goal. Timko and Baker again led the Huskers, with Timko scoring the game-winning goal and adding an assist. Baker found the back of the net for the Huskers’ first goal.

For the weekend, Nebraska outshot its opponents 64-13 and put 30 shots on goal while limiting the Bears and Grizzlies to only four. For Timko, she finished an outstanding weekend with four goals, four assists and 12 points. She has 21 points through eight games and has already surpassed Jessie Bruch’s team-leading total of 19 points from last season.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 3-3-1 on the season and is coming off a 1-1 weekend at the Nike Invitational in Ames, Iowa. The Bluejays defeated Youngstown State, 8-1, before losing to Wisconsin-Milwuakee, 3-0.

CU has outscored its opponents 18-13 in 2004 and has outshot its opponents by an overwhelming margin of 146-84.

Offensively, Creighton relies on a balanced attack. Franny Hylock leads the team with eight points and is tied for the team lead with three goals. Thirteen Bluejays have at least one point on the season, and six have at least five points, including Tristan Moser-Bleil, who leads the team with three assists.

In net, Stacy Severa has started all seven games for CU and has logged more than 576 minutes. Severa has allowed 13 goals and has a goals-against average of 2.03. She has made 26 saves in seven games and has posted one shutout.

Creighton leads the all-time series 3-2-1, but dropped a 4-2 decision against the Big Red on Aug. 29. The Bluejays have not defeated the Huskers since 1995.

Last Time We Met
When the Huskers and Bluejays met on Aug. 29 in Lincoln, Creighton was the aggressor early, scoring the game’s first two goals. Franny Hylok and Chelsea Mackenzie each scored from 35 yards out just 1:18 apart to stun the Abbott Sports Complex crowd of 790. Husker junior Nikki Baker scored with just under 16 minutes left in the first half to bring NU to within one goal at the half.

In the second half, Nebraska became the aggressor and exploded for three goals while keeping Creighton off the scoreboard. Three Huskers posted their first career goals to lead NU to victory.

Sophomore Tanya Dennis scored the first goal of her career from 25 yards out in the 66th minute to tie the game 2-2. Junior Katie Bunkers then notched her first career goal. What proved to be the game-winning goal came in the 74th minute when Bunkers headed a ball in the net off a corner kick from sophomore Brittany Timko. Freshman Jetta Sadusky capped the scoring with 5:34 remaining, scoring in the box following a shot by senior Brooke Bredenberg that bounded off the crossbar.

Nebraska outshot Creighton 22-14 and posted 10 shots on goal to the Bluejays’ nine. The biggest stat of the game was the 11-0 advantage the Huskers enjoyed in corner kicks, including one that set up the game-winning goal. As Creighton hopes to avenge that loss, the Bluejays will have Head Coach Bruce Erickson on the sidelines. Erickson missed the first meeting because of the death of his mother.

Creighton leads the all-time series against Nebraska, 3-2-1, but the Huskers own a 2-0-1 advantage since the series resumed in 2000 following a four-year hiatus. The Bluejays have not defeated the Huskers since registering a 1-0 victory in Lincoln in 1995. The only meeting in Omaha came in 1994, when Nebraska edged Creighton 1-0 in double overtime. That year also marked the only time the two teams have met twice in a season. The Bluejays defeated the Huskers, 3-1, in Lincoln to earn a two-game sweep that season.

Scouting Kansas
The Jayhawks (8-1-0) posted back-to-back shutouts last weekend against a pair of SEC foes. Kansas defeated Mississippi, 2-0, before edging Auburn, 1-0, in double overtime.

Kansas has outscored its opponents 15-2 this season. The Jayhawks have outshot their opponenets 116-87, but have allowed more corner kicks (46) than they have taken (39).

Offensively, KU is led by preseason All-Big 12 pick Caroline Smith, who leads the team in shots (22) and is tied for the team lead in points (eight) and goals (three). Nicole Cauzillo also has three goals and eight points for the Jayhawks. Ten players have at least two points for the balanced Kansas attack.

In net, Meghan Miller has been outstanding while playing every minute for KU. She has allowed only two goals in nine games and has posted seven shutouts. Miller has recorded 44 saves and her goals-against average is a miniscule 0.22 to lead the Big 12 Conference.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with the Jayhawks, 9-1-1, but Kansas defeated the Huskers for the first time in school history last season, shutting out the Huskers, 1-0.

Last Time We Met
Kansas recorded its first victory over Nebraska in 11 tries in the only contest between the teams in 2003.

The Jayhawks were unranked, but went into Lincoln and upset the 16th-ranked Huskers, 1-0. Nebraska outshot KU, 22-14, but Caroline Smith found the back of the net in the 57th minute for the game-winning goal.

Meghan Miller made five saves in goal to preserve the shutout for Kansas.

Scouting Iowa State
Iowa State is just 3-5 on the season, but has posted a 3-1 record at home. The Cyclones went 2-0 last weekend, defeating Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2-1, and Youngstown State, 1-0, at the Nike Invitational in Ames.

ISU has been outscored 10-6 for the season and has been outshot 92-81.

Offensively, Erin Witte is the only Cyclone to record more than one goal. Witte leads the team with two goals and five points. Jess Villhauer, with two assists, is the only player to record more than one assist in 2004.

In goal, Jo Haig has started seven games and Laura Boyer has started one game. Haig has logged more than 576 minutes and has posted a 2-4 record. She has allowed seven goals and recorded 26 saves. Haig boasts a goals-against average of 1.09 and has posted one shutout.

In limited action, Boyer has allowed three goals in more than 143 minutes for a goals-against average of 1.88.

Nebraska leads the all-time series 9-0 and has outscored the Cyclones 20-1 in the last five meetings.

Last Time We Met
The Huskers defeated the Cyclones, 5-1, in Lincoln in the only meeting between the two programs in 2003.

Nebraska jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead on goals by junior Vern Fitzgerald, sophomore Ashley Carter and senior Lindsey Ingram. Following a goal by Iowa State's Kate Kirwan, Fitzgerald and Carter each added another goal.

Several current Huskers enjoyed a good game against ISU. Fitzgerald finished with two goals and an assist, while Ingram finished with one goal.

Junior Kari Hogan had an outstanding game, tying the NU single-game record by assisting on four goals.

The Huskers outshot the Cyclones 23-12 and registered 11 corner kicks to Iowa State's three.

Huskers vs. Ranked Foes
Nebraska has faced only one ranked team in 2004, dropping a season-opening heartbreaker to the defending national champion and top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, 1-0 on Aug. 27. When the Huskers face eighth-ranked Kansas on Friday, they will be looking to break a two-game losing streak against top 25 teams.

The last time NU knocked off a top-25 team came in the 2003 Big 12 Tournament when the unranked Huskers upset No. 14 Texas A&M, 2-1, in overtime. Nebraska owns a 31-28-3 (.524) all-time record against ranked teams.

Big 12 Openers
Nebraska boasts a 7-1 record in Big 12 Conference opening games. The Huskers’ lone conference-opening loss came at the hands of Texas, which upset the fifth-ranked Huskers, 1-0, in Austin.

When Nebraska meets No. 8 Kansas on Friday, it will mark the second time the Huskers have played a top-10 team in the Big 12 Conference opener. In 1999, the fourth-ranked Huskers traveled to College Station, Texas, and defeated eighth-ranked Texas A&M, 1-0.

Career Weekend
Sophomore Brittany Timko put an exclamation point on what was already an excellent start to the 2004 season with a stellar performance last weekend. Timko, a native of Coquitlam, B.C., scored four goals and notched four assists in a pair of Nebraska victories over Northern Colorado and Montana.

Timko, who has already received Big 12 Offensive-Player-of-the-Week honors once this season, has an excellent chance to be a repeat selection after totaling 12 points last weekend. In the Huskers’ 7-0 victory over Northern Colorado, Timko had one of the greatest performances in school history. She scored three goals and added three more assists to finish with nine points in the game, tying the Nebraska single-game record. Her three goals and three assists were also just one shy of tying the school single-game record in each respective category.

Against Montana, Timko assisted on junior Nikki Baker’s first goal, then scored the game-winning goal in the Huskers’ 2-1 victory. To put her weekend in perspective, consider that Timko’s two-game totals would have placed her in a tie for fourth in goals, a tie for third in assists and in fifth in total points among the 2003 final team leaders after a full 22-game schedule.

Player of the Week
Sophomore Brittany Timko was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday.

Timko, a native of Coquitlam, B.C., was honored after enjoying one of the best weekends in the history of Nebraska soccer. In two games last weekend, Timko totaled four goals, four assists and 12 points. Against Northern Colorado on Sept. 17, she tied a school record with nine points and finished with three goals and three assists, one shy of the school record in each category.

In Nebraska’s 2-1 win over Montana on Sept. 19, Timko assisted on the Huskers’ first goal and then scored the game-winning goal.

Timko is the first Husker to earn two Big 12 Offensive Player-of-the-Week awards since Christine Latham, now a volunteer coach with Nebraska, was honored in consecutive weeks in 2000. She is the first Husker to earn two Player-of-the-Week honors of any kind since Erin Miller won two Big 12 Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors in 2002. No player in school history has ever earned three Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors in a single season.

For the season, Timko leads the Big 12 with 22 points, seven goals, eight assists and a 1.00 assists-per-game average.

Keeping Busy
When Nebraska travels to Creighton on Tuesday, it will not only be the first time the Huskers play a regular-season road game in 2004, but will also mark the first time NU has played three games in one week. After hosting Northern Colorado and Montana last weekend, the Huskers will be playing their third game in five days when they face the Bluejays.

Following that contest, Nebraska then travels to Kansas on Friday and Iowa State on Sunday. The road trip will see Nebraska again play three games in five days. In total, dating back to last Friday’s game with Northern Colorado, NU will have played five games in 10 days after wrapping up this weekend’s road trip at Iowa State.

Big 12 Rankings
The Nebraska soccer team leads the Big 12 Conference with 160 shots and 58 corner kicks and ranks in the top three in four other categories.

As a team, Nebraska ranks second in goals scored with 21, third in total points with 55, third in goals per game with a 2.62 average and third in shutouts with three.

From an individual standpoint, sophomore Brittany Timko leads the league in points (22), goals (seven), assists (eight) and assists per game (1.00). Timko also ranks second in shots (33), third in shots per game (4.12), second in points per game (2.75), second in goals per game (0.88).

Junior Nikki Baker ranks in the top 10 in five categories, senior Brooke Bredenberg ranks in the top 10 in shots and shots per game, senior Lindsey Ingram ranks in the top 10 in assists and assists per games and sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wright ranks in the top five of every goalkeeping category.

In the Polls
The Huskers are not ranked in the latest NSCAA/adidas top 25 poll, released Sept. 21. North Carolina, which defeated the Huskers 1-0 on Aug. 27, is the top-ranked team. Kansas, Nebraska's opponent on Friday, is ranked eighth.

Nebraska has been ranked in the final NSCAA/adidas poll for each of the last eight seasons.

Up Next
Following Nebraska's three games this week, the Huskers will receive a bit of a midseason break. Nebraska has only one game scheduled next week, a road trip to Missouri on Oct. 1.

Head Coach John Walker
Nebraska Head Coach John Walker is in his 11th year as coach of the Huskers. Since starting the program in 1994, Walker has posted an impressive 177-46-8 record, recording his 175th career victory in a 3-0 win over Purdue on Sept. 5.

His .784 winning percentage is fourth among all Division I active coaches and his 177 victories rank 26th among active coaches.
Walker’s teams have won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament for eight consecutive seasons and have finished the season in the NSCAA/adidas top 25 poll in each of the last eight seasons.

Under Walker, the Huskers have become a perennial power. He has led the team to three Big 12 regular-season titles and five Big 12 Tournament titles since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996, including a sweep of both titles in 1999 and 2000.The Streak
The 2004 Nebraska soccer team is looking to continue an impressive streak that began in 1996.

In every season since 1996 - a streak totaling eight seasons - the Huskers have not only made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but have won at least one game to advance to the second round. The 2004 Huskers are looking to make it nine straight this season.