Huskers Look to Continue Winning Ways

Lincoln - The Nebraska soccer team, fresh off back-to-back shutouts last weekend, looks to improve to 5-1-0 on the season with a pair of games against Pacific and Stanford this weekend at the Abbott Sports Complex.
 
The Huskers will face Pacific on Friday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. before hosting Stanford on Sunday, Sept. 12, at 1 p.m. Both contests can be followed via live radio and stats on Huskers.com.

Since suffering a season-opening loss to defending national champion and top-ranked North Carolina, NU has posted a 3-0 record and outscored opponents 11-2 in those three games. Last weekend Nebraska faced Eastern Illinois and Purdue, a pair of 2003 NCAA Tournament teams, and held both teams off the scoreboard in 4-0 and 3-0 wins, respectively.

In goal, sophomore Katie Wright has allowed only three goals in four games this season and has gone more than 242 minutes without allowing a goal.

Offensively, sophomore Brittany Timko was outstanding in Nebraska’s two victories last weekend. Timko assisted on three goals in the Huskers’ win over Eastern Illinois and followed that with two goals against the Boilermakers.

Sophomore Tanya Dennis also had a good weekend, scoring two goals in the 4-0 win over Eastern Illinois. Junior Nikki Baker and senior Lindsey Ingram also added goals for NU.

With two victories this weekend, Nebraska would extend its winning streak to five, which would match last season’s longest winning streak.

Scouting Pacific
The Pacific Tigers are off to 2-1-1 start in 2004. The Tigers posted a 2-0 record at the Nike Central Valley Invitational last weekend, defeating Northern Iowa, 4-0, and Nevada, 5-1.

Pacific, which has outscored its opponents by an 11-4 margin, is led offensively by Carmen Padilla. In three starts, Padilla has produced team-highs of three goals, three assists and nine total points.

In goal, Jaime Souza has played every minute and has posted an impressive goals-against average of 0.95. She has made 22 saves on the season and has posted one shutout.

Friday’s meeting will be the first-ever meeting between Pacific and Nebraska.

Scouting Stanford
Stanford, which finished third in the Pac-10 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2003, is 1-2-0 on the young season. The Cardinal fell to third-ranked Notre Dame, 1-0, and Southern Methodist, 2-1, last weekend after knocking off 24th-ranked Utah, 3-0, to open the season.

Stanford, which only has statistics available from its first two contests, has made every shot count in 2004. The Cardinal have taken only nine shots in two games, but have found the back of the net on three of those nine. Out of six total shots on goal, Stanford has scored three goals to post an impressive .500 shots-on-goal percentage.

Marcie Ward leads the Stanford offense with two gales and four points. Leah Tapscott is the only other Cardinal to find the back of the net this season.

In goal, Nicole Barnhart has been stellar through two games. She boast a goals-against average of 0.53 and combined was in goal for all but nine minutes in the team’s lone shutout of the season.

Last Time We Met
Nebraska defeated Stanford 2-1 in 1999, the last time the two teams met. No member of the current Nebraska squad was on the roster for that meeting.

Nebraska leads the all-time series against the Cardinal 2-1-0 and beat Stanford 3-0 in 1998 in the only meeting between the teams at the Abbott Sports Complex.

Weekend Shutouts
The Nebraska soccer team posted back-to-back shutouts last weekend, outscoring its two opponents 7-0. The Huskers defeated Eastern Illinois, 4-0, on Sept. 3 before blanking Purdue, 3-0, on Sept. 5.

Against Eastern Illinois, sophomore Tanya Dennis scored two goals and fellow sophomore Brittany Timko added three assists, one shy of the school record. Seniors Brooke Bredenberg and Lindsey Ingram each recorded their first goal of the season, while sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wright recorded her first shutout.

Against Purdue, Timko had another outstanding game in less than ideal conditions. On her birthday, the Coquitlam, B.C., native scored two goals to finish with seven points on the weekend. Much of the first half was played in driving rain showers and a strong wind was a factor in both halves.

Junior Nikki Baker put the Huskers on the scoreboard just 53 seconds into the game as Nebraska dominated the Boilermakers, who advanced to the third round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual national champion North Carolina.

In goal, Wright recorded her second consecutive shutout and increased her scoreless minute streak to 242.

Happy Birthday
Sophomore Brittany Timko celebrated her 19th birthday in grand fashion in the Huskers’ 3-0 win over Purdue last Sunday. Fresh off a three-assist performance against Eastern Illinois just two days earlier, Timko scored two goals against the Boilermakers.

Quick Striker
Junior Nikki Baker has a knack for scoring early. Against Purdue last Sunday, Baker scored just 53 seconds into the game. A goal less than a minute into a contest may seem like a school record for fastest goal, but it wasn’t even a personal record for Baker. Against Baylor on Oct. 20, 2002, Baker scored just 37 seconds into the game to set the school record for quickest goal.

175 and Counting...
Nebraska Head Coach John Walker notched career victory number 175 in the Huskers’ 3-0 win over Purdue last Sunday. In 11 seasons (all with Nebraska), Walker, who ranks 26th in Division IA in career victories, has posted a 175-44-8 record.

Stat of the Week
Through its first six games, Nebraska has made a habit of getting more scoring chances off corner kicks than its opponents. For the season, NU has taken 30 corner kicks, while opponents have managed only 15. The Huskers have recorded more corner kicks than their opponent in every game but one this season (North Carolina). Against Creighton on Aug. 29, Nebraska took 11 corner kicks, while Creighton did not take a single corner kick.

No Sophomore Slump
There are six sophomores on the Huskers roster this season, and three of them played crucial roles in the team’s success last weekend and for the season.

In Nebraska’s two games last weekend, sophomores Brittany Timko and Tanya Dennis led the team with two goals a piece, while Timko led the team with three assists. Fellow sophomore Katie Wright posted back-to-back shutouts in goal and has not allowed a goal in more than 242 minutes.

Timko and Dennis are each competing in their first full season after competing for the Canadian National Team in the 2003 World Cup. Dennis leads the team in goals with three, while Timko leads the team in assists (four) and points (eight). In goal, Wright has played every minute this season, recording 20 saves. She has a goals-against average of 0.75 and has posted two shutouts.

Up Next
Nebraska will remain home next weekend, welcoming Northern Colorado and Montana. The Huskers will host the Bears on Friday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. before hosting Montana on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 1 p.m.

Both games will be carried on KRNU and will be available on Huskers.com.

Home Sweet Home
Nebraska, which is set to play a school-record 13 home games this season, is at the halfway point of a season-opening eight-game homestand.

The Huskers play at the Abbott Sports Complex until Sept. 21, when they head to Creighton for their first road game of the season. In the regular season, NU has only six road games scheduled.

On the Air
All of Nebraska’s home games, including Friday’s 7 p.m. game with Pacific and Sunday’s 1 p.m. contest with Stanford, will be carried by KRNU and will be available on Huskers.com.

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 175-44-8 record.

His .789 winning percentage is third among all Division I active coaches and his 175 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.

Take Five
Treat yourself and up to four other Husker fans to a great ticket offer during the 2004 Nebraska soccer season with Nebraska’s new "Take Five" ticket package.

For any single regular-season Husker soccer game, fans can purchase one ticket good for five general admissions at a cost of just $10. Fans can purchase the "Nebraska Take Five" ticket package by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8BIGRED or at the Abbott Sports Complex on the day of the game.

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.