Huskers Open Season with Weekend Home Matches

The Nebraska soccer team officially kicks off the 2005 season when it hosts Minnesota at 5 p.m. on Friday at the Nebraska Soccer Field. Friday's match and Sunday's 1 p.m. contest with UAB not only mark the first games of the new season, but also mark the first regular-season games played on campus in the 12-year history of the program.

Fans attending Friday's match are encouraged to park in the Stadium Drive Parking Garage, located across the street from the West side of Memorial Stadium. The fee for using the garage is $1 per hour and fans are advised that UNL Parking Services will ticket vehicles parked in university lots without a permit.

Friday's season opener is also dollar days for students, who are admitted free with a valid student ID. Students can purchase hot dogs and Pepsi products for only $1.

When the Huskers hit the field, they will be looking to build on a 14-9 record in 2004 and the program's eighth trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in the last nine seasons. NU returns 10 starters, including sophomore Jessie Bruch, who was the team's point leader an an All-Big 12 Newcomer team selection in 2003, before missing all of last season while recovering from a knee injury.

Nebraska will also benefit from a deeper roster that includes 24 players. After struggling with numbers in 2004, a talented 11-player freshman class, ranked as high as seventh in the country, adds immediate quality depth and skill to an already talented Husker squad.

In the exhibition season, NU traveled to Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 14 for the second annual Jenna Cooper Memorial Match. Senior Nikki Baker, a 2004 All-Central Region selection, scored a pair of goals just 15 seconds apart to give the Huskers a 2-0 lead in the game's opening five minutes. Fellow senior Katie Bunkers added a late first-half goal to provide the final 3-0 margin. In goal, returning starting goalkeeper junior Katie Wright and freshman Jamie Klages combined for the shutout.

In a spirited Red/White Scrimmage at the Nebraska Soccer Field on Saturday, Aug. 20, Baker added another goal and freshman Lauren Isenhower also found the back of the net as the teams finished in a hard-fought 1-1 tie.

The Huskers went 1-1 in last year's opening weekend after a tough 1-0 loss to top-ranked and defending national champion North Carolina and a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Creighton. NU owns a 6-4-1 all-time record in season and home openers.

Scouting Minnesota (0-0-0)
The Golden Gophers also open the season on Friday after finishing 1-1-0 in two exhibition games. Minnesota finished the 2004 season with an 8-10 record, including a 2-8 mark and 10th-place finish in the Big Ten Conference under first-year Head Coach Mikki Denney.

Bolstered by a talented freshman class, Denney has the Gophers poised for a much better season in 2005. Minnesota opened the exhibition season with a hard-fought 2-1 loss at Dayton on Aug. 16. The Golden Gophers fell behind 1-0 in the 11th minute, but struck back 4:52 later to tie the game on a goal by Lindsey Schwartz. The game remained tied until Dayton, winners of seven straight Atlantic-10 Conference championships, struck for a goal in the 86th minute to pull out the 2-1 victory. In the game, Dayton outshot Minnesota, 19-8, but Golden Gopher goalkeeper Molly Schneider recorded seven saves.

Minnesota concluded the exhibition portion of its schedule with a 3-2 victory at Creighton last Saturday. The Gophers managed only three shots on goal, but made every shot count in the win. Marti Klinsing and Megan Fightmaster scored back-to-back goals just 1:33 apart in the first 10 minutes of the game and Klinsing added what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 67th minute that gave Minnesota a 3-1 lead. In net, Schneider played the full 90 minutes and notched five saves.

Schneider is one of nine returning starters and she posted a 1.43 goals-against average in 2004. Forward Becky Dellaria returns after posting 12 points last season to lead all returning players.

Nebraska leads the all-time series between the schools, 4-0-0, including three victories in Lincoln, with two of those wins coming in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers won the last meeting 4-0 in the 2000 season opener at Minnesota and earned a 5-0 victory in the last meeting in Lincoln on Nov. 14, 1999 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Scouting UAB (0-0-0)
UAB, which opens the season on Friday against Jackson State, returns five starters from last year's team that finished 16-6-1 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The leading returnees are Jill Porto (20 points) and Laura Richards (13 points) and Katie Forbis in goal, where she posted a 1.05 goals-against average in 2004.

The Blazers played two exhibition games, posting a 2-0 record. They opened their schedule with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Georgia Southern. Porto notched two goals in the win as UAB scored two goals in the last seven minutes of the scheduled third period to pull out the victory.

Last Sunday, UAB defeated the Peachtree City Lasers Elite 88 team 4-2 aided by goals from four players. In the two exhibition games, the potent Blazers' offense outshot their opponents 42-24.

Nebraska leads the all-time series between the schools, 1-0-0, winning 2-1 in Lincoln on Sept. 2, 2002.

The Nebraska Soccer Field
The Huskers have a chance to make school history on the field in 2005, but their field itself has already made program history. For the first time in the 12-year history of Nebraska Soccer, the Huskers will play their home games on campus.

The Nebraska Soccer Field, located immediately northeast of Memorial Stadium in the middle of the Ed Weir Track, provides one of the most unique settings in the nation. Nestled between the home of fellow fall sports Husker football and volleyball, the location is also near the two full-size indoor practice facilities NU enjoys, including the new Championship Indoor Center.

The Championship Indoor Center not only includes a second year-round practice facility, but is also home to brand new soccer offices, including Head Coach John Walker's office, which has a balcony overlooking the field.

As part of the Championship Drive project, scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2006, the soccer team will also enjoy a large, modern locker room, in addition to new strength and conditioning and athletic medicine facilities.

The Huskers hope to be as successful on campus as they were off. Nebraska owned a career home record of 107-17-4 (.852) in its two previous off-campus homes, including a 101-16-4 (.835) mark at the Abbott Sports Complex.

Nearing 200
Head Coach John Walker, the only coach in the history of the Nebraska Soccer program, needs just 14 victories to reach 200 career victories and 200 wins at Nebraska. Walker, who ranks 22nd among active coaches in career victories, has a career record of 186-52-8 in 11 years at the helm of the Huskers. Walker has averaged nearly 17 wins a season at NU and at that pace would reach the 200-win plateau this season.

New Faces on the Sideline
The new on-campus home of the Huskers is not the only dramatic change from the 2004 season. For the first time in 10 years, a new face will be seen alongside NU coaches John Walker and Mary Everding, each of whom has been a part of the program since its inception in 1994. Ann Cook joins the staff for her first season in 2005, replacing Megan Skinner. Cook's addition to the staff represents the first change to the staff in 10 years.

Another new face to the sideline this season is still a familiar face to Husker fans. Kari Hogan, a senior this season, has decided to serve as the undergraduate assistant coach instead of playing her final season. Rounding out the coaching staff is another former Husker, Christine Latham. Latham is in her second year as the volunteer assistant coach. She served the same role last season while continuing her undergraduate studies and returns this season after earning her degree in May of 2005.

Position-by-Position Breakdown
Goalkeepers
In net, junior Katie Wright played every minute in goal last season and proved her worth by posting seven shutouts. She also recorded 108 saves to become only the second player in school history to notch 100 saves in a season. Wright’s accuracy on free kicks is an added bonus for Nebraska, as she contributed two assists in 2004.

Incoming freshman Jamie Klages comes to Nebraska as one of the top prep goalkeepers in the country. At 5-11, Klages has good size and also displays great athleticism. Klages trained with the U.S. Under-20 National Team this past summer after being one of two goalkeepers to earn high school All-America accolades from EA SPORTS.

With the experience and proven production from Wright and the skill and athleticism of Klages, Walker expects the position to be another strength of the team.

"We have an experienced goalkeeper in Katie, who really made big strides in the spring, and a very talented freshman in Jamie, so it will be interesting to see how things evolve. We do know we have talent and experience at that position, which we haven’t had at that position for a number of years. Adding Brittany also gives us depth."

Adding depth to the position will be freshman Brittany Pfeil. Pfeil, a native of Norfolk, Neb., has the potential to be a fine goalkeeper and showed well again at the Nebraska Goalkeeping Camp this past summer.

Defenders
Just as the goalkeeper position is deep and rich with talent, the defender position may prove to be the strongest aspect for the 2005 Huskers. NU returns its entire starting backline from last season, including a pair of All-Big 12 selections in senior Sasha Andrews and junior Tanya Dennis. A physical presence on the field, Andrews is excellent at winning balls in the air and uses her size to her advantage. Andrews was also involved in the Huskers’ offensive attack in 2004, serving as one of NU’s top options on corner kicks and finishing with three goals and four assists.

Seniors Katie Bunkers and Aly Scace join Andrews as the senior anchors of the defense. Staples in the Husker lineup for the past three seasons, the duo has combined to start 108 games over the past three seasons. Bunkers and Scace were the lone returning starters last season and proved capable of leading the defense. They were both particularly impressive in the Huskers’ NCAA Tournament run in 2004. Scace’s pace and attacking abilities were more on display in the spring games, and Bunkers’ leadership qualities will be key once again if the Huskers intend to be one of the nation’s top defensive teams.

Dennis, a first-team All-Big 12 defender like Andrews, is expected to be even better in 2005. Although a junior, Dennis will benefit from the experience she gained last season. Dennis missed most of her first season with an injury and her commitment to the Canadian National Team and missed part of the 2004 season while competing in the Under-20 World Championships. In addition to her defensive prowess, Dennis also added three goals and an assist in 19 games last season. Dennis is expected to again be an All-Big 12-caliber player in 2005, whether it be at defender, midfield or forward.

Junior Abby Penas played every minute of Nebraska’s post-season games in 2004 and came up with some impressive performances despite her lack of experience at the position. Penas made further progress as a defender in the spring and with her speed and strength could have more of a role to play with the 2005 squad.

The nucleus of Andrews, Bunkers, Dennis, Penas and Scace gives the Huskers a talented and experienced backline according to Coach Walker.

Midfielders
The midfield position was the only position with holes to fill from last year’s Sweet 16 squad, but those holes were quickly filled last spring with the return of Bruch and the introduction of freshman Selenia Iacchelli.

In her freshman season of 2003, sophomore Jessie Bruch was one of the country’s top freshmen and was rewarded with invites to several U.S. Under-21 National Team camps. Her spring performances in 2005 were outstanding, and the Huskers are hopeful that she will return to her dominating all-around performance.

Iacchelli showed creativity, goal-scoring ability and great range during her first spring with the Huskers. She rejoined the Canadian U-20 team this past summer.

Senior Vern Fitzgerald also returns after starting 17 games at the position in 2004. The duo of Fitzgerald and Bruch will solidify the position as others compete for playing time. Fitzgerald’s ball-winning and passing make her a solid and often underrated performer for Nebraska.

Jessie Goodell’s skill level, playmaking and work rate make her another candidate for playing time in the Husker midfield.

Sophomore Sari Raber, who started 19 games as a freshman last season, suffered a knee injury and is likely out for the season.

Forwards
Nebraska boasts a collection of deep and talented forwards this season. Leading the way are senior Nikki Baker and junior Brittany Timko, two proven goal scorers at the highest level.

Timko is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and a returning All-American. Timko is poised for another All-America-caliber season, and is a threat to become just the second player in league history to repeat as the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, joining former Husker Christine Latham. In just 19 games last season, the Coquitlam, B.C., native scored 15 goals and added 13 assists. She also established a school record with six game-winning assists before joining the Canadian U-20 National Team for the World Championships, where she won the FIFA Golden Boot as the tournament’s top goal scorer.

Baker returns after putting up career numbers across the board in 2004, tallying 14 goals and adding two assists. A terrific finisher, Baker is also one of the Huskers’ best players in the clutch. She recorded her first career hat trick in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and produced the game-winning goal in each of NU’s two postseason victories last season.

Sophomores Kenny and Hungerford also return after gaining valuable experience in their freshman seasons. Hungerford started each of the Huskers’ four postseason games, while Kenny appeared in seven games and made great strides during the spring season.

Newcomers Jamani, Lokanc and Danielle Schoen will also compete for playing time. Jamani has extensive international experience at every level within the Canadian National program. A terrific one-versus-one player, Jamani could make an immediate impact and challenge for a starting position.

Lauren Isenhower possesses raw speed and power and can change the tempo of the game at any moment. Her one-versus-one play, work rate and physical play will provide an excellent complement to some of the other Husker attackers.

Lokanc owns great size and speed and excelled in talent-rich San Diego. She was a first-team all-league and All-CIF selection, as well as the third-leading goal scorer in San Diego county. Primarily a left side player, Lokanc could also contribute immediately.

Schoen will also compete for playing time after earning high school All-America honors and being named the New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year in 2004. A fast and physical player, Schoen has a tremendous upside.

Goodell is a true playmaking forward with excellent intelligence. Her technical ability, work rate and field vision make her an interesting player for the Huskers in 2005.

Lindsay Poehling’s top-end speed and powerful shot provide the Huskers with another talented attacking player. The two-time Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year has all the physical tools to make the jump to college soccer.

Returnees Penas and Dennis could also see time at the forward position this season.