Huskers Return Home This Weekend

The Nebraska soccer team (9-5-1, 3-2-1 Big 12) returns home this weekend for the first time in two weeks as the Huskers host Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on Friday and Sunday in a pair of matches important to NU's quest for a Big 12 Conference title.

Fans can follow this weekend's action in a variety of ways. Live audio and stats will be available free of charge on Huskers.com for both games, but Friday's match with the Sooners will also be televised live locally by NET2 (Ch. 17) and NET-HD (Ch. 112) and nationally by CSTV. The game will also be video streamed free of charge on the Internet by HuskersNSide, the official premium website for Nebraska athletics.

The Huskers are currently in a three-way tie for seventh place in the league with 10 points, but Nebraska has played one fewer game than every other team in the conference except last place Texas Tech. NU has also played two fewer games than three of the teams ahead of the Huskers in the Big 12 standings.

Nebraska did not earn a point in the standings last weekend. The Huskers played out-of-conference foe Oral Roberts on Friday and routed the Golden Eagles, 6-0. The six goals were a season high and were the most goals scored by a Husker team on the road since the 1999 team produced 10 goals in a 10-0 win at Baylor on Oct. 24.

Sophomore Meghan Hungerford scored the first two goals of her career in the win, while freshman Lauren Isenhower, seniors Sasha Andrews and Vern Fitzgerald and junior Brittany Timko also found the back of the net for NU.

Timko also tied a career-high by adding three assists, and her five points were a personal and team single-season high for 2005. Her first assist proved to be her sixth game-winning assist of the season, which ties her own school record set last season. Timko now leads the Big 12 and ranks second in the nation with a career-high 14 assists and a 0.93 assists-per-game average. Her 14 assists match her career total prior to this season.

Freshman goalkeeper Jamie Klages made one save in net while posting her fourth shutout in the last five games.

The Huskers returned to league play on Sunday with a road match at Texas. Klages was again brilliant in net until a seemingly harmless cross slipped past her to lift the Longhorns to a 1-0 overtime victory over the Big Red.

Scouting Oklahoma (12-3-1 Overall, 4-2-1 Big 12)
Oklahoma went 1-1 last weekend, falling to Texas A&M, 6-2, before rebounding with a 1-0 victory over Baylor. The Sooners and Huskers share seven common opponents, with both OU and NU posting a 4-2-1 record against those opponents.

OU is led by a balanced offensive attack. Six Sooners own double-figure point totals, led by Lauren MacIver who leads the team with six goals, eight assists and 20 points. MacIver also boasts a team-best three game-winning goals.

In goal, Jennifer Nichols has played every minute and has allowed 17 goals in 16 games for a goals-against average of 1.02. She has recorded 66 saves, while posting seven shutouts.

Last Time We Met
The Sooners handed the Huskers a damaging blow to their Big 12 title hopes when OU upset Nebraska, 1-0, in Norman last season. Becky Nelson scored on a breakaway goal at 18:56 and OU held on to post the shutout. The Huskers outshot the Sooners, 18-13, but Oklahoma placed eight of their shots on goal, while NU managed six shots on goal. Nebraska was able to win six corner kicks, while holding OU without a corner.

Nebraska leads the all-time series, 7-2, and is 4-1 all-time against Oklahoma in Lincoln.

Scouting Oklahoma State (10-3-3 Overall, 3-3-1 Big 12)
Oklahoma State picked up a 3-0 victory over Baylor on Friday beforer tying 19th-ranked Texas A&M, 1-1, in double overtime. The Cowgirls and Huskers share seven common opponents, with NU posting a 4-2-1 record against those opponents and OSU posting a 3-3-1 mark.

OSU is led offensively by Jesyca Rosholt, who ranks second in the Big 12 with 11 goals and 27 points. Seventeen Cowgirls have scored a goal this season, as Oklahoma State has outscored its opponents 45-12 on the season.

In net, injuries have forced the Cowgirls to use four different goalkeepers. Injured starter Jeanne Rankin has returned to start the last four games. Rankin has logged 970 minutes. She has posted four shutouts and allowed 10 goals en route to a 0.93 goals-against average. As a team, OSU has posted nine shutouts, with three different keepers posting at least one shutout.

Last Time We Met
Behind Vern Fitzgerald's only goal of the season and five saves from goalkeeper Katie Wright, the Huskers earned a 2-0 victory at Oklahoma State in 2004. Sari Raber added the first goal of her career in the win, as NU outshot OSU, 15-14, including an 8-5 shots-on-goal advantage.

Nebraska leads the all-time series, 8-1-0, with the lone loss coming in 2002 in Lincoln. The Huskers are 4-1 all-time against the Cowgirls in Lincoln.

Scoring Explosion
Nebraska exploded for six goals in a 6-0 victory at Oral Roberts on Friday. The six goals were a season high, topping the team's previous best total of four against UAB on Aug. 28. The six goals were also the most road goals for NU since the Huskers scored 10 goals at Oklahoma State on Oct. 24, 1999.

Game-Winning Assists Record
One year after she established a school single-season record for game-winning assists, junior Brittany Timko is at it again. By assisting on the Huskers' first goal in a 6-0 shutout of Oral Roberts on Friday, Timko posted her sixth game-winning assist of the year, tying her school record set last season.

With her next game-winning assist, Timko would break the school record for the second consecutive season. Her next game-winning assist would also give her 13 for her career, which would tie Meghan Anderson's school record.

Hungerford's Career Day
Sophomore Meghan Hungerford scored two goals to record her first points as a Husker in Nebraska's 6-0 rout at Oral Roberts on Friday. Prior to the match, Hungerford had not posted a goal or an assist in her first 24 games, although she had attempted 16 shots and placed seven of those on goal. Against the Golden Eagles, Hungerford attempted a career-best four shots and scored on both of her career-high two shots on goal.

Nearing 10 Victories
With nine wins so far this season, the Huskers are just one win shy of picking up their 10th victory of the season. Nebraska has won at least 10 games in each of the 12 seasons in program history, including seven seasons with at least 15 wins and three seasons of 20 or more victories.

There's No Place Like Home
After its dominating 3-0 win over Missouri on Oct. 2, the Huskers are 6-1-1 this season (and all-time) at the Nebraska Soccer Field. In contrast, the Huskers are 3-4 away from Lincoln.

Last season, Nebraska was 5-2-0 away from Lincoln and just 7-6 at home.

Timko Ranks High in Assists
Junior Brittany Timko has recorded 14 assists in 15 games this season. When the NCAA statistical rankings were released on Tuesday, Timko ranked third in the nation with an assists-per-game average of 0.93.

When Leading at the Half...
When Nebraska overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit at Colorado on Sept. 23 to post a 2-1 victory, it marked the first time this season the Huskers have won when trailing at the half. NU is 1-3 this season when trailing at the half and is 7-27-0 all-time when trailing at the half.

In contrast, the Huskers are 7-0 this season and a remarkable 154-2-2 all-time when leading at the half.

Coming Back
The Huskers have proven they have the ability to come back this season. In four of its last six wins, NU was down by a goal at some point in the game.

In the San Diego State game on Sept. 6, Nebraska responded after the Aztecs erased a 1-0 halftime deficit and took a 2-1 lead by scoring a pair of goals with less than 10 minutes remaining. The Huskers applied relentless pressure before junior Brittany Timko scored the equalizer at 82:57 and senior Sasha Andrews added the game winner at 84:53.

Nebraska again fell behind 1-0 to Rice on Sept. 11, but rallied for three unanswered goals to cruise to a 3-1 victory. After an Owl goal in the 23rd minute, it took just over 20 minutes for the Huskers to take the lead after a pair of goals from Andrews. Freshman Selenia Iacchelli added the first goal of her career to cap the comeback.

On Sept. 18 against UC Irvine, the Anteaters jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but goals from Iacchelli and Timko lifted the Huskers to victory.

At Colorado on Sept. 23, NU trailed 1-0 at halftime before rallying behind two goals from sophomore Jessie Bruch to post a 2-1 victory. Although the Huskers have shown the ability to come back, the win over CU marked Nebraska's first victory when trailing at the half.

Corner Kickin'
Nebraska, which has historically enjoyed a tremendous advantage in corner kicks taken, is again out-cornering its opponents by a large margin.

NU has won 101 corner kicks, while limiting its opponents to 51. Even more impressive is the second-half breakdown of corner kicks. In the final 45 minutes, the Huskers have won 52 corner kicks, while limiting their opponents to just 18 through 15 games.

Texas Tech Game Rescheduled
Nebraska's game at Texas Tech, which was originally scheduled to be played Sunday, Sept. 25, has been rescheduled for Noon on Sunday, Oct. 30 in Lubbock.

The game was postponed after NU's travel plans were altered because of Hurricane Rita's affect on the Gulf Coast.

Double Spells Trouble
Statistically speaking, Nebraska has been nearly twice as good as its opponents this season. The Huskers have almost doubled their opponents in nearly every statistical category, including goals (28-to-15), corner kicks (101-to-51) and shots on goal (125-to-76).

In addition, the Huskers have also had to make only 61 saves, while opponent's have been forced to make 97 stops.

Timko Moving Up Charts
In addition to her ascent on the NU game-winning assist chart, junior Brittany Timko is moving up several other school record charts.

With her three-assist performance at Oral Roberts on Oct. 14, Timko increased her career total to 28, earning her sixth place on the NU career chart. It was also the sixth multi-assist game of her career, tying her for third place in school history.

Timko ranks in the Nebraska career top 10 in six categories.

Timko also reached the 70-point plateau with a five-point effort at Oral Roberts on Friday and needs just two goals to become only the fifth player in school history to record both 25 goals and 25 assists in a career.

Nearing 70
Senior Nikki Baker has seven points this season and now has 68 points in her career.

With two more points, Baker will become only the 11th player in school history to record 70 or more points in a career.

A native of Bixby, Okla., Baker ranks 10th in school history with 68 career points.

Wright Reaches Milestone
Junior goalkeeper Katie Wright, who finished the 2004 season with 108 saves - the third-highest total in school history - recorded two saves against Rice on Sept. 11 to give her 151 saves in her career. She ranks third in school history in career saves.

Immediate Impact
Even with an experienced team returning nine starters from last year's squad and the return of sophomore Jessie Bruch, the Huskers have received plenty of support from their talented freshman class.

In three of Nebraska's first seven wins, the game-winning goal came off the foot of a freshman. Against Minnesota in the season opener, Lauren Isenhower notched her first career goal off an assist from junior Brittany Timko and against UAB two days later, Aysha Jamani's first of two goals proved to be the game winner in the Huskers' 4-0 win.

Ten freshmen made their collegiate debuts in the Huskers' opening weekend wins, including Selenia Iacchelli who has started all 15 contests this season. In addition to logging minutes, the freshmen have combined to contribute 11 goals and eight assists.

To date, six freshmen have earned a start, including Ali Lokanc, who is out for the season with an injury.

Assistance Needed
Senior Nikki Baker notched her second and third assists of the season the weekend of Sept. 9. With three assists just six games into the season, Baker established a new single-season career high, eclipsing her previous best of two, set in her freshman season of 2002 and matched last year.

Extra Credit
Senior Sasha Andrews and junior Brittany Timko took advantage of the only open Sunday date by joining the Canadian World Cup team in a friendly match with Germany in Edmonton, Alberta on Sept. 4.

Against the 2003 World Cup Champion Germans, both players contributed in a hard-fought 4-3 loss. The Canadians scored their third goal of the game off a Timko corner kick in the 86th minute.

Scoreless Debut
Freshman Jamie Klages made a sparkling collegiate debut in net, recording two saves en route to posting a shutout against UAB on Aug. 28. Klages became only the fourth goalkeeper in school history - and the first since Brooke Bredenberg in 2003 - to record a shutout in her debut.

Klages followed that performance by recording three saves and allowing only one goal against Illinois on Sept. 2. Klages did not allow a goal in her first three halves and had a scoreless minute streak to open her career of 150:37.

Huskers on TV
Friday's match with Oklahoma will be carried live in Nebraska on NET2/NET-HD and will also be carried nationally by CSTV, marking the second Husker game on national television this season.

The televised games mark the only two regular-season games that CSTV will televise live on a national basis.

Nearing 200
Head Coach John Walker, the only coach in the history of the Nebraska Soccer program, needs just five victories to reach 200 career wins and 200 victories at Nebraska. Walker, who ranks 22nd among active coaches in career victories, has a career record of 195-57-9 in 12 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 Marty 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 former Husker, Christine Latham, who is in her second year as a 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.

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 are playing their home games on campus.

The field offers one of the most convenient settings in the nation. Nestled between the home of Husker football and volleyball, it is also near the two full-size indoor practice facilities NU enjoys.

The Championship Indoor Center not only includes a second year-round practice facility, but is also home to new soccer offices, including Coach 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. The Huskers are 6-1-1 at their new home after suffering their only loss Sept. 9 against Colorado College.

Nebraska Soccer Field Firsts
In the first regular-season home game on campus in program history, senior Nikki Baker scored the first goal in the history of the Nebraska Soccer Field. Juniors Abby Penas and Tanya Dennis added the first assists, while freshman Aysha Jamani notched the first multi-goal game at the Nebraska Soccer Field. Fellow freshman Jamie Klages also recorded the first shutout at the new home in the second game of the season against UAB.

The first tie in field history came on Friday as the Huskers' battled Kansas to a 0-0 tie after two overtime periods.

Timko on Watch List
Junior Brittany Timko, the 2004 Big 12 Soccer Player of the Year and a third-team NSCAA All-American, was one of 25 players named to the Hermann Award preseason watch list.

The Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy honors the top male and female Division I college soccer players.

Timko enjoyed a stellar sophomore season in which she was named the Big 12 Conference and National Player of the Week three times. In 19 games, the Coquitlam, British Columbia native scored 15 goals and added 13 assists to total 43 points. Timko also recorded six game-winning assists to break the school record.

A list of 15 semifinalists for the award will be announced in early November, with the three finalists announced in December.

Timko was a semifinalist for the award in 2004.