NU Looks to Continue Postseason Success

The Nebraska soccer team (13-7-1) advanced to its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament when the field of 64 was announced on Monday. The Huskers were selected to host the program's first regional since 2001 and the fifth in school history.

NU will face in-state rival Creighton at 2:05 p.m. on Friday. In the first match, No. 1 seeded Portland will meet Iowa State at 11:05 p.m. at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

The Huskers have advanced out of the first round in each of the last nine NCAA Tournaments and have never suffered a first-round loss in the history of the program. Furthermore, NU has advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in eight of the past nine NCAA Tournaments, including last season.

If Nebraska defeats Creighton on Friday, it will not only mark the 10th consecutive season the Huskers won their first game in the NCAA Tournament, but would also mark the 200th victory in program history and the 200th win for Head Coach John Walker.

The Huskers and Bluejays have not met in 2005, but met twice last season with NU earning a pair of come-from-behind wins, 4-2 win in Lincoln and 3-2 in Omaha. Creighton earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament by winning the Missouri Valley Conference crown last weekend. CU is 0-2-0 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska earned an at-large bid after going 1-1-0 at the Big 12 Tournament in San Antonio, Texas, last week. The Huskers were sharp in all aspects of the game in a 3-1 victory over Kansas in the first round and played with great effort in a hard-fought 4-2 loss to eventual champion Texas A&M in the semifinals.

The Huskers have won four of their last six games and have been led offensively by the re-emergence of Brittany Timko, the 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year. Timko, who was also named the Big 12 Player of the Year in 2004, has scored seven goals and notched eight assists for a total of 22 points in her last eight games. In comparison, Timko tallied just 17 points in her first 13 games. Timko has scored 10 goals and added a school-record 20 assists this season and has posted consecutive seasons with at least 40 points. Timko ranks second in the nation with 20 assists and an assists-per-game average of 0.95.

Timko notched two assists and scored one goal at the Big 12 Tournament and was named to the all-tournament squad. Joining Timko on the team was sophomore Jessie Bruch, who scored three goals at the tournament. Bruch, who has returned after missing all of last season while recovering from offseason knee surgery, has scored seven goals this season, with each goal coming since the beginning of league play.

While Timko became just the second player in the 10-year history of the Big 12 to earn more than one player-of-the-year honor, senior Sasha Andrews and freshman Aysha Jamani were also recognized for their outstanding seasons. Andrews repeated as a first-team All-Big 12 selection. An excellent defender who anchors the Huskers' backline, Andrews has also scored six goals and added two assists for 14 total points. Jamani, who was also named to the all-newcomer team, ranks second on the team with seven goals and 17 points in her first year at Nebraska.

Scouting Creighton (12-5-3, 4-2-0 Missouri Valley)
Creighton and Nebraska share just one common opponent this season, fellow regional competitor Iowa State. Each team lost to ISU, with Creighton falling 2-1 and the Huskers losing 2-0. Creighton has won six of its last seven games heading into Friday's match.

Offensively, Marcy Gans leads the team with 22 points on eight goals and two assists. Kristine Willrett boasts a team-best 12 assists, while Lindsay Vaught and Katy Peetz have also reached double-figures in points this season.

In net, Valerie Zimmerer and Kristin Casey have split time, but Zimmerer has earned the start in five of the Bluejays' last seven games. Zimmerer has posted a 1.12 goals-against average, recording 34 saves while posting three shutouts.

Last Time We Met
Nebraska and Creighton played twice in 2004 with the Huskers winning both meetings. In the first contest, Creighton jumped ahead 2-0 with goals in the 26th and 28th minute, but a goal from Nikki Baker cut CU's lead to 2-1 at half. Tanya Dennis tied the game in the 65th minute and Katie Bunkers' first career goal put NU up for good. Jetta Sadusky added the Huskers' final goal in the 85th minute.

In the second game, Creighton erased an early 1-0 deficit to tie the game on a goal by Kristine Willrett in the 24th minute. Tied at the half, Willrett's second goal gave the Bluejays' a 2-1 lead in the 67th minute. Brittany Timko then tied the game in the 70th minute and assisted on Sasha Andrews' game-winning goal 2:22 later.

The all-time series between the in-state rivals is tied 3-3-1, but NU has posted a 3-0-1 record in the last four meetings after dropping the first three games in the series.

Nebraska vs. Iowa State and Portland
If NU can defeat Creighton in the first round, Nebraska is no stranger to either team awaiting the Huskers on Sunday. The Huskers and Cyclones have met 11 times, with NU owning a 10-1-0 all-time record against ISU. Iowa State, however, defeated the Huskers 2-0 in Lincoln this season for the program's first-ever victory over Nebraska. Iowa State's appearance in the 2005 NCAA Tournament is the program's first NCAA berth.

NU and Portland have met eight times, with three of those meetings coming in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers are 1-6-1 all-time against the Pilots, including an 0-3-0 mark in the NCAA Tournament. The last time the teams met, Portland ended Nebraska's season in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament on the Pilots' home field. The Huskers have lost four straight in the series, including two contests in the NCAA Tournament.

2004 NCAA Tournament Recap
Nebraska, limited by a depleted roster and the loss of three starters to the Canadian Under-20 National Team, made a memorable run to the program's eighth Sweet 16 appearance last season. The Huskers traveled to Lawrence, Kan., for the first and second rounds and faced Oral Roberts in the opening round.

Against ORU, NU dominated behind the first career hat trick from Nikki Baker, who scored two first-half goals in the sixth and 22nd minute to put Nebraska in control of the match. She added her third goal off a penalty kick at 65:51. The Huskers outshot ORU, 22-9, while Katie Wright made four saves in goal for NU, while posting the shutout.

In the second round, the Huskers faced the host Jayhawks in the second meeting between the two teams on KU's home field. Behind a great overall effort, the Huskers withstood 27 shots from Kansas and scored on two of their eight shots. Brooke Bredenberg gave NU a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute. Caroline Smith was able to tie the game in the 68th minute to force overtime. In the extra period, Abby Penas started a quick Husker counterattack that led to Nikki Baker's game-winning goal 4:19 into the first overtime.

After advancing past the first weekend of NCAA Tournament play, the Huskers traveled to Champaign, Ill., to square off against Illinois. The Fighting Illini took an early 1-0 lead in the 21st minute, but Bredenberg's second goal of the postseason tied the game 8:09 later. The game remained tied until an Illini and Husker collided in the box and a late penalty kick was awarded. Sarah Brown converted on the penalty kick at 85:16 and Illinois held on to advance to the Elite Eight.

Timko's Tear
Junior Brittany Timko, the 2004 and 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year, may not have started the year producing points at the level she did last season, but she has picked up her play of late.

NU Head Coach John Walker says Timko's increased assist total and added leadership have made her even better in 2005. But for good measure, Timko is in the midst of one of her patented scoring tears.

Over her last eight games, Timko has scored seven goals and notched eight assists for a total of 22 points. In comparison, Timko tallied just 17 points in her first 13 games before her recent tear.

Timko now leads the team with 40 points and is the first Husker to record back-to-back seasons of 40 or more points since Christine Latham strung together three consecutive 40-point seasons from 2000 to 2002.

Bruch's Big Day
Sophomore Jessie Bruch capped an excellent Big 12 Tournament with a pair of goals against Texas A&M in the semifinals. The two goals tied Bruch's career high and marked the second multi-goal game of her season and career.

For the tournament, Bruch led the team with three goals and six points and scored the game-winning goal in the Huskers' 3-1 win over Kansas in the opening round. Bruch has tallied seven goals and 14 points this season. For her efforts, Bruch was named to the All-Tournament team.

Timko Sets Assists Record
Junior Brittany Timko recorded an assist to go along with three goals at Texas Tech on Oct. 30 in the Huskers' regular-season finale. The assist was her 18th of the year and broke Jenny Benson's school single-season record of 17, set in 1999.

Timko tied Benson's school record with three assists in the Huskers' 3-2 win over Oklahoma State on Oct. 24. Timko's third assist proved to be the game-winning assist, which was her seventh of the season, bettering her school record of six, set last season.

In the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament against Kansas, Timko assisted on the Huskers' game-winning goal. In addition to extending her single-season school record, it was the 14th game-winning assist of her career, breaking Meghan Anderson's school record.

Timko has since added two more assists to increase her season total to 20. She ranks second in the nation with 20 assists and a 0.95 assists-per-game average. In NCAA Division I history, only 18 players have ever recorded 22 or more assists in a season and only 17 have recorded an assists-per-game average of 1.00 or better.

Nearing 200
Head Coach John Walker, the only coach in the history of the Nebraska soccer program, needs just one more victory 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 199-59-9 in 12 years at the helm of the Huskers. Walker would become just the 22nd coach in the history of Division I women's soccer to post 200 career victories.

Freshman Saves Mark
Freshman goalkeeper Jamie Klages has made a freshman-record 75 saves in her rookie season, marking just the sixth time in school history a goalkeeper has recorded 75 saves in a season. Former Husker and current Iowa State Head Coach Rebecca Hornbacher made 82 saves in her first season at NU in 1996, but Hornbacher was a junior that season.

Timko Distributing and Finishing
Junior Brittany Timko became the first player to lead the team in both goals and assists in NU history by accomplishing the feat last season. In 2005, Timko is again leading NU in both categories.

Timko has a three-goal lead over senior Sasha Andrews and freshman Aysha Jamani with 10 goals this season. Timko enjoys a wider margin in assists, where her school-record 20 assists are 15 more than fellow junior Tanya Dennis, who ranks second on the team with five assists.

Meghan Anderson, who played for Nebraska from 1998 to 2001, is the only other Husker in school history to lead NU in goals and assists, although she never accomplished the feat in the same season. Anderson twice led the Huskers in assists (2000 and 2001) and led NU with 21 goals in 1999.

Three Earn All-Big 12 Honors
Junior Brittany Timko became just the second player in league history to repeat as the Big 12 Soccer Player of the Year when she was named the 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year. Timko was also a first-team All-Big 12 selection and was joined on the squad by senior Sasha Andrews, another repeat selection. Freshman Aysha Jamani was named to the All-Big 12 second team, as well as the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team.

Timko joined former Husker Christine Latham as the only players in league history to earn two Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honors. Latham claimed consecutive honors in 2000 and 2001.

Timko leads the team with 10 goals, 20 assists and 40 points. Her 20 assists and eight game-winning assists are both single-season school records. Timko has recorded 23 points in her last eight games, including having a hand in 16 of the Huskers’ last 20 goals. She also earned Big 12 All-Tournament team honors after scoring one goal and adding two assists.

Andrews has anchored the Huskers’ defense that has seen several key injuries. In addition to solidifying the backline, Andrews has been a big part of the offense, scoring a career-high six goals and adding two assists for a career-best total of 14 points. A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Andrews leads the Huskers with four game-winning goals this season.

In her first season at Nebraska, Jamani has scored seven goals and added three assists. Her 17 points rank second on the team to Timko’s 40.

Academic All-Big 12
Four Nebraska soccer players were honored for their work in the classroom, earning academic All-Big 12 honors.

Seniors Katie Bunkers and Vern Fitzgerald and sophomore Meghan Hungerford earned first-team academic All-Big 12 honors, while junior Abby Penas earned second-team accolades.

Bunkers, an advertising major from Sioux Falls, S.D., was named to the first team for the third time in her career. Fitzgerald, a Lincoln native majoring in special education, earned her second academic All-Big 12 honor, but was named to the first team for the first time in her career. Penas, an elementary education major from Grand Island, and Hungerford, a sophomore from Manhattan, Kan., were each honored for the first time in their careers.

Nominated by each institution’s director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the soccer academic all-league squad consisted of 63 first-team members and 17 second-team honorees. First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, while the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

Academic All-Region
In addition to earning her third consecutive first-team academic All-Big 12 selection, senior Katie Bunkers was named to the CoSIDA academic All-District VII second team.

NU Dominates All-Time Squad
A league-best six Huskers were among 13 players selected to the Big 12 Soccer 10th Anniversary Team, selected by the league’s head coaches. In order to be eligible for consideration, former athletes must have been named All-Big 12 first team at least once in their careers.

Breanna Boyd (1999-2002), Isabelle Morneau (1996-99) and Sharolta Nonen (1996-99) earned three of the four defender spots, while Meghan Anderson (1998-2001) and Jenny Benson (1996-2000) were two of the five midfielders honored. Christine Latham (1999-2002) was the lone Husker forward honored.

Benson and Morneau were each four-time first-team All-Big 12 selections, while Latham, Anderson and Nonen each made three appearances on the first-team All-Big 12 squad. Latham and Anderson also added a second-team selection in their freshman seasons. Boyd was a two-time first-team All-Big 12 pick.

In addition to the All-Big 12 honors, Latham was voted the league’s Player of the Year in 2000 and 2001, while Nonen was the 1999 Big 12 Player of the Year.

Nebraska dominated the selections, as nearly half of the players were Huskers. Texas A&M, with three selections, was the only other team to have more than one player on the Anniversary team. NU has had 37 first-team All-Big 12 picks all-time, while A&M ranks second with 24 first-team selections. The Huskers lead the league in conference victories, All-Big 12 picks, Player-of-the-Year recipients and rank first in the conference with a combined eight Big 12 titles.

Wright Out For Season
Junior goalkeeper Katie Wright, who was 3-1-0 in goal this season and boasted a 1.50 goals-against average, is out for the season with a knee injury. The injury has bothered Wright for most of the season before she learned two weeks ago that she would miss the remainder of the season.

Wright joins senior Aly Scace, sophomores Brigid Kenny and Sari Raber and freshmen Ali Lokanc, Lindsay Poehling - four of whom started at least one game this season - as Huskers who have suffered season-ending injuries.

Seniors Say Goodbye
Nebraska's five-player 2005 senior class consisting of Sasha Andrews, Nikki Baker, Katie Bunkers, Vern Fitzgerald, injured starter Aly Scace and undergraduate assistant coach Kari Hogan were honored following their final regular-season home game against Iowa State on Oct. 28.

The class has posted an impressive 56-30-5 (.643 winning percentage) record to date. The group also posted a win in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and advanced to a pair of Sweet 16 appearances.

In the Big 12 Conference, the class captured the 2002 Big 12 Tournament title and has posted an overall league record of 24-14-2 (.625), including winning at least six conference games each season.

At home, the group has posted a 30-12-3 (.700) record to date, posting at least seven home victories each season. The group has started a combined 303 career games and has produced 48 goals, 23 assists and 119 points.

Timko Plays the Numbers Game
Junior Brittany Timko has reached several numerical milestones this season. With a three-assist performance against Oklahoma State on Oct. 23, Timko notched the 30th assist and 80th point of her career.

Timko is one of just six Huskers to tally at least 30 assists in a career in the 12-year history of Nebraska soccer. With 92 points, she ranks eighth on the NU career chart.

A native of Coquitlam, British Columbia, Timko also joined the 25-goal/25-assist club with a pair of goals against Oklahoma on Oct. 21. She is only the fifth player in school history to join the club and is just one goal shy of joining Meghan Anderson as the only Huskers in the 30-goal/30-assist club.

40 Points Times Two
Junior Brittany Timko notched four points at the Big 12 Tournament to push her season total to a team-best 40 points.

Timko is the first Husker to post back-to-back seasons of at least 40 points since Christine Latham strung together three consecutive 40-point seasons from 2000 to 2002.

Timko Ranks High in Assists
Junior Brittany Timko has recorded 20 assists in 21 games this season. When the NCAA statistical rankings were released on Tuesday, Timko ranked second in the nation with 20 assists and an assists-per-game average of 0.95.

Posting 10 Victories
With 13 wins this season, the Huskers have continued the program's winning tradition. 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.

Scoring Explosion
Nebraska exploded for six goals in a 6-0 victory at Oral Roberts on Oct. 14. 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.

There's No Place Like Home
After its 2-0 loss against Iowa State on Oct. 28, the Huskers finished 8-2-1 in their inaugural season 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. NU is 1-1-0 at neutral site locations after last week's Big 12 Tournament in San Antonio.

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 1-4 this season when trailing at the half and is 7-28-0 all-time when trailing at the half.

In contrast, the Huskers are 10-0-0 this season and a remarkable 157-2-2 all-time when leading at the half.

Two is the Magic Number
Nebraska is 12-1-0 this season when scoring more than one goal. The Huskers had won 14 consecutive games when scoring more than one goal before a 4-2 loss to Texas A&M in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament last Friday. NU is a remarkable 184-8-0 (.958) all-time when scoring more than one goal.

Coming Back
The Huskers have proven they have the ability to come back this season. In four of their 13 victories, the Huskers were 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.

Nebraska again fell behind 1-0 to Rice on Sept. 11, but rallied for three unanswered goals to cruise to a 3-1 victory.

On Sept. 18 against UC Irvine, the Anteaters jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but a pair of goals 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 a league-best 153 corner kicks, while limiting its opponents to just 68.

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 11th in school history with 68 career points.

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.

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.

Huskers on TV
Nebraska's Big 12 Tournament semifinal match with Texas A&M on Friday was carried live by Fox Sports Net, marking the Huskers' third live appearance on national television this season.

NU's home matches with Missouri on Oct. 2 and Oklahoma on Oct. 21 were eached televised live by NET2 in Nebraska and nationally by CSTV.

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

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.

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.

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.