%20--%3e%3csvg%20version='1.1'%20id='Nebraska_N'%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20x='0px'%20y='0px'%20viewBox='0%200%20163%20152'%20style='enable-background:new%200%200%20163%20152;'%20xml:space='preserve'%3e%3cstyle%20type='text/css'%3e%20.st0{fill:%23FFFFFF;}%20%3c/style%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M159.1,144c-2.3,0-4.1,1.8-4.1,4s1.8,4,4,4s4-1.8,4-4S161.2,144,159.1,144z%20M159,151.2c-1.8,0-3.2-1.4-3.2-3.2%20s1.4-3.2,3.2-3.2c1.7,0,3.2,1.5,3.2,3.2C162.2,149.8,160.8,151.2,159,151.2z'/%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M157.4,145.6h1.4c0.6,0,0.8,0,1.1,0.2c0.4,0.2,0.6,0.6,0.6,1.1c0,0.4-0.1,0.7-0.3,1c-0.1,0.2-0.3,0.2-0.6,0.4%20h-0.1l1.1,2.1h-0.8l-1-2h-0.6v2h-0.8L157.4,145.6L157.4,145.6z%20M158.6,147.7c0,0,0.3,0,0.4,0c0.4-0.1,0.6-0.3,0.6-0.8%20c0-0.3-0.1-0.5-0.4-0.6c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.6,0h-0.4v1.4L158.6,147.7L158.6,147.7z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M147,0H93h-5v5v35v5h5h5v24.8L55.2,2.3L53.7,0H51H5H0v5v35v5h5h5v62H5H0v5v35v5h5h54h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V82.2%20l42.8,67.5l1.5,2.3h2.7h46h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V45h5h5v-5V5V0H147z%20M150,5v35v3h-3h-7v66h7h3v3v35v3h-3h-46h-1.6l-0.9-1.4L52,75.3%20V109h7h3v3v35v3h-3H5H2v-3v-35v-3h3h7V43H5H2v-3V5V2h3h46h1.7l0.9,1.4L100,76.7V43h-7h-3v-3V5V2h3h54h3V5z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M103,87L103,87L51,5H5v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0c0,3.3,0,68.7,0,72l0,0c-2.2,0-10,0-10,0v35h54v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0%20c0-2.6,0-47,0-47l52,82h46v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0c0-3.3,0-68.7,0-72c2.2,0,10,0,10,0V5H93v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0%20C103,42.6,103,87,103,87z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
Lincoln-After enduring its first losing season ever in 2007, this fall featured breakouts on and off the field for the Nebraska women’s soccer team. The Huskers proved they are still a force in the Big 12 by posting a 6-4 record in conference to claim fifth place, after being tabbed to finish eighth in the preseason coaches poll. Overall, NU earned a 10-9-1 mark to double its win total from the previous season. The Huskers also posted impressive marks in the classroom, as a conference-leading 15 NU players were named to the 2008 academic All-Big 12 team. Senior Sari Raber was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII first team.
Slow Start Turns to Eight Straight
The 2008 season turned out to be a successful one, but the Huskers got off to a slow start with an 0-4 record after three of their first four games were on the road. Nebraska erased a two-goal second-half deficit on the road for the first time in program history, but still lost 4-3 in the season opener at Northwestern on Aug. 22. Sophomore Michaella Fulmer posted two goals, while Molly Thomas, NU’s lone freshman, earned her first career points with an assist. The Huskers statistically dominated UC Riverside on Aug. 29, but lost a 1-0 decision in their home opener and their path didn’t get any easier from there. Nebraska faced its first ranked opponent of the season in No. 22 Florida on Aug. 31. Traveling to Gainesville, Fla., on short rest, NU lost 6-1, but Thomas notched her first career goal. Senior Brittany Pfeil earned her first career start against Saint Louis on Sept. 5, but the Huskers couldn’t find the back of the net, as the Billikens won a close 1-0 game.
After dropping several winnable games, frustration could have been mounting, but Head Coach John Walker rallied the Huskers in a big way. NU went undefeated in its next eight contests, taking advantage of an extended home stand. Nebraska won its first game of the season with a 3-0 drubbing of UAB on Sept. 7 behind a two-goal performance from junior forward Shay Powell. The Huskers’ new found offense carried into their next game, as NU posted three goals against Oakland on Sept. 14. Powell once again spearheaded the offense with two goals, including the game-winner in overtime. Nebraska tied Drake in a postponed game on Sept. 16, but was back to business on Sept. 19 with another three-goal showing. Senior Aysha Jamani scored twice this time to power the Huskers past North Dakota State. Nebraska had posted three goals in three of its past four games, and went on to score three times in seven games during the 2008 season. The Huskers wrapped up non-conference play by cranking out a season-high 31 shots, directing 12 on goal, to earn a 2-1 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 21. NU dominated the stat sheet against non-conference foes, averaging more than 20 shots and holding five consecutive opponents to fewer than 10 shots for the first time since 2000.
Leaping into the League
The Huskers faced a tall task in their conference opener against No. 25 Kansas on Sept. 26. The Jayhawks took a lead into halftime, but Nebraska battled back with a second-half goal to send the game into overtime. Thomas tacked on the first game-winning goal of her career in double-overtime to give NU the victory and extend its record to an impressive 13-0 in Big 12 openers. Nebraska has defeated Kansas twice in its conference opener, and the Jayhawks were ranked in both matches. The double-overtime drama continued for the Huskers against Missouri on Sept. 28. Junior defender Anna Caniglia sent the game into extra time with her score in the 89th minute and Raber ended the contest in the 107th minute. Powell beat the MU goalkeeper to a slow dribbling ball on the right side of the box and found Raber across the middle for an empty-net goal.
The Huskers ran their winning streak to a season-high five games with an emphatic 2-1 win versus previously unbeaten and eighth-ranked Texas in front of 896 fans at the Nebraska Soccer Field on Oct. 3. Sophomore midfielder Anna White made her only goal of the season an important one, as she found the back of the net in the 19th minute against the Longhorns. UT tied the game, but Jamani notched her second game-winning goal of the season in the 59th minute to propel the Huskers past Texas. The win marked Nebraska’s highest defeat of a ranked opponent since toppling No. 8 Kansas in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Championship, and was NU’s first win against Texas since that same season. The Huskers also moved to 3-0 in the conference for the first time since 2004.
Nebraska couldn’t keep its momentum on the road though, as the Huskers saw their longest undefeated streak since 2000 snapped with a 1-0 loss at Baylor on Oct. 5. The Bears scored in the fifth minute and held on through a barrage of NU shots for the victory. The Huskers’ road woes continued at College Station with a 2-0 loss to No. 7 Texas A&M on Oct. 10. Pfeil made a career-high seven saves to hold off the Aggies until TAMU scored in the 63rd minute and notched a late empty-net goal. Facing their second consecutive opponent, the Huskers struck first against No. 15 Colorado on Oct. 17 with a Raber goal, but the Buffaloes earned two second-half scores for the victory in Lincoln.
NU returned to its winning ways in dominant fashion with a 3-0 shutout of Texas Tech in its home finale on Oct. 19. Redshirt freshman midfielder Katie Goetzmann stole the spotlight on Senior Day, as she notched her first career points. Goetzmann notched her first career goal in the 74th minute and followed shortly with her first career assist on a Fulmer goal in the 79th minute. Raber notched her second game-winning goal of the season, as the Huskers claimed their largest conference victory since beating TTU 4-1 in Lubbock in 2005.
Junior defender Carly Peetz muscled Nebraska to its first road victory of the season at Oklahoma on Oct. 24. Caniglia and Jamani collaborated on a corner in the 72nd minute and found Peetz wide open in the middle of the box for a header into the back of the net. The score was Peetz’s first career game-winner. The NU defense also continued its solid play, as the Huskers posted their second consecutive shutout in Big 12 play for the first time since 2005. Pfeil made five saves to run her scoreless minutes to 184 and earn her third shutout of the season.
Thomas notched her fifth goal of the season at No. 9 Oklahoma State, but Nebraska lost a 2-1 match in Stillwater, Okla., on Oct. 26. Scoring chances were few and far between, as both teams battled wind gusts of over 30 miles per hour, but the Cowgirls’ Yolanda Odenyo scored twice to cap a perfect 10-0 home record for OSU during 2008.
The Huskers posted three scores in a half for the second time during 2008 to defeat Iowa State in the regular-season finale in Ames, Iowa, on Oct. 31. ISU had a 1-0 lead at halftime, but Powell powered Nebraska in the second half with a goal and assist to help the Huskers post their 10th victory of the season. NU has posted at least 10 wins in 14 of the 15 year history of the program. The Huskers’ 6-4 record in the conference earned them fifth in the Big 12, their highest finish since 2005.
Back to the Big 12 Championship
After missing the Big 12 Championship in 2007 for the first time in Nebraska history, the Huskers earned a first-round match against No. 16 Colorado on Nov. 5 with their fifth-place finish. Meeting for the first time ever in the conference tournament and second time in 2008, NU dueled the Buffs to a tie on the stat sheet, but CU prevailed on the field with a 1-0 win at Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. Both teams battled windy, humid conditions to post 13 shots each, but NU earned six shots on goal to double CU’s total of three.
The Huskers fought to a 0-0 tie at halftime, but CU struck quickly in the second frame with a goal in the 50th minute. Powell led the NU offense with five shots, directing three on goal, while senior midfielder Selenia Iacchelli, sophomore defender Brittany Goosen and Jamani also notched shots on goal.
Accumulating the Accolades
Nebraska’s determination and resolve during the 2008 season didn’t go unnoticed. Three Huskers were voted to All-Big 12 teams by the league’s coaches. Jamani was named to the first team after starting all 19 regular-season NU contests. She finished fifth on the squad with nine points on three goals and three assists. The senior was also a two-time selection to the All-Big 12 second team and was named to the Big 12 all-newcomer squad in 2005.
Peetz was a second-team selection after being the rock of the NU backline in 2008. She also started every game, helping the Huskers post five shutouts on the season. Offensively, she notched a career-high three points against Missouri on Sept. 28 with the game-winning goal and an assist. The junior also led the Huskers to victory over the Sooners on Oct. 24 with her second game-winning goal of the season.
Thomas was named to the all-newcomer team after finishing second on the team with 11 points on five goals and one assist. She notched a point in her first career game with an assist versus Northwestern and went on to make 18 starts during the season. Her double-overtime game-winning score against No. 25 Kansas on Sept. 26 earned her Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Week honors on Sept. 30. She finished the season second on the team in shots (44) and shots on goal (22).
Katie Goetzmann was also named the newcomer of the week after her three-point performance against Texas Tech on Oct. 19, but the Huskers really excelled in the classroom. A Big 12-leading 15 Huskers were named to the 2008 academic team. Nebraska placed 14 student-athletes on the first team and one on the second team for its most-ever academic All-Big 12 honors in a single season. Leading the NU contingent was Raber, who captured first-team accolades for the third consecutive season. A native of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, she was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII first team and is in contention for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. Fellow seniors Lindsay Poehling and Iacchelli also earned first-team accolades for the third time in their careers.
Juniors Brittney Lanier, Powell, Caniglia and Peetz notched their second academic first-team honors, while eight Huskers claimed the award for the first time in their career.