Huskers Open Conference Season With Key Big 12 Road Games

Game 9: Nebraska (5-1-2, 0-0-0) at Colorado (4-5-0, 1-0-0)
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Live Video: Click Here (subscription required)
Date: Friday, Sept. 25
Time: 5 p.m. CST
Location: Prentup Field, Boulder, Colo.

Game 10: Nebraska (5-1-2, 0-0-0) at Texas Tech (5-4-0, 0-0-0)
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Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Time: Noon CST
Location: John Walker Soccer Complex, Lubbock, Texas

After compiling a 4-0-1 mark in its five-game homestand, the Nebraska soccer team takes its show on the road when it opens Big 12 play this weekend with a pair of key conference games at Colorado and Texas Tech.

The Huskers and Buffaloes will kickoff at 5 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 25 from Prentup Field in Boulder, Colo., before Nebraska travels south for Sunday's Noon conference battle against the Red Raiders at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

Nebraska (5-1-2) is an incredible 13-0 in Big 12 Conference openers since the league was formed in 1996. Seven of those victories have come on the road, while three have been over ranked opponents, including last year's thrilling 2-1 double overtime win against No. 25 Kansas.

Fans will have an opportunity to watch Friday's game at Colorado on www.cubuffs.com with a paid monthly subscription ($5.99). Both Colorado and Texas Tech will offer live stats on the school's official websites, while Huskers.com will provide live updates on the NU Soccer Blog.

Husker History vs. Colorado
Nebraska leads the all-time series against Colorado, 7-5-2, but the Buffs won both matchups last season, including a 1-0 victory at the Big 12 Championship that ended the Huskers' season. Colorado had defeated Nebraska three weeks earlier in Lincoln by overcoming an early 1-0 deficit to claim a 2-1 win.

The Huskers' last victory over the Buffs was a 2-1 triumph on Sept. 23, 2005 in Boulder when Jessie Bruch scored both goals for NU.

This Friday will be the second trip to the state of Colorado, as the Huskers previously defeated Colorado College (Exh. 2-0, Aug. 18) and Northern Colorado (3-0, Aug. 22) on the road.

Scouting the Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado has taken on one of the most challenging schedules in women's college soccer this season, playing five ranked opponents in its first nine games. The Buffaloes are 4-5-0 and were among the NSCAA/adidas Top 25 until dropping both games last weekend at the Stanford Tournament against No. 3 Stanford (4-0) and No. 12 Santa Clara (1-0 OT). Colorado has played in the only Big 12 Conference game this season, downing Oklahoma State (1-0) in Boulder in the season opener for both teams.

A member of the 2008 Big 12 All-Newcomer team, sophomore midfielder Kelly Butler has provided the most offensive punch this season with seven points (3 goals, 1 assist). Colorado's biggest returnee in 2009 is senior forward Nikki Marshall. A three-time first-team All-Big 12 selection, Marshall is currently tied for the team lead with three goals and is the school record holder with 37 in her career. Senior midfielder Ally Goodman, the twin sister of Colorado starting placekicker Aric, and freshman midfielder Erin Bricker are tied for the team lead in assists with two each.

The Buffaloes went 14-5-2 last season and finished second in the Big 12 Conference with a 6-2-2 league record. Despite earning a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Buffaloes were upset in the first round by South Dakota State.

Husker History vs. Texas Tech
Nebraska leads the all-time series against Texas Tech, 14-1-0, with its lone loss coming in the Huskers' last trip to Lubbock in 2007. Katie Goetzmann led Nebraska to a 3-0 victory in last year's contest at the Nebraska Soccer Field as she scored one goal and added an assist.

The Huskers will be playing on FieldTurf in Lubbock at the new John Walker Soccer Complex, which opened at the start of the 2008 season. John Walker is a Texas Tech alum who primarily funded the new facility.

Scouting the Texas Tech Red Raiders
Redshirt freshman Dawn Ward has led Texas Tech to a 5-4-0 start after a 2-1 victory over Weber State last Sunday. Ward is the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after she scored two goals, including one in the Red Raiders' 2-1 double-overtime loss to Alabama.

Sophomore Taylor Lytle is one of the Big 12's best midfielders and leads the nation in assists (8) and is second in assists per game (0.89). Texas Tech has shown some offensive punch, as it is second in the Big 12 with 24 goals and 65 points this season.

The Red Raiders were 8-10-1 last year and finished eighth in the conference standings with a 3-7-0 record. They returned eight starters from that team and look to be on track for improvement in 2009.

Marlborough Remains No. 1 in NCAA Rankings
After three goals in the past two games, freshman Morgan Marlborough is the NCAA's top scorer with 13 goals and 30 points on the 2009 season. Louisiana Tech's Rachel King is second in both categories with 11 goals and 24 points, although the Bulldogs have played two more games than the Huskers.

A native of Lee's Summit, Mo., Marlborough was voted Big 12 Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Week on Sept. 15 after she turned in six goals and two assists in wins over North Dakota (Sept. 11) and Akron (Sept. 13), including four goals against the Zips to tie the single-game school record. It marked just the third time in Big 12 history that a player has earned two awards in the same week.

Aside from holding the nation's best marks in goals (13), goals per game (1.625), points (30) and points per game (3.75), Marlborough is also the Big 12 leader in shots (41, 5.12 pg), tied for second in game-winning goals (3) and tied for third in assists (4). Her four-goal, eight-point game against Akron is the best single-game performance in the Big 12 Conference this season

The Huskers are 5-0-2 when Marlborough finds the back of the net, as she has scored in all but one game this year (3-1 loss vs. Lehigh on Aug. 28).

Big Offensive Numbers Leads to Strong Start
Nebraska is the nation's second-highest scoring team and the Big 12's best with 36 goals through the first eight games of the season - an average of 4.50 goals per contest. The Huskers put up 30 goals during their five-game homestand to break the Nebraska Soccer Field season record of 26 set in both 2005 and 2006.

The Huskers scored nine goals in a 9-0 victory over South Dakota on Sept. 18, the best single-game total in the Big 12 Conference this season. This Friday's opponent, Colorado, had eight against Saint Mary's (Calif.) on Aug. 30.

Macdonald Providing Solid Defense In the Net
Junior goalkeeper Tara Macdonald is unbeaten this season with a 5-0-2 record in the net. The Austin, Texas native ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with 4.29 saves per game and has 30 stops overall. Macdonald's career-best nine-save game at Villanova on Aug. 30 is the second-most saves by a Big 12 goalie this season. She has allowed just one goal in the last three games.

Thomas Building on Freshman All-Big 12 Campaign
Sophomore Molly Thomas turned in a career-best two-goal, two-assist game in Nebraska's 9-0 win against South Dakota on Sept.18. Those numbers upped her season totals to six goals and three assists (15 points) to surpass her season numbers from 2008, when she finished the year with five goals and one assist. Thomas is ranked fourth in the Big 12 Conference with six goals and has had three multi-goal games this season.

Goetzmann Develops Offensive Power
Junior midfielder Colleen Goetzmann has been one of Nebraska's biggest surprises on the offensive side of the ball, logging four goals after scoring once in her first two seasons combined. A starter in all eight games, Goetzmann's four goals rank third on the team and seventh in the Big 12 Conference, while she has taken nine shots on net. Entering the 2009 season, the Omaha native had one goal and one assist in her career.

Peetz, Caniglia Continue Amazing Streaks
Senior defenders Carly Peetz and Anna Caniglia are bidding to end their collegiate careers having started every single game as a Husker. Through three years, the duo had each started all 59 games from 2006 to 2008, a number that has increased to 67 this fall. The seniors are primary reasons NU has held opponents to 1.12 goals per game, while each has produced four points on offense (Peetz two goals; Caniglia four assists).

Freshmen See Playing Time in First Year with Huskers
Freshman Jordan Jackson has played in all eight games this season, scoring three goals on 16 shots, while also tallying one assist. Freshman Bri Exstrom saw her first game action of the 2009 season against South Dakota on Sept. 18 and made the most of her opportunity by notching a goal in the 82nd minute. The freshman class scored five goals in the 9-0 win over the Coyotes and have 17 as a unit (Marlborough-13, Jackson-3, Exstrom-1).

Review: Huskers and Sun Devils Fight to 1-1 Tie
Freshman Morgan Marlborough found the back of the net with 16 seconds remaining in the first half, but Nebraska was unable to hold off Arizona State as the Huskers and Sun Devils fought to a 1-1 double overtime tie at the Nebraska Soccer Field on Sept. 20.

Marlborough's NCAA-leading 13th goal of season came after she gained control near the top left side of the penalty box and beat an ASU defender to score from 15 yards away. With 13 goals and 30 points this season, the freshman has already put up the highest season totals by a Husker in both categories since 2005.

Nebraska held on to the 1-0 lead for the next 36 minutes behind solid goalkeeping by junior Tara Macdonald. The Husker goalie played all 110 minutes and did not allow a goal until 14:06 to go in the game when Arizona State's Taylor McCarter scored from nearly the same spot as Marlborough's goal in the first half. Macdonald finished the game with four saves, including three in the final 15 minutes of the first half.

Although Nebraska finished with two shots on goal, the offensive production was greater than the final stats indicate. Following a corner kick just 14 minutes into the game, junior Anna White headed a shot off the right post, before Marlborough hit the left post from 18 yards out two minutes later. Arizona State outshot Nebraska, 21-16 overall, with both teams registering three shots apiece in the overtime periods.

Aside from the goal, the Huskers' other shot on net came off the leg of junior midfielder Colleen Goetzmann with 2:42 remaining in the first half.

The tie was the second overtime game of the season for the Huskers, as Nebraska also tied Villanova, 2-2, on Aug. 30.

Up Next: Huskers Host Green Bay, Oklahoma State
Nebraska comes home following this weekend to play Green Bay (Fri., Oct. 2; 4 p.m.) and Oklahoma State (Sun., Oct. 4, 1 p.m.) at the Nebraska Soccer Field. It will be the first meeting in school history against the Phoenix, while the Huskers lead the all-time series with the Cowgirls, 9-4-0. Sunday's game will be Nebraska's Big 12 Conference home opener.

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