Huskers Conclude Regular Season Against Buffs on FSN Rocky Mountain

Game 19: Nebraska (12-5-1, 5-3-1) at Colorado (7-9-2, 3-5-1)
Date: Oct. 29, 2010
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Prentup Field; Boulder, Colo. (map)
Capacity: 2,000
Series History: NU leads, 7-6-2
Television: Fox Sports Rocky Mountain (DirecTV 683, Dish Network 414) and Fox College Sports Pacific
Live Stats: cubuffs.com

The Nebraska soccer team aims to hold on to its third-place Big 12 standing when the Huskers (12-5-1, 4-2-1) conclude the regular season with a critical conference match at Colorado (7-9-2, 3-5-1) this Friday. Kickoff from Boulder’s Prentup Field is set for 4 p.m. CST in a televised game on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain (DirecTV 683, Dish Network 414). Veteran play-by-play announcer Marc Stout will call the action, while Marcelo Balboa, former captain of the U.S. men’s national team, will add color commentary. Live stats will be available on cubuffs.com.

The Huskers are tied with Oklahoma for third place in the league standings and are looking to add to their NCAA Tournament resume. Nebraska most likely needs a win over the Buffs to solidify the No. 3 seed in next week’s Big 12 Tournament as Missouri and Texas are within two points of NU and OU in the conference race. The Huskers hold a No. 39 RPI in this week’s rankings and are ranked sixth in the NSCAA Central Region. After its 13th win of the year last Friday over Kansas, Nebraska has won its most games in a season since the 2005 team finished 14-8-1 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament, the Huskers’ last postseason berth. Head Coach John Walker has led the Huskers to at least 13 wins 12 times in the program’s 17-year history.

Increasing its chances for an NCAA bid this Friday will not be an easy task, despite Colorado’s below .500 record of 7-9-2 (3-5-1 Big 12). The Buffs had back-to-back wins over No. 10 UCLA (1-0 2 OT in Boulder) and No. 6 Texas A&M (2-1 OT in College Station) in mid-September and have lost six matches by one goal.Colorado is playing with high stakes as the Buffs are attempting to keep its spot in next week’s Big 12 Tournament, which invites the top-eight teams from the final Big 12 standings. The Buffs are currently eighth, but just one point ahead of Baylor as the teams vie for the final spot in San Antonio.

Nebraska’s Morgan Marlborough enters the last week of the regular season as one of the top players in the nation. The sophomore leads the Big 12 in nearly every offensive category, including points (43), goals (16) and assists (11), all totals that rank in the top five nationally (2nd in points, 3rd in goals, 4th in assists). The 2009 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, Marlborough had 21 goals and nine assists last season and has been on track to claim more honors in 2010. Marlborough played her first career Big 12 game in last year’s 1-0 defeat at Colorado and was held scoreless. Since then, she has a goal or assist in 13 of the past 18 Big 12 matches.

Sophomore teammate Jordan Jackson has also been impressive in her second season, as the Overland Park, Kan., native ranks second in the Big 12 with 29 points on 10 goals and nine assists. Her assist total is tied for No. 2 in the conference and No. 17 in the NCAA, while her goal contribution is tied for fourth.

Nebraska will head south to the Big 12 Tournament following this week’s regular-season finale. The single-elimination tournament begins Wednesday, Nov. 3 in San Antonio. The semifinals will take place Friday, Nov. 5, followed by the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 7.

Scouting Colorado
Colorado (7-9-2, 3-5-1) is battling to keep its season alive as it is clinging to the eighth and final spot in next week’s Big 12 Tournament. The Buffs defeated Kansas on Monday in Boulder, 2-1, with an overtime goal by freshman Anne Stuller. Colorado is 5-2-2 at Prentup Field this season, including its dramatic 1-0 double-overtime win over No. 10 UCLA on Sept. 19. The next week, the Buffaloes defeated No. 6 Texas A&M in College Station in 2-1 overtime thriller. Colorado’s other Big 12 win came over Iowa State in Boulder, 3-1.

Junior Kate Russell leads the Buffs with 11 points on three goals and five assists. Senior Kym Lowry is also in double-digits with 10 points on three goals and four assists. Freshman Lizzy Herzl scored the game-winning goals against the 10th-ranked Bruins and sixth-ranked Aggies.

Although the Buff offense ranks 10th in the Big 12 with 20 goals, CU has won several low-scoring affairs behind goalkeeper Annie Brunner. The freshman has started 16-of-17 matches this season, posting four shutouts with a 1.19 goals-against average and .730 save percentage.

Colorado was 9-10 last season but faced a challenging non-conference schedule before it finished third in the Big 12 with a 6-4 record. The Buffaloes returned eight starters from that squad this fall.

Head coach Bill Hempen is in his 11th season at Colorado. He has a 108-75-25 record in Boulder and is in his 22nd season overall of coaching after spending 11 years at Duke. Hempen’s career mark is an impressive 261-165-40.

Husker History Against the Buffaloes
Nebraska leads the all-time series against Colorado, 7-6-2, but the Buffs have won the past four meetings, in a row, including a 1-0 win in Boulder last September. Nebraska’s last win over Colorado was a 2-1 victory at Prentup Field in 2005 when Jesse Bruch scored both goals for NU.

The Huskers dominated the series early on, winning the first five match-ups from 1996 to 2000. Since then, NU is just 2-6-2 against the Buffs.

Huskers Rank No. 39 in Latest RPI
Nebraska is No. 39 in this week’s RPI. Seven of the Huskers’ opponents rank in the top 50 (No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 11 Oklahoma State, No. 13 Arizona State, No. 26 New Mexico, No. 29 Texas, No. 42 Texas Tech and No. 50 Oklahoma). The Rating Percentage Index measures strength of schedule and how a team fares against that schedule. It is heavily considered when the NCAA selects its field for the NCAA Tournament.

Last season, Nebraska finished with an RPI of 72.

Marlborough Ranks Among Nebraska’s, Nation’s Best Players
Sophomore Morgan Marlborough ranks in the top 10 nationally in six offensive categories - total points (2nd, 43), points per game (3rd, 2.39), total goals (3rd, 16), goals per game (4th, 0.889), total assists (4th, 11) and assists per game (8th, 0.61). Despite playing in only 37 collegiate games, the Lee’s Summit, Mo., native has already risen to No. 7 on the school’s top 10 list with 37 career goals. Earlier this season, Marlborough had at least one goal in eight straight matches to break Christine Latham’s 11-year school record. While doing so, she was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 12, marking the fifth time she has earned a weekly conference award during her career. Marlborough has shown her all-around offensive game by also leading the Big 12 in assists this season with 11, just one away from 10th on the single-season all-time list. With 18 career assists, she is just four away from 10th on the career chart.

This season, Marlborough has passed former Huskers Nikki Baker (2002-04), Kelly Rheem (1998-2001), Kori Saunders (1999-2002) and Jenny Benson (1996-2000) on the all-time goal chart. Christine Latham (1999-2002) is the school record keeper with 69 career goals.

Although the all-time goal list is one of the most prominent charts, Marlborough holds her highest top-10 ranking with 10 multiple-goal games, tied for the fourth-most in school history with Kari Uppinghouse and Lindsay Eddleman. She is also ninth in game-winning goals (7) and points (92).

Last season, Marlborough’s 49 points (21 goals, 7 assists) led a Husker scoring attack that ranked third in the NCAA with 3.10 goals per game, the highest scoring average by a Nebraska team since 2000 (4.0). Marlborough was named a freshman All-American and earned Big 12 Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Year awards.

The fifth-highest scorer in the NCAA last fall, Marlborough broke the freshman school record for single-season goals just 14 games into the season. She is just one of seven players in school history to produce multiple hat tricks in a career after she tied the single-game school record with four goals against Akron and then had three vs. Oklahoma.

Prior to the start of this season, Marlborough was named to the watch list for the 2010 Hermann Trophy, given annually to the nation’s best women’s collegiate soccer player, while she also claimed a spot on the 2010 Preseason All-Big 12 Team.

Jackson Among Top Offensive Players in the Big 12, NCAA
Sophomore Jordan Jackson ranks second in the Big 12 and 18th nationally with 29 points following her three-point game in the 2-1 win over Kansas last Friday. Jackson has nine assists on the year, tied for second in the Big 12 and 17th in the NCAA.

On Oct. 10, Jackson had the game-winning goal in Nebraska’s 4-2 come-from-behind win over Missouri, marking her seventh multiple-point game of the season. Jackson had two goals in Nebraska’s 3-1 win over Iowa on Sept. 19, following a two-assist performance in the 3-1 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 17 to earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors. The sophomore scored her first two goals in the Sept. 6 win against IUPUI and has since been one of the biggest offensive threats in conference.

Jackson worked her way into the lineup to start 14 of 20 games as a freshman, including the last 11. The forward scored five goals on the season, tied for the third-most on the team. Jackson added three assists, including one in Nebraska’s upset of No. 14 Texas A&M. She accounted for 13 points on the year.

Macdonald Moves Up All-Time Charts
Senior Tara Macdonald broke Karina LeBlanc’s single-game save record with 13 saves in the 0-0 double-overtime tie at Oklahoma on Oct. 14. It has been the highlight of her strong senior season that has been plagued with injuries. Despite the setbacks, Macdonald is 7-3-1 this season with a 1.49 goals-against average and .795 save percentage. She has 103 career saves to rank sixth in school history.

On Aug. 31, Macdonald was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week following her strong performances in wins over Loyola Chicago and Loyola Maryland. Macdonald’s player of the week award was the first of her career and the ninth for a Husker goalie in school history.

A native of Austin, Texas, Macdonald turned in two shutouts in her first action of the 2010 season, as Nebraska downed the Ramblers (2-0) and the Greyhounds (2-0) three weeks ago. Macdonald totaled seven saves in the victories, including a four-save, complete-game shutout against Loyola Maryland before she fought through injuries in September and early October. The senior has recovered to start the past three games.

Macdonald transferred from the University of Oklahoma in 2008. Despite battling injuries in just over one season at Nebraska, she has reached eighth on the school’s all-time top 10 lists for career saves with 70. She is also tied for seventh on the all-time win list with an 11-3-3 record as a Husker.

Last season, Macdonald ranked fourth in the Big 12 Conference with 3.75 saves per game and totaled 45 on the year with a .763 save percentage.

Stevens Compiles 3-0 Big 12 Record
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Emma Stevens has battled for the starting goalkeeper spot and produced a 3-0 record in Big 12 play with wins over Texas, Iowa State and Missouri. Stevens had a career-high seven saves against the Cyclones and allowed only one goal against the Longhorns with five saves. That victory came on the heels of back-to-back wins over Cal State Fullerton and Iowa the previous week. The Corona, Calif., native is 5-1-0 overall with a 1.58 goals-against average and .684 save percentage.

Stevens redshirted the 2009 campaign, but was impressive in the spring season that included a shutout over BYU. At Santiago High School, Stevens accumulated over 6,000 minutes in net and notched 383 saves. As a senior, she posted 121 saves while leading the Sharks to a 19-4-2 record. Stevens earned two shutouts in the state tournament, before Santiago was eliminated in the quarterfinals. She claimed 11 shutouts during the season.

Romero Scores First-Career Goal, Named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week
Freshman Ari Romero saved her first career goal for an opportune time as her rebound header in the 92nd minute gave Nebraska a 5-4 overtime victory at Texas Tech on Oct. 3 and earned her Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors. After a Texas Tech foul less than two minutes into overtime, sophomore Morgan Marlborough took a 40-yard free kick from the right side of the field that hit the left post. Romero was positioned inside the six-yard box for the rebound attempt and headed in the game-winning goal past Texas Tech goalkeeper Colleen Pitts. It marked the first-career goal for Romero, a freshman from Surprise, Ariz., who has started all 18 matches for the Huskers this season. She was an offensive contributor in the 4-1 win over Iowa State on Oct. 8 by assisting Morgan Marlborough on the first goal of the match in the 28th minute.

Freshmen Playing Big Roles in 2010
Four Husker freshmen have earned time in the starting lineup this season, led by forward Ari Romero and defender Maritza Hayes who have each started all 18 matches. Hayes, along with senior Brittany Goosen and junior Katie Goetzmann, have helped lead the Huskers to five shutouts. Goalkeeper Emma Stevens has earned a starting role in eight matches, while Bartels has worked her way into the lineup for seven games and scored three goals.

Nearly the entire true freshmen class has seen playing time this fall, including midfielder Ashley Hick, forward Maddie Hanssler, midfielder Kylie Kusleika and forward Megan Merrill. Goalkeepers Mallorie Monhollon and Amy Swearer have not yet appeared in a game, as they have both battled injuries while serving as back-ups to redshirt freshman Emma Stevens and senior Tara Macdonald.

Cardona, White Return to Starting Lineup
Forward Alexa Cardona has earned four starts this season, marking a return to the lineup for the first time since Nov. 2, 2007 when she scored a goal and had an assist in a 2-2- tie against Iowa State. Since then, the Lincoln, Neb., native was forced to sit out the 2008 season due to a foot injury and then missed the last six games of 2009 with a dislocated knee cap. Before her injury-shortened junior season, Cardona tallied two assists in 11 games. This year, she has one goal from the Oct. 10 win over Missouri as she scored in the 48th minute to spark the comeback in the 4-2 victory. With action in 48 career matches, she is one of the more experienced players on the NU roster.

Another veteran Husker who saw a recent return to the starting lineup is utility player Jaclyn White. The senior from Long Beach, Calif., has started three matches, her first starts since 2007. White has made the most of her opportunity as she scored her fourth career goal against No. 5 Oklahoma State on Oct. 16. Her role was taken to a further extent against No. 6 Texas A&M when she served as the NU goalkeeper for the final 49 minutes of the match. Despite having no previous goalkeeping experience, White gave up only one goal and tallied three saves against the Aggies in the 2-1 loss.

Huskers Hold One of Nation’s Biggest Home Field Advantages
Nebraska has shown the Big Red has one of the best home field advantages in the country by losing only one home match in its past 22. The lone loss came against No. 6 Texas A&M on Sept. 26, breaking a streak of 18-straight unbeaten home games that was the fifth-longest in the NCAA. During that span, NU compiled a 9-0-2 record in 2009 that was the best home record since the 2001 Huskers went 12-0-0 at the Abbott Sports Complex. Since moving on campus in 2005, Nebraska has won 75 percent (47-12-10) of its home matches. Last season’s home success included a 2-1 upset of No. 14 Texas A&M, while the Huskers scored at least two goals in 9-of-11 home matches and a combined 29 goals in the first four games. Nebraska is 9-1 at home this season.

Review: Huskers Earn 2-1 Senior Day Win Over Kansas
Junior Jordan Jackson and senior Colleen Goetzmann scored in each half as Nebraska (12-5-1, 5-3-1) survived a late scare in a 2-1 win over Kansas (5-12-0, 1-8-0) at the Nebraska Soccer Field last Friday. With the win, Nebraska has its most wins in a season since the 2005 team finished 14-8-1 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskers were in control from the kickoff, outshooting the Jayhawks 17-7 with a 7-3 shots on goal advantage. Nebraska took a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute when sophomore Morgan Marlborough sent a corner kick through the KU defense to the far post. Jackson received the ball and calmly knocked in her 10th goal of the season from four yards out.

7-0 when leading at the half this season, NU took little time gaining a 2-0 lead when Jackson took a pass from Marlborough across midfield and worked her way into the goalie box to create a shot. Her low attempt to the far post slowly rolled under the left arm of KU goalkeeper Kat Liebetrau before Goetzmann cleaned up the shot for her fourth goal of the season.

Holding the 2-0 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining, the Jayhawks created a rally after NU goalkeeper Tara Macdonald was whistled for a foul in the penalty box while attempting a save. Kansas’ Whitney Berry converted the ensuing corner kick to make the score 2-1 before the Husker defense held on to preserve the victory.

Jackson’s three-point match increases her season point total to 29 (10 goals, nine assists), while Marlborough’s two-assist game gives her a Big 12-leading 43 points (16 goals, 11 assists). Marlborough has 92 career points and is one point shy of tying former Husker Kelly Rheem for eighth on the all-time list.

Macdonald tallied a pair of saves and is 7-3-1 this season. The Austin, Texas native was one of seven Huskers to be honored on 2010 Senior Day following the game, joining Alexa Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.), Colleen Goetzmann (Omaha, Neb.), Katie Goetzmann (Omaha, Neb.), Brittany Goosen (Olathe, Kan.), Anna White (Warrensburg, Mo.) and Jaclyn White (Long Beach, Calif.).

Nebraska will be graduating a senior class that has started a combined 263 matches since 2007. With the group, the Huskers are 33-19-6 over the past three years, including an impressive 26-3-3 record at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

Academically, the class has earned 31 spots on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and seven Academic All-Big 12 awards. All seven will earn degrees from the University of Nebraska.