Huskers to Play Exhibition Game at SDSU

Lincoln - The Nebraska soccer is set to play its first and only exhibition game of the 2012 season on Friday, Aug. 10, when the Huskers travel to Brookings, S.D., to take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at 5 p.m. It marks the second straight year that the Huskers have traveled north to take on the Jackrabbits, with NU winning last year's meeting, 8-1.

South Dakota State's GoJacks.com will have live stats and a live video stream of the game at Fishback Soccer Park, but a premium account is needed to watch the video stream. The game may be shared on HuskersNSide, but that is not official at this time.

Head Coach John Walker returns a young, but also experienced team in 2012 that includes just one senior in 2011 second-team All-Big Ten midfielder Jordan Jackson. Six starters return from last year's squad, including Jackson, as well as juniors Stacy Bartels, Maritza Hayes, Ari Romero and Emma Stevens, along with sophomore Caroline Gray. Jackson, Hayes and Romero have each started every game of the past two seasons.

Sophomore Mayme Conroy played in all 18 games and earned two starts last season and will be expected to contribute even more in 2012. Junior Bri Badje was one of the Huskers' top defenders off the bench last season and played in all 18 games, while sophomore Samantha Areman saw action in 16 games as a true freshman in 2011.

The Huskers welcome nine new players to their squad in 2012, including five players from Nebraska, two from Texas, one from Missouri and one from North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada.

The Huskers are set to play 19 games in their second season as members of the Big Ten Conference in 2012. The Huskers face six teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year, including Virginia Tech and Penn State, who each made Sweet 16 appearances.

The 2012 regular season kicks off on Friday, Aug. 17, in Norman, Okla., when the Huskers visit the Oklahoma Sooners for a 7 p.m. game at John Crain Field. NU leads the all-time series with the Sooners, 12-2-1, and it is the first meeting between the two programs since Nebraska left the Big 12 Conference following the 2010 season.

For the third straight year the Huskers will play host to 10 home games, including non-conference visits from Drake, Virginia Tech, New Mexico, Southeast Missouri State and Northern Colorado. NU opens play at the Nebraska Soccer Field on Sunday, Aug. 19, against the Drake Bulldogs at 1 p.m..

For more information, including TV and video stream information, check out the soccer schedule page at Huskers.com.