Huskers Set to Battle Nittany Lions, Buckeyes

Game 17
Nebraska vs. #7 Penn State
Friday, Oct. 24 l University Park, Pa. l 6 p.m.
Stadium: Jeffrey Field
Capacity: 5,000
Series History: Penn State leads, 2-1-0
Video: GoPSUSports.com
Live Stats: GameTracker

Game 18
Nebraska vs. Ohio State
Sunday, Oct. 26 l Columbus, Ohio l Noon
Stadium: Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 10,000
Series History: Series tied, 2-2-0
Video: Buckeye Vision
Live Stats: GameTracker

The Nebraska soccer team looks to continue its momentum from back-to-back wins when the Huskers travel to No. 7 Penn State and Ohio State this weekend.

The Huskers face the Nittany Lions on Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) at Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pa. On Sunday, NU squares off against the Buckeyes at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio at noon. Live stats for both games will be available on GameTracker.

The Huskers trail the all-time series against Penn State, 2-1-0, and are tied against Ohio State, 2-2-0.

Last Time Out: Huskers Shutout Purdue, Indiana
Nebraska earned a weekend sweep at the Nebraska Soccer Field when the Huskers took down Purdue, 1-0, on Friday, Oct. 17, before defeating Indiana, 3-0, on Sunday, Oct. 19.

Jaycie Johnson’s goal off an assist from Caroline Gray in the 20th minute against the Boilermakers proved to be the deciding factor in the victory. Goalkeeper Kelly Schatz earned her third shutout of the season, collecting two saves in the process.

Johnson also scored against the Hoosiers after Caroline Flynn and Mayme Conroy each added goals. Flynn scored in the 12th minute off an assist from Conroy, while Conroy’s came in the 79th minute from Katie Kraeutner’s assist. Johnson scored in the 85th minute.

Scouting the Penn State Nittany Lions
No. 7 Penn State is 14-2-0 on the season, and leads the Big Ten standings with a 9-1-0 mark. The Nittany Lions opened the season with wins over West Virginia, Syracuse and Connecticut before suffering a double overtime defeat to then-No. 14 North Carolina on Sept. 5. Following the loss, PSU strung together nine consecutive wins before falling to then-No. 20 Rutgers 1-0. Last weekend, Penn State took down Michigan and Michigan State.

Frannie Crouse leads the Nittany Lion offense with seven goals, while Mallory Weber, Megan Schafer and Raquel Rodriguez each have five scores. Goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom has six shutouts on the season, while contributing to an additional one. She has 45 saves, while giving up only nine goals in 16 games.

Scouting the Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State is 5-8-3 this season, and holds a 2-5-3 record in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes opened the season with a win over Duke before dropping three straight games. OSU strung together three wins in a row before another three-game losing streak in conference play. Ohio State’s last win was over Northwestern on Sept. 28, but the Buckeyes have three ties to go along with two losses since then.

Sammy Edwards leads the team with four goals, while Michela Paradiso, Kayla Varner and Alexis Degler each have three goals. Goalkeeper Megan Geldernick has two shutouts and 58 saves, while surrendering 27 goals this season.

Schatz Named Big Ten Defender of the Week
Goalkeeper Kelly Schatz earned Big Ten Defender-of-the-Week honors on Monday, Oct. 20.

Schatz helped the Huskers to a pair of shutout victories, as Nebraska took down Purdue on Friday, Oct. 17 by a 1-0 margin before defeating Indiana, 3-0, on Sunday, Oct. 19. Against the Boilermakers, Schatz collected two saves in 90 minutes of action. She added one save in 75 minutes while facing the Hoosiers.

Huskers Showing Ability to Score Late
Nebraska has scored in the 75th minute or later on 10 occasions in 16 games this season. Jaycie Johnson has scored four times in the 75th minute or later, while Mayme Conroy has two goals during that time stretch. Nebraska scored twice in the final 15 minutes against Indiana on Oct. 19.

The Huskers have failed to score down the stretch in seven of their games, but made late goals in each of their first four games of the season. Overall, NU is 6-2-1 when scoring in the last 15 minutes. The Huskers are 1-5-1 when they don’t.

Schatz Filling Goalkeeper Role
Sophomore Kelly Schatz has started all 16 games at goalkeeper for the Huskers this season, playing more than 1,444 minutes. Schatz has 45 saves and has earned three complete game shutouts, while contributing to two more. Schatz earned Big Ten Defender-of-the-Week accolades on Oct. 20.

Johnson Continues to Produce on Offense
Nebraska’s leading goal scorer Jaycie Johnson has 11 goals through 16 games. Johnson scored two goals in each of the first three weekends, managing a pair of scores in both the Marquette and North Dakota matches. She scored once against SMU, DePaul, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue and Indiana. The Lake Winnebago, Mo. native has taken 59 shots this season, 37 of which have been on goal.

Huskers Drop 3-1 Decision at Minnesota
Nebraska struck first against Minnesota, but lost by a 3-1 margin after the Gophers scored three unanswered goals on Thursday, Oct. 9 at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.

Sophomore Jaycie Johnson scored in the 31st minute to give NU an early 1-0 lead. Senior Caroline Gray assisted on the goal, as Johnson knocked it in to the top right corner of the goal. On the defensive end, goalkeeper Kelly Schatz earned seven saves in 90 minutes of action to tie her career high.

The Gophers tied the score, 1-1, in the 42nd minute when Josee Stiever scored off an assist from Simone Kolander. Kolander also assisted on Minnesota’s second goal, as Taylor Stainbrook knocked it in to the top right corner of the goal to give the Gophers a 2-1 advantage. In the 68th minute, Stainbrook added her second goal of the game, this time off an assist from Rashida Beal.

Huskers Drop Two in Michigan
Nebraska fell to Michigan and Michigan State during a two-game road trip to the Great Lakes State to start October.

Mayme Conroy scored the lone goal for the Huskers against the Wolverines in the eighth minute. Michigan’s Nicky Waldeck responded, though, with a hat trick to lead U-M to a 3-1 triumph.

Against the Spartans, Jaycie Johnson scored in the 83rd minute off a penalty kick, but it came after Michigan State had scored three goals.

Conroy Collects Big Ten Honor
Senior forward Mayme Conroy earned Big Ten Offensive Player-of-the-Week accolades on Monday, Sept. 29, after scoring three goals in two games during the previous week.

Conroy, an Omaha, Neb., native, tallied two goals in Nebraska’s 4-3 overtime triumph over Maryland, including the game winner in the 96th minute. Her first score of the game came in the 22nd minute off an assist from Katie Kraeutner.

On Thursday, Sept. 25, Conroy delivered in the 37th minute against No. 25 Rutgers, helping the Huskers’ to a 1-1 tie at the Nebraska Soccer Field. She took three shots in 105 minutes of action while facing the Scarlet Knights.

Conroy Leads NU to Win, Tie
Nebraska got back to its winning ways on Sunday, Sept. 28 at the Nebraska Soccer Field as the Huskers posted a 4-3 overtime win over Maryland after tying No. 25 Rutgers on Thursday, Sept. 25.

Against the Scarlet Knights, senior Mayme Conroy scored in the 37th minute off a pass from Jourden Casey to tie the game at 1. Neither team scored for the remainder of the game, as goalkeeper Kelly Schatz registered a career-high seven saves.

Conroy scored two goals, including the game winner in the 96th minute, against Maryland in Sunday’s match. Caroline Gray and Jacyie Johnson also scored for the Huskers, and Casey earned two assists.

Huskers Fall to No. 13 Wisconsin, 3-0
Nebraska outshot Wisconsin 10-7 at McClimon Soccer Complex in Madison, Wis., but fell by a 3-0 margin on Saturday, Sept. 20. The Badgers scored goals in the first, 20th and 86th minutes.

Jaycie Johnson (three shots on goal), Caroline Gray (two shots on goal), Mayme Conroy (one shot on goal) and Caroline Flynn (one shot on goal) led Nebraska’s offense.

NU Ties Big Ten Opener, Falls to Illinois
Nebraska opened its Big Ten season with a pair of home matches on Thursday, Sept. 11 and Sunday, Sept. 14. The Huskers tied Northwestern in the first game, 1-1, before dropping a 3-0 decision to Illinois.

Against the Wildcats, Northwestern’s Sami Schrakamp struck first in the 12th minute to put the Wildcats up 1-0. With time winding down in the game, Katie Kraeutner scored off an assist from Jaycie Johnson in the 88th minute to tie the game. Neither team scored in the extra time.

Against the Fighting Illini, the Huskers took six shots but failed to score in a 3-0 setback. Illinois’ Allison Stucky scored in the 40th minute, while Jannelle Flaws added two goals, scoring in the 71st and 80th minute.

NU Responds to 2OT Loss with 4-0 Win
Nebraska went 1-1 at home in its third weekend of play, falling to No. 20 Oklahoma in double overtime on Friday, Sept. 5, before dominating North Dakota by a 4-0 margin on Sunday, Sept. 7.

Against the Sooners, Katie Kraeutner scored in the sixth minute to put NU up early, but Oklahoma tied the score 1-1 in the 71st minute with Ayana O’Neal’s goal. Despite Nebraska controlling on offense to start the second overtime, Oklahoma’s defense managed to withstand the pressure and scored in the 107th minute for the win.

On Sunday, the Huskers outshot North Dakota 32-2, as Jaycie Johnson scored twice, and Mayme Conroy and Courtney Claassen each added one goal in the 4-0 win.

Both of Johnson’s goals came in the first three minutes of the second half. Conroy scored NU’s first goal of the game in the ninth minute. Claassen scored off a rebound in the 76th minute for her first career goal. Caroline Flynn recorded two assists.

Huskers Sweep Butler, Marquette
Nebraska took down Butler, 1-0, on Friday, Aug. 29 at the Nebraska Soccer Field before defeating Marquette, 3-2, on Sunday, Aug. 31 at Valley Fields in Milwaukee, Wis.

The Huskers outshot the Bulldogs 17-2, but it wasn’t until Caroline Flynn’s goal in the 83rd minute that NU got on the scoreboard. Flynn scored from 30 yards out to the top left corner of the net from the right side of the field. Goalkeeper Kelly Schatz earned two saves during the shutout.

Against the Golden Eagles, Nebraska trailed 2-0 before scoring three goals in the final 26 minutes en route to a 3-2 triumph. Jaycie Johnson scored twice, making her first goal in the 65th minute before adding the game winner off an assist from Caroline Gray in the 83rd minute. Mayme Conroy added a goal for the Huskers in the 69th minute.

Huskers Split Opening Weekend Games
Nebraska opened the regular season on Friday, Aug. 22 with a 4-0 victory over SMU before falling to DePaul, 2-1, on Sunday, Aug. 24 at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

Against the Mustangs, goalkeeper Kelly Schatz earned a shutout in her first career start at the position. She compiled five saves, four of which came in the second half. Caroline Gray, Caroline Flynn, Jaycie Johnson and Sydney Miramontez each scored for the Huskers in the home opener.

Against the Blue Demons, Johnson scored the lone goal for the Huskers in the 89th minute off an assist from Flynn, but DePaul had already built a 2-0 lead. Elise Wyatt scored for the Blue Demons in the 16th minute before Abby Reed added a goal in the 85th minute.

Final Season at Nebraska Soccer Field
The Huskers are in their 10th and final season at the Nebraska Soccer Field before moving into the Nebraska Soccer and Tennis Complex next season. Since moving to campus in 2005, NU has compiled a 69-27-14 record and has one home game remaining in 2014.

2014 Season Outlook
Nebraska’s 2014 team includes five seniors in Head Coach John Walker’s 21st season at the helm of the school’s soccer program. The Huskers also welcomed back All-Big Ten second-team member Jaycie Johnson, who is a sophomore in 2014 after leading the team with 17 goals last season. The Huskers added 12 newcomers in the offseason in addition to their 12 returning letterwinners from 2013.