Huskers Visit Wildcats in Big Ten Quarterfinals

Nebraska at #20 Northwestern
Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals
Sunday, Oct. 30 • 3 p.m. (CT)
Evanston, Ill. • Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium
TV: Big Ten Network

The Nebraska soccer team (11-5-3, 5-3-3 Big Ten) begins the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday when the sixth-seeded Huskers face No. 3 seed Northwestern (20th in the NSCAA poll) in Evanston, Ill. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. (CT), and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. In their first meeting this season, the Huskers and Wildcats played to a scoreless draw in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 16.

Last Time Out: The Huskers defeated Iowa (1-0) on Senior Night at Hibner Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 26.

Up Next: With a win over the Wildcats, the Huskers would advance to the Big Ten semifinals on Friday, Nov. 4 (site to be determined) at either 2 or 4:30 p.m. (CT). With a loss, the Huskers would wait to receive their NCAA Tournament fate on Monday, Nov. 7 at 3:30 pm (CT) for the Selection Show on NCAA.com.

Scouting the Northwestern Wildcats

• Record: 14-1-3 (7-1-3 Big Ten)

            • Wins (14): Virginia Commonwealth (1-0), James Madison (3-0), DePaul (2-1), Indiana

State (2-0), Colorado State (3-0), Illinois State (1-0), Marquette (1-0), Indiana (1-0), Purdue (2-0), Maryland (4-1), Michigan State (1-0), Michigan (2-1), Iowa (1-0), Illinois (1-0)

            • Losses (1): Rutgers (0-2)

            • Ties (3): Ohio State (0-0), Nebraska (0-0), #13 Minnesota (0-0)

• Ranked 20th in the NSCAA poll, released on Oct. 25

• Ranked 24th in the RPI, released on Oct. 24

• Captured a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with Penn State and Minnesota

• Impact Players

            • Lauren Clem: 71 saves and five goals allowed through 18 games (14 shutouts)

            • Kassidy Gorman: Four goals through 18 games

            • Maddy Lucas: Two goals and three assists through 18 games

            • Kayla Sharples: Two goals and two assists through 18 games

• Coached by Michael Moynihan (Fifth season at Northwestern; 20th season overall)

            • Record at Northwestern: 47-39-13

            • Career Record: 240-123-51

• Assistant Coaches: David Nikolic, Shannon Neely

Quick Notes

• Nebraska earned the No. 19 spot in this week’s RPI Rankings, released on Oct. 24, which is the best ranking by a Big Ten team this week.

• Nebraska is receiving nine votes in the NSCAA poll (Oct. 25), which is equivalent to the No. 32 ranking.

• Caroline Flynn earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors (District 7 First Team) for the third consecutive year, announced on Oct. 27. Flynn, who holds a 3.99 grade-point average in communication studies, earned first-team accolades in 2015 after making the second team in 2014.

• Jaycie Johnson leads the Huskers in goals scored (11) and points (24).

• Johnson has scored 11 goals in the last 14 games after not scoring in her first five games this season.

• Sydney Miramontez leads the Huskers in assists (7).

• The Miramontez sisters, Sydney and Sinclaire, have each started all 19 games, and have played nearly every minute of every game this season.

• Aubrei Corder enters the weekend with a consecutive scoreless minutes streak of 400:02. She has four consecutive shutouts, and nine total shutouts on the season.

• Haley Hanson has scored nine goals in her last 21 games, dating back to last season, after scoring once in her first 32 career games.

• Nebraska captured its 300th win in program history on Aug. 22, which marked the same milestone for Head Coach John Walker.

• The Huskers will make their sixth TV appearance of the season (BYUtv, Pac-12 TV, Big Ten Network) on Sunday. It will also mark Nebraska’s third time on BTN this season.

Nebraska’s Conference Tournament History

• Nebraska qualified for the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since it won the conference tournament title in 2013. In six seasons as a member of the Big Ten (since 2011), NU has qualified for the conference tournament three times (2012, 2013, 2016).

• The Huskers own six conference tournament crowns all-time (Big 12 in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2002; Big Ten in 2013). NU’s record in conference tournament games all-time is 21-10.

Big Ten Weekly Awards

• Aubrei Corder was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week on Oct. 25 after shutting out Rutgers on Oct. 22.

• Corder was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Oct. 18 after shutouts against Illinois and Northwestern.

• Jaycie Johnson was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 27 after a four-goal performance at Ohio State and Penn State. She earned her second career hat trick in NU’s win over the Buckeyes on Sept. 23.

• Brenna Ochoa was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 6 after scoring the game-winning goal against Kansas in double overtime on Sept. 2.

Individual Milestones and Records to Watch

• Jaycie Johnson has 42 career goals, which is tied for the sixth-most in program history with Kari Uppinghouse. Johnson is six goals shy of a tie for fifth with Meghan Anderson (48).

• Johnson has 17 career game-winning goals, which is the second-most in program history. Johnson is six game-winning goals shy of tying for first (23).

• Johnson has nine career multiple-goal games, which is tied for seventh in program history. She is one multiple-goal game away from a tie for fifth (10).

Senior Quartet Showing the Way

• Seniors Jaycie Johnson, Caroline Flynn, Sydney Miramontez and Courtney Claassen have each started nearly every game this season.

• They have accounted for 13 of Nebraska’s 25 goals this season, and 11 of NU’s 20 assists.

• Each of them scored at least one point at Ohio State on Sept. 23. Johnson had three goals, while Flynn, Miramontez and Claassen each had one assist.

• Johnson, who is back from a season-ending ACL tear last year, has 11 goals and two assists this season.

• Miramontez has one goal and seven assists this season.

• Flynn has one goal and one assist this season.

• Claassen has one assist this season.

• Flynn, Johnson and Miramontez each earned a spot on the Big Ten Preseason Honors List, released on Aug. 15.

Newcomers Making an Impact

• Two true freshmen have started each of the first 18 games: Aubrei Corder and Sinclaire Miramontez, while Meg Brandt has started 16 of 19 games.

• Corder has 63 saves and 18 goals allowed through 19 games (1,799 minutes).

• Brandt has two goals and three assists this season.

• True freshman Brenna Ochoa has appeared in 17 games, and has two game-winning goals, both of which she scored in double overtime.

• Newcomers Alexis Rienks (junior transfer from New Mexico State), Elyse Huber (true freshman from Sioux City, Iowa) and Hannah McKinney (true freshman from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) have also made multiple appearances.

Schedule at a Glance

• Six of NU’s 19 regular-season opponents are ranked in the Oct. 25 NSCAA poll: BYU (5), Minnesota (11), Clemson (14), Northwestern (20), Penn State (21) and Kansas (25)

• Seven opponents qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season: BYU, Clemson, Penn State, Ohio State, Minnesota, Northwestern and Rutgers

• Two of those teams advanced to the College Cup: Rutgers and eventual NCAA champion Penn State