Huskers Open 25th Season on Thursday Night

Nebraska (0-0) at Oklahoma (0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 16 • 7 p.m. (CT)
John Crain Field
Norman, Okla.

» Regular Season Opener
» Twitter Updates: @NebraskaSoccer
» Video Stream: Fox College Sports Central
» Live Stats: OUstats.com

The Nebraska soccer team visits a former conference rival, as the Huskers travel to face Oklahoma in the season opener of their 25th year as a program. The match, set for Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT), will be played at John Crain Field in Norman, Okla.

The game will air on Fox College Sports Central, which is available through the FoxSportsGo app with a cable subscription. Live stats for the match will be available at OUstats.com. Fans can also stay updated on Twitter by following @NebraskaSoccer.

Last Time Out
The Huskers lost to Arkansas in their lone exhibition match, 3-1, at Hibner Stadium on Thursday. Senior Faith Carter scored in the 13th minute off an assist from Grace Brown. Carter’s goal tied the score at 1-1 before the Razorbacks scored twice in the second half.

Next Up
The Huskers’ regular-season home opener is set for Monday, Aug. 20 against BYU at Hibner Stadium at 7:05 p.m. (CT).

Quick Notes
• Meg Brandt, Aubrei Corder and Sinclaire Miramontez each earned spots on the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Preseason Honors List, announced by the conference on Monday. All three players earned All-Big Ten recognition in 2017, as Miramontez made the first team, while Brandt and Corder each garnered third-team accolades.

• The Big Ten released its preseason coaches’ poll on Monday and Nebraska is picked to finish eighth in the conference. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.

• Nebraska holds a 14-8-2 record all-time in season openers, dating back to its inaugural season in 1994. The Huskers have won five consecutive season openers entering 2018.

• The Huskers return 15 letterwinners from last year’s team that went 9-5-5 overall and tied for eighth in the Big Ten with a 3-3-5 mark. Nebraska welcomes seven newcomers in 2018, six of whom are freshmen.

• The 2018 squad has five seniors, including Caroline Buelt, Faith Carter, Michaela Loebel, Lauren Smith and Savanah Uveges.

Scouting the Oklahoma Sooners

• Oklahoma defeated North Texas by a 1-0 margin in its lone exhibition match on Friday in Denton, Texas.
• Nebraska leads the all-time series against Oklahoma, 12-4-1, dating back to the first meeting between the former conference foes in 1996. The Sooners captured the most recent meeting in 2014, edging the Huskers, 2-1, in double overtime in Lincoln, Neb. NU won 12 of the first 14 meetings, but has gone 0-2-1 since then.
• Last season, OU went 3-13-4 overall with a 1-5-3 record in Big 12 play to finish eighth in the conference.
• Head Coach Matt Potter enters his seventh season at Oklahoma in 2018, and holds a 48-58-18 record at the school. He is 136-127-44 in his 16th season overall. Potter is assisted by Paul Hart and Brandi Vega.
• Players to Watch
  » No. 11 Kaylee Dao (Junior Forward/Midfielder) led the 2017 Sooners with four goals
  » No. 8 Kyle Escobedo (Junior Forward/Midfielder) scored three goals last season

Huskers Celebrating 25th Season in 2018

• The Nebraska soccer program enters its 25th year since the inaugural campaign in 1994. Head Coach John Walker has been at the helm of the team since its inception, guiding the Huskers to more than 300 all-time victories.
• Nebraska has made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in its first 24 seasons, including two trips to the Elite Eight and eight Sweet 16 berths.
• The Huskers have captured four conference regular-season titles and six conference tournament crowns. As a member of the Big 12, NU won the regular-season championship in 1996, 1999 and 2000, while winning the tournament title in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2002. Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011 and two seasons later, swept the regular-season and tournament crowns.

Husker Squad Brings U.S. National Team Experience

• Several current Huskers have been invited to attend U.S. Women’s National Team Training Camps during their time at Nebraska.
• Sinclaire Miramontez and Meg Brandt went to the U-23 camp from May 11-18 in Carson, Calif. Miramontez previously attended the U-20 camp from Nov. 16 to 23, 2017 in Sunrise, Fla., as well as the U-19 camp from March 25 to April 1, 2017 in Sunrise, Fla.
• Aubrei Corder was called up for the U-19 camp in Sunrise, Fla., from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, 2017.

Hibner Draws a Crowd

• The Huskers begin their fourth season playing at Barbara Hibner Stadium in 2018 after averaging more than 1,000 fans per game during each of their first three years at the venue.
• In 2017, Nebraska averaged 1,064 fans per home contest to rank 21st nationally and second in the Big Ten. The total attendance during the season was 9,579.
• In 2016, NU averaged 1,182 fans per home game, which ranked 18th in the nation and second in the conference. The total attendance was 13,002, the second-highest season total in program history.
• During its inaugural season in 2015, Hibner Stadium drew an average of 1,381 fans per home match to lead the Big Ten and rank 13th in the country. It was the second-highest season average in program history. The total attendance during the season was 12,427.

Offseason Notes

• During the spring season, Nebraska compiled a 3-0-1 record.
  » Tied Iowa State, 1-1, on Feb. 25 at the Hawks Championship Center
  » Defeated Drake, 3-0, on March 4 at the Hawks Championship Center
  » Defeated Oklahoma State, 3-1, on April 7 at Swope Park in Kansas City, Mo.
  » Defeated Colorado, 2-0, on April 21 at Hibner Stadium
• Haley Hanson, who completed her senior season at Nebraska in 2017, was selected by the Houston Dash with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 NWSL Draft in January. In April, Hanson was called up the U.S. Women’s National Team, where she made her first cap on April 8 in an international friendly against Mexico.

Rigorous Schedule Awaits Big Red

• This season, Nebraska will face eight teams that qualified for the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including three that reached the Elite Eight and one that advanced to the College Cup Semifinals.
• Duke made it to the College Cup Semifinals after winning the ACC regular-season title. Baylor and Penn State also made the Elite Eight. The Nittany Lions, who captured the 2017 Big Ten Tournament title, will be the opponent for NU’s lone scheduled TV appearance of the season as Big Ten Network will televise the match on Sept. 27.
• Washington State made the Sweet 16 last season, while NC State, Rutgers and Wisconsin each advanced to the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
• Ohio State, who won the 2017 Big Ten regular-season crown, was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year.
• Seven of NU’s regular-season opponents are ranked in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, released on Aug. 7. The teams are Duke (No. 3), Penn State (No. 4), Baylor (No. 15), NC State (No. 20), Washington State (No. 21), Ohio State (No. 23) and Rutgers (No. 24).