Huskers Welcome Oregon, Washington This Week

The Nebraska soccer team (4-9-1, 1-6-1 Big Ten) returns home to face Oregon (5-8-2, 1-5-2 Big Ten) on Thursday and Washington (8-4-2, 5-3-0 Big Ten) on Sunday as the team is starting its three-match homestand to close regular season competition. Thursday’s match is set for 7:05 p.m. (CT) and action will start at 1:05 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, while both matches will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. 

Next Up

The Huskers wrap up regular season play as they welcome Indiana to Hibner Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 27. Action is slated for 1:05 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. 

Numbers to Watch

• Sarah Weber, a 2024 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, recorded her second career hat trick against Creighton earlier this season. It’s the 36th hat trick in school history and second of the 2024 season for Weber.  
• Weber is also third in school history with 316 total shots, sitting behind Meghan Anderson (344) in second, and eighth in shots on goal with 127, two behind Kari Uppinghouse in seventh. Additionally, Weber is currently fifth in the country in shots per game, as she is averaging 5.07.
• In goal scoring, Weber’s nine goals on the season now ties her for ninth in Husker history with 41 career finishes.
• Florence Belzile is ninth all-time in Husker history with 26 career assists, just one shy of Lindsay Eddleman in eighth. Belzile, Jordan Zade and Lauryn Anglim, the team’s assists leaders, each have four on the season. 

Quick Notes

• The NCAA released the updated RPI on Monday, and Nebraska is ranked 97th. Three Big Ten teams are in the Top 10: Iowa (7th), Penn State (8th) and USC (10th). Oregon is 133rd and Washington is 43rd. 
• In the conference standings, Weber is second with 71 shots on the year and is tied for fourth with nine goals on the season. She is fifth in shots on goal with 25 on the season, just 14 out of first. Anglim, Belzile and Zade have combined for 12 assists on the year, good for 11th in the standings. 
• NU enters the week tied for 14th in the conference standings with four points (three points for a win, one point for a tie). 
• Reese Snowden is the lone Husker freshman to see action on the pitch last year, as she is currently second on the team in goals (3) and tied for second in points with six. 
• During the 2023 season, the Huskers averaged 1,326 fans per game at Hibner Stadium, third most in Husker history and 15th in the nation. This season, NU is ninth in average attendance with 1,502 fans, and the match against Creighton garnered 2,382 fans, second-most all-time at Hibner Stadium. 

Scouting Oregon 

• Oregon is 5-8-2 on the year and 1-5-2 in the conference. Against ranked teams this season, the Ducks are 0-2-1, as they tied Michigan State last weekend. 
• The Ducks are currently 13th in the conference standings with five points and after matching up with Nebraska, will face No. 14 Iowa and Washington on the road to conclude their regular season. 
• Notably, Oregon goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg is second in the Big Ten in both saves (62) and saves per game (4.43), and the Ducks have earned five shutouts on the year. 
• Head Coach Graeme Abel is in his fifth year at the helm of the Oregon soccer program. He holds a career record of 24-41-23 and is assisted by Rachael Doyle and Sean Mapson. 
• The all-time series between Oregon and Nebraska is tied at 1-1-0, and the last meeting between the two teams was in 2018 in Lincoln, with the Huskers winning 2-0. 

Scouting Washington

• Washington is 8-4-2 overall and 5-3-0 in Big Ten play. The Huskies are currently on a two-match winning streak with their most recent win coming over Michigan State. Before facing Nebraska on Sunday, Washington will travel to Iowa and face the Hawkeyes on Thursday. 
• The Huskies are currently tied for seventh in the conference standings with five wins, and this week, senior forward Ioanna Papatheodorou was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, posting four goals in two matches.
• Head Coach Nicole Van Dyke is in her fifth season at the helm of the Washington soccer program. Prior to her time in Seattle, Van Dyke served as the Head Coach at Penn State, Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Stanislaus. She holds a career record of 146-125-53 and a 43-27-18 mark at Washington. 
• The all-time series between the Huskers and the Huskies is tied 1-1-0. Nebraska lost the first meeting between the two teams in 1995 but won the most recent match in Portland in 2003, 2-1.