Huskers Host Key Matches this Weekend

The Nebraska soccer team prepares for a pair of important Big 12 Conference games this weekend at the Abbott Sports Complex.

When the Huskers take on Texas on Friday at 7 p.m., it will mark NU's first game since Oct. 1. Following the match with the Longhorns, Nebraska will face Big 12 leader and ninth-ranked Texas A&M on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Nebraska, which is currently in second place in the Big 12 behind the Aggies, is on a six-game winning streak, the team's longest since 2002. The Huskers are also 3-0 in league play for the first time since 2001. Nebraska has not lost since suffering a 1-0 defeat to No. 16 Stanford on Sept. 12.

In their only game last week, the Huskers pulled out a hard-fought, 2-1 double overtime victory over Missouri. In rainy conditions, Nebraska took a 1-0 lead 13:55 into the game when junior Nikki Baker scored an unassisted goal. Baker's goal was her sixth of the season, the second-highest total on the team.

Trailing 1-0 at half, the Tigers were the aggressor in the second half, outshooting Nebraska 13-11. Melissa Peabody tied the game at 78:40, scoring off a loose ball in the box to force overtime.

In the Huskers' first overtime game of the season, they managed only one shot, 3:26 into the second overtime. That shot, taken by Baker off a corner kick from sophomore Brittany Timko and deflected to Baker by junior Sasha Andrews, proved to be the game winner, as NU held off the Tigers to improve to 9-3 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference.

Scouting Texas (7-4, 3-2)
Texas went 2-0 last weekend, defeating Oklahoma, 1-0, and Oklahoma State, 3-1. The Longhorns have a balanced offensive attack, which was evident last weekend as four players scored goals.

Against Oklahoma State, Kelly Wilson scored a goal and added two assists. In goal, Dana Hall allowed only one goal and made eight saves in UT's two games last weekend.

For the season, Kelly Wilson leads the team with eight goals, eight assists and 24 points. She ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in goals and points and is third in assists.

In addition to Wilson's success, Texas is extremely balanced, with 11 players recording a goal and 12 players recording an assist.

Hall has posted two shutouts en route a 1.37 goals-against average. She has made 28 saves in playing more than 984 minutes.

Last Time We Met
In last year's meeting between Nebraska and Texas, the Longhorns notched a 3-2 double overtime upset of the 22nd-ranked Huskers.

Texas scored first in the 11th minute on a goal by Kelly McDonald. Junior Nikki Baker answered back for Nebraska, tying the game at 23:47.

In the second half, Texas again took a one-goal lead before Jessie Bruch tied the game 2-2 in the 80th minute.

The teams were scoreless in the first 10-minute overtime session, but McDonald scored her second goal of the game 5:05 into the second overtime to lift the Longhorns to the 3-2 victory.

Several current Huskers played well in the loss. Baker finished with one goal, while junior Kari Hogan and sophomore Brittany Timko each notched assists. In goal, senior Brooke Bredenberg, who now plays forward, recorded four saves.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Texas, 7-4, but the Longhorns have won three of the last four meetings. In Lincoln, the Huskers own a 4-1 record.

Scouting Texas A&M (10-3, 5-0)
Texas A&M sits atop the Big 12 Conference with a 5-0 record in league play. The Aggies defeated previously unbeaten Oklahoma State, 3-1, before coming from behind for a 2-1 victory over Oklahoma.

Texas A&M has been impressive so far this season, outshooting its opponents 282-95. The ninth-ranked Aggies have outscored their opponents, 38-13, a per-game average of nearly 3-1.

Like Texas, A&M is very balanced offensively. The Aggies have had 21 players record a point in 2004. To put that number in perspective, consider that Nebraska has only 18 total players on its roster.

Ashlee Pistorius leads the team and is second in the Big 12 Conference with 11 goals. She also ranks third in the league with 23 points. Cristina Echavarry (14 points) and Laura Probst (10 points) have also reached double-digit point totals for the season.

In goal, Katie Jo Spisak has started all 13 games and has allowed just 13 goals. She has recorded 30 saves in posting a 1.05 goals-against average.

Last Time We Met
Nebraska upset Texas A&M twice in 2003, including a 2-1 overtime victory in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Sophomore Brittany Timko scored both goals for the Huskers, including the game winner in the 92nd minute.

Timko put NU ahead 1-0 in the 22nd minute and Nebraska held the lead until the 88th minute, when the Aggies' Becky Olson tied the game with just 2:30 left in regulation.

In the overtime period, Timko beat the A&M defense and found herself one-on-one with Aggie goalkeeper Katie Jo Spisak. Timko was able to chip the ball over Spisak's head and find the back of the net for the win.

Nebraska leads the all-time series, 13-5, and has won three straight in the series. The Huskers are 5-1 all-time against Texas A&M at the Abbott Sports Complex, but the Aggies won the last match in Lincoln, a 3-2 victory in 2002.

Last Week
Nebraska played just one game last week, defeating Missouri 2-1 in overtime. The win was the Huskers' sixth consecutive victory and improved Nebraska's record to 9-3 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference.

Junior Nikki Baker put NU up 1-0 13:55 into the game after collecting a loose ball in the box. The game remained 1-0 until the 79th minute, when Missouri's Melissa Peabody found another loose ball in the box and beat Nebraska sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wright.

Despite chances by both teams, no one was able to find the back of the net in regulation, so Nebraska headed for its first overtime period of the season.

In the first overtime, Missouri took three shots, while Nebraska did not attempt a shot. Wright made two diving saves in the period to send the game into a second overtime period.

In the second overtime, Baker scored her second goal of the game and her second game-winning goal of the season.

The Huskers won a corner kick and sophomore Brittany Timko sent a ball into the box that junior Sasha Andrews was able to head the ball to Baker, who rolled the ball into the net to lift Nebraska to the 2-1 victory.

With the win, Nebraska improved to 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference for the first time since 2001.

Scoring Streak
Sophomore Brittany Timko has been on an incredible run over her last six games. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native has scored nine goals and notched six assists during the Huskers’ season-best six-game winning streak. She has recorded at least one point in each of the last six games.

Timko got the streak started in grand fashion, scoring three goals and adding three assists against Northern Colorado on Sept. 17. Two days later against Montana, Timko produced another goal and an assist.

Against in-state rival Creighton on Sept. 21, Timko notched another goal and an assist in the Huskers’ 3-2 win. In the Big 12 Conference opener against Kansas, Timko scored the only goal of the game and followed that performance by scoring three goals against Iowa State on Sept. 26.

Timko had a hand in six straight Nebraska goals from Sept. 21-26. She scored the game-tying goal against Creighton on Sept. 21, then added the game-winning assist. She then scored the game-winning goal in Nebraska’s 1-0 upset win over eighth-ranked Kansas on Sept. 24 before scoring all three of the Huskers’ goals in a 3-2 win over Iowa State.

Against Missouri last weekend, it looked as though Timko's point streak would come to an end. She did not have a goal or an assist through regulation, but recorded her fourth game-winning assists of the season in the second overtime to keep her point streak in tact.

Since the Huskers' opening weekend, when she didn't record a point, Timko has been outstanding.

In Nebraska's 10 games following its two-game opening weekend, Timko has had a hand in 22 of the Huskers' 26 goals, with 12 goals and 10 assists.

In the midst of Nebraska's current six-game winning streak, Timko has had a hand in 15 of NU's 18 goals, including nine goals and six assists.

Double Trouble
Sophomore Brittany Timko has already notched a double-double with 12 goals and 10 assists only 12 games into the 2004 season.

Timko's 12 goals lead the nation and her 10 assists rank second in the Big 12 and eighth in the nation.

She is the first Husker to record a double-double in a season since Christine Latham (23 goals, 11 assists) accomplished the feat in 2000.

Streaking Success
The Nebraska soccer team has won six consecutive games and is 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference for the first time since the 2001 season.

Starting Strong
Over the past six games, NU has been particularly successful in the first half. Over their winning streak, the Huskers have outscored their opponents, 13-1, in the first half and have outshot their opponents, 63-22, in the first 45 minutes.

Stat of the Week
The Nebraska soccer team is 8-0 this season when scoring first. The Huskers have scored first in every game of their current six-game winning streak, including last weekend's 2-1 overtime victory at Missouri.

NCAA Rankings
In the latest NCAA statistical rankings, released Sept. 26, sophomore Brittany Timko finds herself atop the nation with 34 points.

Timko also ranks second with 12 goals and a 2.83 points per game average. The Coquitlam, B.C., native also cracked the top 10 in assists, where she is third with 10 assists, assists per game, where she ranks sixth with a 0.83 average and goals per game, where she sits in ninth place with a 1.00 average.

Timko also ranks fourth in the country for most assists in a game. Timko had three against Northern Colorado and also against Eastern Illinois. She also ranks fourth in points in a single game with nine, coming against Northern Colorado.

Players of the Week
Sophomore Brittany Timko was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for a third time this season on Sept. 28.

Timko was honored after scoring five goals, including two game winners, adding a game-winning assist and totaling 11 points in the Huskers' three games the week of Sept. 21.

Timko also earned player-of-the-week honors on Sept. 21, and is the first player in school history to earn three player-of-the-week awards in the same season.

Timko and sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wright each earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors for the week of Sept. 7. Timko was named the offensive player of the week and Wright was named the defensive player of the week.

Timko is also the only player in the nation to be named to Soccer America's National Team of the Week and Soccer Buzz's Elite Team of the Week three times in 2004. She was named to the teams in each of the weeks she was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.

Records Watch
Sophomore Brittany Timko is off to a stellar start in 2004 with 12 goals, 10 assists and 34 points through 12 games. At her current pace, Timko could challenge several of Nebraska's single-season records.

Projecting her totals through the regular season, one Big 12 Tournament game and one NCAA Tournament game, Timko is on pace to finish with 60 points, which would rank her second on the NU single-season chart.

On pace to score 21 goals, Timko would finish in a tie for fourth place in school history for goals in a season.

Perhaps most impressive is the number of assists Timko has racked up. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native has 10 assists this season and is already just one away from entering the single-season top-10 list.

If she can maintain here average of nearly one assist per game, Timko would finish with at least 20 assists, which would break the single-season school record by three.

Timko has also recorded four game-winning assists this season and is just one shy of moving into the top spot in that category. She also has posted three game-winning goals, just two away from entering the top 10 and five shy of the record.

Big 12 Rankings
The Nebraska soccer team ranks in the top five in the Big 12 Conference in 10 categories.

As a team, Nebraska ranks third in shots (217), second in goals (12), fifth in assists (21), fourth in points (81), fourth in goals per game (2.50), fourth in goals allowed (12), fourth in shutouts (four) and first in corner kicks (86).

From an individual standpoint, sophomore Brittany Timko leads the league in points (34), goals (12), shots (55), shots per game (4.58), points per game (2.83) and goals per game (1.00) and ranks second in assists (10), game-winning goals (three) and assists per game (0.83).

Junior Nikki Baker ranks eighth in shots (29) seventh in points (14), fourth in goals (seven), fourth in game-winning goals (two) and fourth in goals per game (0.58), while senior Lindsey Ingram ranks eighth in assists (four).

Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wright ranks in the top five of every goalkeeping category. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native ranks second in saves per game (4.17), third in saves (50), shutouts per game (0.33) and shutouts (four) and is fourth in save percentage (.806) and goals-against average (0.99).

Around the Big 12
Through three weeks of Big 12 play, Texas A&M, Nebraska's opponent on Sunday, sits in first place with a 5-0 record and 15 points. Nebraska, Kansas and Texas all have nine points, but the Huskers are the only other unbeaten team in league play.
In action last week, Missouri upset defending Big 12 regular season champion Colorado, 1-0. Oklahoma State, which entered the weekend with a 9-0-1 record, dropped a pair of games to Texas A&M and Texas, Nebraska's weekend opponents. Oklahoma and Texas Tech both went 0-2 last weekend and remain the only winless teams in conference play.
All eyes will be on the Abbott Sports Complex this weekend as second-place Nebraska faces third-place Texas and first-place Texas A&M.

Up Next
Following Nebraska's home games this weekend against Texas and Texas A&M, the Huskers will welcome two more teams from the Lone Star state next weekeknd.
Nebraska hosts Texas Tech at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15 before hosting Baylor on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m.

Head Coach John Walker
Nebraska Head Coach John Walker is in his 11th year as coach of the Huskers. Since starting the program in 1994, Walker has posted an impressive 181-46-8 record, recording his 175th career victory in a 3-0 win over Purdue on Sept. 5.

His .786 winning percentage ranks fourth among all Division I active coaches and his 181 victories rank 26th among active coaches.

Walker’s teams have won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament for eight consecutive seasons and have finished the season in the NSCAA/adidas top 25 poll in each of the last eight seasons.
Under Walker, the Huskers have become a perennial power. He has led the team to three Big 12 regular-season titles and five Big 12 Tournament titles since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996, including a sweep of both titles in 1999 and 2000.

The Streak
The 2004 Nebraska soccer team is looking to continue an impressive streak that began in 1996.

In every season since 1996 - a streak totaling eight seasons - the Huskers have not only made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but have won at least one game to advance to the second round. The 2004 Huskers are looking to make it nine straight this season.

Home Sweet Home
Nebraska, which is set to play a school-record 13 home games this season, begins a four-game homestand this weekend.

The Huskers have only six road games scheduled before the Big 12 Tournament and have already played four games away from Lincoln this season. Nebraska plays five of its last seven games at home, with only trips to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State remaining.

On the Air
All of Nebraska’s home games in 2004 will be carried by KRNU and will be available on Huskers.com. The next broadcast is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 8, when Nebraska faces Texas at 7 p.m. at the Abbott Sports Complex.