NU Heads For Final Road Trip

The Nebraska soccer team heads to Oklahoma for a pair of games this weekend in the Huskers' final road trip of the regular season. NU will face Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Friday at 7 p.m. before traveling to Norman to take on Oklahoma on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Nebraska is 7-1 against both of its foes this weekend and is looking to stay in the hunt for the Big 12 Conference title. Despite compiling a 2-2 record in its last four league games, NU sits in third place in the league standings with 15 points.

After playing its last four games and 12 of its first 16 games at home, the Huskers will be looking to stay unbeaten on the road this weekend. Nebraska is currently 4-0 away from Lincoln in 2004 and is a perfect 3-0 on the road in the Big 12, including a 1-0 upset of then-No. 9 Kansas on Sept. 24.

The Huskers are coming off a 1-1 weekend, defeating Texas Tech, 3-0, but falling to Baylor, 4-3. Against the Red Raiders, Nebraska posted its fifth shutout of the season and it was a memorable day for several Huskers.

Sophomore Brittany Timko recorded her fifth game-winning assist of the season, tying the school record, while also extending her streak to 10 consecutive games with at least one point. Fellow sophomore Abby Penas scored NU's final goal, marking the first goal and points of her career.

Junior Nikki Baker, who was the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, added another goal against TTU, her fifth goal in four games. Her goal was her 10th of the season and gave her 22 points for the season, both of which are single-season career highs.

In goal, sophomore Katie Wright made three saves in posting her fifth shutout of the season.

Against Baylor, the Bears scored three goals in the second half to erase a 2-1 halftime deficit and defeat the Huskers, 4-3. In the game, Timko scored two goals to push her streak of consecutive games with at least one point to 10, two shy of the school record.

Timko also topped the 40-point plateau for the season with her two-goal effort against Baylor. For the season, the Coquitlam, British Columbia, native has totaled 15 goals, 13 assists and 43 points. She leads the Big 12 in goals, assists, points, shots, shots per game, points per game, goals per game and assists per game and ranks second in the league with three game-winning goals. Timko also ranks in the top 10 in the nation in goals, goals per game, assists, assists per game, points and points per game.

Scouting Oklahoma State (11-3-2, 3-3-1)
Oklahoma State hosted ninth-ranked Kansas and Iowa State last weekend, losing a 1-0 decision to the Jayhawks before defeating Iowa State, 2-1.

In the loss to KU, the Cowgirls were outshot, 22-10, but goalkeeper Breanna Truelove recorded 10 saves in net.

Against Iowa State, Truelove made six saves and Jolene Schweitzer scored both goals for OSU.

Offensively, the Cowgirls are led by Schweitzer and Nikki Wojtowicz. Schweitzer is one of only four players in the Big 12 Conference with at least 10 goals and ranks third in the league in goals, goals per game and fourth in points and points per game. Wojtowicz is tied with NU's Brittany Timko for the conference lead in assists with 13 and she also ranks sixth in points and points per game.

In net, Truelove has made 52 saves in 15 games this season and has posted one shutout while allowing 1.32 goals per game.

Nebraska and Oklahoma State have played seven common opponents. The Cowgirls went 3-3-1 against those teams, while Nebraska posted a 5-2 record in those seven contests.

Last Time We Met
Nebraska scored the only goal of the second half to break a 2-2 tie anad defeat Oklahoma State, 3-2, last season.

Junior Kari Hogan and senior Lindsey Ingram each notched assists in the game and were the only current Huskers to record a point. In goal, senior Brooke Bredenberg made eight saves.

For OSU, current Cowgirls Jolene Schweitzer and Nikki Wojtowicz each had good games. Schweitzer scored both goals, while Wojtowicz netted one assist.

Nebraska leads the all-time series 7-1-0, with its only loss coming in the 2002 season. In Stillwater, NU leads the series 3-0.

Scouting Oklahoma
Oklahoma was outscored 5-1 last week in losses to No. 9 Kansas (3-0) and Iowa State (2-1).

Against the Jayhawks, the Sooners only managed eight shots, but held KU to 12 shots. In goal, Catherine Wade and Jennifer Nichols each played a half, with Wade making three saves, but allowing two goals and Nichols recording one save and allowing one goal.

Against Iowa State, Allyson Kucera score the Sooners' lone goal off a corner kick by Shana All and an assist by Andrea Hurley. In goal, Wade played 57:27 and recorded three saves without allowing a goal.

Offensively, OU is led by Savannah Scott who leads the team with six goals and 13 points. Shall leads the team with six assists and no other player has more than two.

In net, Wade has logged more than 704 minutes, while Nicole has logged 730 minutes.

Wade has a a goals-against average of 0.77 and has recorded 39 saves. Nichols has also recorded 39 saves, but has nearly double the goals-against average of Wade at 1.48.

Nebraska and Oklahoma State have played seven common opponents. The Cowgirls went 2-5 against those teams, while Nebraska posted a 5-2 record in those seven contests.

Last Time We Met
Nebraska needed overtime to pull out a 2-1 victory in a match-up of top-25 teams.

The game was scoreless at halftime, but Oklahoma's Becky Nelson gave OU a 1-0 lead before Lindsey Ingram tied the game in the 71st minute by converting a penalty kick.

Jessie Bruch scored the game winner in the 104th minute.

Nelson was the only current Sooner to record a point in last year's meeting and Ingram was the only Husker to record a point against Oklahoma in 2003. In goal, Brooke Bredenberg made one save, while Wade recorded 18 saves for Oklahoma and NU outshot OU, 42-6, including a decisive 20-2 margin in shots on goal.

Nebraska leads the all-time series 7-1-0, with its only loss coming in 2000. In Norman, NU leads the series, 3-0.

Last Week
The Nebraska soccer team went 1-1 last week, defeating Texas Tech, 3-0, before dropping a 4-3 decision to Baylor. After the weekend, NU fell to third place in the Big 12 Conference with a 5-2 record (11-5 overall).

Against the Red Raiders, Nebraska scored one goal in the first half and added two more in the second half, while holding Texas Tech off the scoreboard.

Junior Sasha Andrews scored the Huskers’ first goal. Sophomore Brittany Timko recorded the assist, marking her ninth straight game with at least one point. Andrews’ goal proved to be her second game winner of the season, which earned Timko a tie for first place on Nebraska’s all-time single season game-winning assists chart with five.

Junior Nikki Baker continued her scoring barrage, netting her fifth goal in four games to put NU up 2-0. Sophomore Abby Penas closed out the scoring by finding the back of the net for the first time in her career. Junior Kari Hogan teamed with freshman Sari Raber to assist on the goal. The assist marked Hogan’s first assist and point of the season after totaling nine assists and 13 points in 2003.

In goal, sophomore Katie Wright recorded three saves in posting her fifth shutout of the season and first since Sept. 24.

Nebraska looked to remain in the Big 12 Conference title race with a win over Baylor last Sunday, but was unable to answer the Bears’ three second half goals. Timko scored two goals in the first half, but BU added a goal in the 43rd minute to close to within 2-1 at the half. With her first goal, Timko extended her consecutive games streak of at least one point to 10, two shy of the school record.

Baylor struck for two early goals in the second half before the Huskers answered back. Trailing 3-2, senior Brooke Bredenberg scored in the 61st minute to end the Bears’ streak of three unanswered goals.

The game remained tied for nearly 20 minute before Baylor’s Gentry Sharp scored in the 81st minute to put the Bears ahead for good.

Nebraska dominated most of the action, outshooting Baylor, 26-16, and recording 17 corner kicks to only one for BU. In the end, the Bears converted four of their eight shots on goal, while NU was only able to convert three of its 11 shots on goal.

Baker’s Best
Junior forward Nikki Baker scored her 10th goal of the season in the Huskers’ 3-0 shutout over Texas Tech last Friday. Baker’s goal, her fifth of the last four games, was her single-season career best 10th goal and gave her a single-season career-high 22 points.

Through 16 games, Baker has scored 10 goals, notched two assists?tying her single-season career high?and has produced 22 points. In her freshman campaign, the Bixby, Okla., native set career highs with nine goals, two assists and 20 points in 24 games.

For the season, Baker ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in game-winning goals (three), third in goals (10), fourth in goals per game (0.62) and points (22) and fifth in points per game (1.38).

First Off
Sophomore Abby Penas scored the first goal of her young career in the 79th minute of Nebraska’s 3-0 triumph over Texas Tech last Friday. The goal also marked the first points of Penas’ career.

Junior Kari Hogan also got on the scoreboard for the first time in 2004 against the Red Raiders. Hogan, who totaled nine assists in 2003, recorded her first assist and point of the season by assisting on Penas’ goal.

Timko Ties Record
Sophomore Brittany Timko, who is enjoying one of the best seasons in school history, moved into a three-way tie for first place on Nebraska’s all-time single-season list by notching her fifth game-winning assist of the season in the Huskers’ 3-0 blanking of Texas Tech last Friday.

Breathe Easy?
After playing in eight consecutive one-goal games, the Nebraska soccer team was finally able to breathe easier after a comfortable 3-0 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders last Friday.

In its previous eight games, the Huskers had become accustomed to games coming down to the wire. Over the eight straight one-goal games, NU posted a 7-1 record, including a 3-2 double-overtime thriller at Missouri on Oct. 1.

In its next game, Nebraska went back to playing one-goal games, dropping a 4-3 contest to Baylor, and fell to 6-5 in one-goal games in 2004.

Road Warriors
Although the Huskers have only played four road games this season, NU has proven it can win on the road. The Huskers are 4-0 on the road this season, including a 1-0 upset of then-No. 9 Kansas on Sept. 24.

Three of NU’s four road victories have come in Big 12 Conference play, with the Huskers recording victories over Kansas (1-0), Iowa State (3-2) and Missouri (2-1 OT). Nebraska’s other road victory came in a 3-2 come-from-behind win over in-state rival Creighton on Sept. 21.

Tale of Two Halves
The Nebraska soccer team has been accustomed to starting fast this season. The Huskers have scored first in nine of their last 10 games and have outscored the opposition an overwhelming 24-7. NU has held a halftime lead in 12 of its 16 games (75 percent). After losing to Baylor last Sunday, Nebraska is now 10-2 for the season when leading at the half. The Huskers have also scored first in 11 games this year and are 9-2 when scoring first.

While Nebraska has dominated the first 45 minutes, the Huskers haven’t fared so well in the second half. NU has still outscored its opponents, 16-14, in the final 45 minutes, but have been outscored, 8-2, in the second half in Nebraska’s five losses.

Corner Kickin’
Nebraska has been the best in the Big 12 Conference at winning corner kicks this season. NU leads the league with 123, more than double its opponents’ total of 59. In the Huskers’ two games last weekend, Nebraska held a whopping 24-to-1 advantage in corner kicks, including a 17-to-1 advantage over Baylor.

Looking for 10,000
With only one home contest remaining in a season that will see a school-record 13 home games, Nebraska has nearly reached the 10,000 mark in season attendance. After last Sunday’s game with Baylor, the Huskers have played in front of 9,743 fans in 12 games, an average of 812 fans per game. If NU reaches the mark in its final home match against Colorado on Oct. 29, it mark the seventh time in the 11-year history of the program that the Huskers have attracted more than 10,000 fans in a season.

Scoring Streak
Sophomore Brittany Timko has been on an incredible run over her last 10 games. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native has scored 12 goals and notched nine assists during that stretch. She has recorded at least one point in each of the 10 eight games after totaling one point last Friday against Texas Tech and four points against Baylor last Sunday.

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 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 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 Oct. 1, 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 assist 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 14 games following its two-game opening weekend, Timko has had a hand in 28 of the Huskers' 39 goals, with 15 goals and 13 assists.

In the last 10 games, Timko has had a hand in 21 of NU's 29 goals.

Double Trouble
Sophomore Brittany Timko has already notched a double-double with 15 goals and 13 assists 16 games into the 2004 season.

Timko's 15 goals rank fifth in the nation and her 13 assists rank first 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.

NCAA Rankings
In the latest NCAA statistical rankings, released Oct. 19, sophomore Brittany Timko finds herself in the top five in five categories and in the top 15 in six categories.

Timko is tied for first with 13 assists, ranks second with 43 points, is third with a point per game average of 2.69, is fourth with an assist per game average of 0.81 and is tied for fifth with 15 goals. She is also tied for 12th with a 0.94 goals per game 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 sixth in points in a single game with nine, coming against Northern Colorado.

Players of the Week
Junior Nikki Baker was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 12. The award was the fourth Big 12 offensive player-of-the-week honor and fifth player-of-the-week honor of this season for Nebraska. Both are league highs.

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 15 goals, 13 assists and 43 points through 16 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 56 points, which would rank her third on the NU single-season chart.

On pace to score 20 goals, Timko has already entered the single-season top 10 and is on pace to finish in fifth 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 13 assists this season and is already seventh on the single-season chart.

If she can maintain here average of nearly one assist per game, Timko would finish with 17 assists, which would tie the single-season school record.

Timko has also recorded five game-winning assists this season and is just one shy of moving into sole possession of 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 eight categories.

As a team, Nebraska ranks second in shots (295), third in goals (41), fifth in assists (33), fourth in points (115), fourth in goals per game (2.56), fifth in assists per game (2.06), third in shutouts (five) and first in corner kicks (122).

From an individual standpoint, sophomore Brittany Timko leads the league in points (43), goals (15), assists (13), shots (75), shots per game (4.69), points per game (2.69), assists per game (0.81) and goals per game (0.94) and ranks second in game-winning goals (three).

Junior Nikki Baker ranks ninth in shots (40), fourth in points (22), third in goals (10), second in game-winning goals (three) and fourth in goals per game (0.62).

Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wright ranks in the top five of every goalkeeping category. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native ranks third in shutouts (five) and shutouts per game (0.31), fourth in saves (65) and fifth in goals-against average (1.30), save percentage (.756) and saves per game (4.06).

Up Next
Nebraska wraps up the regular season with a home match against Colorado on Oct. 29. Following that contest, NU will head to the Big 12 Tournament, Nov. 3-5.

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 183-48-8 record, recording his 175th career victory in a 3-0 win over Purdue on Sept. 5.

His .785 winning percentage ranks fourth among all Division I active coaches and his 183 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.