Huskers Finish Regular Season at Home

The Nebraska soccer team wraps up the regular season with a home contest against Colorado at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Abbott Sports Complex. Before the game, NU will honor its seniors on their final home game.

The matchup with the Buffaloes will go a long way in determining the seeding for next week's Big 12 Tournament in San Antonio, Texas. Nebraska, which currently sits in fourth place in the league standings, would clinch the No. 3 seed for the conference tournament with a victory or a tie. A loss would leave Nebraska as the fifth seed.

The Huskers nearly had even more to play for this weekend. Nebraska entered last week one game out of a three-way tie for first place in the Big 12. Texas A&M and Kansas, who were each ahead of Nebraska, both lost, opening the door for NU to claim a share of the Big 12 regular-season title. Needing a win against Oklahoma last Sunday to keep pace, the Huskers were upset 1-0.

Nebraska opened last weekend with a 2-0 victory at Oklahoma State, its second shutout in three games. Freshman Sari Raber scored the first goal of her career in the victory, and junior Vern Fitzgerald added her first goal of the season for the Big Red. In goal, sophomore Katie Wright made five saves in posting her sixth shutout of the season.

In the victory, sophomore Brittany Timko did not record a goal or an assist for the first time in 10 games. Timko's 10 consecutive games with at least one point ended just two shy of the school record. She still leads the Big 12 in every offensive category except game-winning goals, where she ranks fifth.

Against the Sooners, NU lost on the road for the first time in six games in 2004. OU's Becky Olson scored the game's only goal, as Nebraska's record dropped to 6-6 in one-goal games this season. In the game, Wright tied a season high by stopping seven Sooner shots.

Nebraska, which has lost back-to-back games only once this season, will be looking to end a one-game losing streak to Colorado on Friday. CU, the defending Big 12 regular-season champions, knocked off the Huskers for the first time in school history, 3-1, last season in Boulder.

Scouting Colorado (12-4-2 Overall, 5-3-1 Big 12)
Colorado was NU's travel partner last weekend and went 2-0 in Oklahoma, defeating Oklahoma, 4-0, and Oklahoma State, 1-0. Against the Sooners, CU was led by Jen Thais, who scored the Buffs' first goal and added assists on the next three goals. She finished the game with a goal, three assists and five points.

Against OSU, Colorado recorded its 10th shutout of the season. A goal in the 49th minute by Ashlie Mihalcin was all the Buffaloes would need, as Jessica Keller made four saves in goal. CU's balanced attack also features four players with at least five goals and five players with at least four assists.

For the season, CU has outscored its opponents 37-11. Against common opponents, Colorado compiled a 6-3-1 record, while the Huskers posted a 7-3 record.

For the season, CU is led offensively by a solid group of players. Ashlie Mihalcin leads the team with nine goals and 20 points, but Fran Munnely, Thais and Katie Griffin have eached recorded at least 14 points this season. In contrast, Nebraska has only two players who have totaled more than 10 points in 2004.

In goal, Keller has allowed only 11 goals in 18 games for a goals-against average of 0.60. She has made 63 saves and is coming off three consecutive shutouts. Keller has not been scored on since Oct. 15, and has given up more than one goal only three times this season.

Last Time We Met
Colorado defeated Nebraska, 3-1, in Boulder last season, marking the Buffaloes' first victory over the Huskers in program history.

In the regular-season finale, the Huskers took a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute, before Colorado added two goals in less than four minutes to take a 2-1 halftime lead.

CU's Fran Munnelly added another goal off a penalty kick in the 57th minute for the final, 3-1 margin.

Senior Lindsey Ingram scored the Huskers' only goal, while current Buffaloes Munnely, Jen Thais and Katie Griffin each scored a goal for CU.

Nebraska leads the all-time series, 6-1-1, and enjoys a 4-0 all-time record in Lincoln.

Last Week
The Nebraska soccer team went 1-1 last weekend on its final road trip of the season. The Huskers defeated Oklahoma State, 2-0, on Friday, but were upset by Oklahoma, 1-0, on Sunday.

Nebraska had a chance to put itself in position to claim a share of the Big 12 regular-season title with its victory over the Cowgirls, but couldn't hold off the Sooners on Sunday.

Sunday Blues
Nebraska has had tough luck on Sunday games this season. NU has a 4-4 record on Sunday's this season, but has lost its last three Sunday games, all in the Big 12 Conference.

The Huskers lost to Texas A&M, 2-1, on Oct. 10, then lost to Baylor, 4-3, on Oct. 10, and Oklahoma, 1-0, last Sunday.

Baker’s Best
Junior forward Nikki Baker scored her 10th goal of the season in the Huskers’ 3-0 shutout over Texas Tech on Oct. 15. 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 fifth in the Big 12 Conference in game-winning goals (three), fourth in goals (10) and points (22), fifth in goals per game (0.56), fifth in points per game (1.22) and ninth in shots (47).

First Off
Freshman Sari Raber scored the first goal of her young career in the 79th minute of Nebraska’s 2-0 triumph over Oklahoma State last Friday. The goal also marked the first points of Penas’ career.

Junior Vern Fitzgerald also got on the scoreboard for the first time in 2004 against the Cowgirls. Fitzgerald, who totaled three goals in 2003, recorded her first goal of the season against OSU.

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 on Oct. 15.

Tough Decisions
The Nebraska soccer team is 6-6 in 2004 in games decided by one goal. All six of Nebraska's losses have come by one goal. Half of those six losses have come by a score of 1-0, including last Sunday's loss to Oklahoma.

The Huskers have grown accustomed to playing close games. Nine of Nebraska's last 11 games - and 12 of NU's 16 games - have been decided by one goal.

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 5-1 on the road this season, after suffering their first road loss of the season last Sunday at Oklahoma.

Four of NU’s five road victories have come in Big 12 Conference play, with the Huskers recording victories over Kansas (1-0), Iowa State (3-2), Missouri (2-1 OT) and Oklahoma State (2-0). 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 12 games and have outscored the opposition an overwhelming 25-7. NU has held a halftime lead in 13 of its 18 games (72 percent). After beating Oklahoma State last Friday, Nebraska is now 11-2 for the season when leading at the half. The Huskers have also scored first in 12 games this year and are 10-2 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, 17-14, in the final 45 minutes, but have been outscored, 8-2, in the second half of Nebraska's six losses.

Corner Kickin’
Nebraska has been the best in the Big 12 Conference at winning corner kicks this season. NU leads the league with 132, more than double its opponents’ total of 66. In the Huskers' 1-0 loss to Oklahoma last Sunday, NU won six corner kicks while the Sooners were shut out in the category.

Looking for 10,000
With only one home contest remaining in a season that will cap a school-record 13 home games, Nebraska has nearly reached the 10,000 mark in season attendance. After the Baylor game Oct. 17, 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 Friday, it will 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 saw her streak of consecutive games with at least one point end at 10 last Friday at Oklahoma State.

The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native scored 12 goals and notched nine assists during that stretch.

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 16 games following its two-game opening weekend, Timko has had a hand in 28 of the Huskers' 41 goals, with 15 goals and 13 assists.

In the last 12 games, Timko has had a hand in 21 of NU's 31 goals, despite being shutout in NU's two games last weekend.

Double Trouble
Sophomore Brittany Timko has already notched a double-double with 15 goals and 13 assists through 18 games.

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.

Timko has also teamed up with junior Nikki Baker to provide a one-two punch in goals. Timko leads the Big 12 with 15 goals, and Baker ranks fifth with 10 goals.

NCAA Rankings
In the latest NCAA statistical rankings, released Oct. 26, sophomore Brittany Timko finds herself in the top 10 in five categories and in the top 15 in six categories.

Timko is tied for first with 13 assists, ranks fourth with 43 points, is sixth with an assist per game average of 0.72, is eighth with a point per game average of 2.39 and ranks ninth with 15 goals. She is also tied for 18th with a 0.83 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.

Around the Big 12
The race for the 2004 Big 12 Conference regular-season championship took some interesting turns last weekend.

Entering the week, Kansas and Texas A&M were tied for first place and Nebraska trailed by one game. KU defeated the Aggies on Friday, but the Jayhawks then lost to Texas on Sunday, while Texas A&M closed out its league season with a victory over Iowa State.

Nebraska had a chance to pull into a tie for first place with a victory over Oklahoma, but the Sooners upset the Huskers.

Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, A&M has clinched at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title and Kansas can clinch a share with a victory over Iowa State this Friday. The Jayhawks would then earn the No. 1 seed for the Big 12 Tournament on the strength of their 1-0 victory over the Aggies.

Texas is third in the league standings, but a win or a tie by Nebraska would put the Huskers as the No. 3 seed and drop UT to fourth.

Colorado needs a victory over NU to vault to the No. 3 seed. If the Buffs win, they would be the third seed, Texas would be the fourth seed and Nebraska would be the fifth seed.

Missouri is in line to be the No. 6 seed. Only an Iowa State victory over Kansas could deny MU the sixth seed. An ISU victory would make them the sixth seed and Missouri the seventh seed because of the head-to-head tiebreaker.

A loss by Iowa State leaves Missouri as the No. 6 seed and opens the door for Oklahoma State to claim the seventh seed if it defeats Oklahoma this Friday.

Perhaps the most crucial battle will be between Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. The Cowgirls need a win to clinch the final spot in the conference tournament, although they could be the No. 7 seed with an Iowa State loss.

Oklahoma needs a win to qualify for postseason play and can be no higher than the No. 8 seed.

Baylor and Texas Tech will not qualify for the 2004 Big 12 Tournament in San Antonio.

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 18 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 50 points, which would rank her fifth on the NU single-season chart.

On pace to score 18 goals, Timko has already entered the single-season top 10 and is on pace to finish in a tie for sixth 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 her average, Timko would finish with 15 assists, which would place in her in a tie for fifth, just two shy of the 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
Nebraska ranks in the top five in the Big 12 Conference in 11 categories.

As a team, Nebraska leads the league in corner kicks (132), ranks second in goals (44), ranks third in shots (328), goals per game (2.44) and shutouts (six), ranks fourth in points (122) and ranks fifth in assists (34), assists per game (1.94), goals allowed (22), saves (83) and goals-against average (1.21).

From an individual standpoint, sophomore Brittany Timko leads the league in points (43), goals (15), assists (13), shots (80), shots per game (4.44), points per game (2.39), assists per game (0.72) and goals per game (0.83) and ranks fifth in game-winning goals (three).

Junior Nikki Baker ranks ninth in shots (47), fourth in points (22) and goals (10) and fifth in game-winning goals (three) and goals per game (0.56).

Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wright ranks in the top six of every goalkeeping category. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native ranks third in shutouts (six), fourth in shutouts per game (0.33), saves (77) and saves per game (4.28), fifth in goals-against average (1.21), save percentage (.778) and sixth in goals-against average (1.21)

Up Next
Nebraska will head to the Big 12 Tournament in San Antonio, Texas, November 3-5, following its regular-season home finale against Colorado on Friday. Depending on the outcome of the game with the Buffaloes, the Huskers could be as high as the No. 3 seed and as low as the No. 5 seed.

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 184-49-8 record, recording his 175th career victory in a 3-0 win over Purdue on Sept. 5.

His .780 winning percentage ranks fourth among all Division I active coaches and his 184 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. 29 when NU faces Colorado.