NU Seeks to Continue Postseason Success

The Nebraska women’s soccer team is headed to Lawrence, Kan., for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend, after earning one of 35 at-large berths into the tournament. The Huskers have qualified for nine straight NCAA Tournaments and will face Oral Roberts on Friday, Nov. 12 at 11:30 a.m.

Kansas, the No. 8 national seed, will be the host team and will face Creighton in the second game of the day on Friday. The defending national champion North Carolina Tar Heels earned the No. 1 seed nationally, while Big 12 foes Texas A&M (No. 9 seed) and Texas (No. 12 seed) joined the Jayhawks as top-16 national seeds.

The Huskers are 4-0 all-time against Oral Roberts, but the two teams have not met since Nebraska posted a 6-0 victory in 1999. The Huskers are 3-0 this season against the teams in their draw, defeating Creighton twice and upsetting Kansas, 1-0, in Lawrence on Sept. 24. The winners will meet on Sunday, Nov. 14. The third round is set for Nov. 19-21.

Nebraska has played 10 of its 20 games against teams in the field of 64, compiling a 5-5 record against the eight teams on the Huskers’ schedule that qualified for the tournament (NU faced Texas and Creighton twice).

NU enters Friday's contest on a three-game losing streak after being bounced from the Big 12 Tournament in the first round after losing to Texas, 2-0. Despite the finish to the season, Nebraska gave its best effort of the season in the loss to the Longhorns, according to Coach John Walker. NU, which is 12-7-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament has historically been very successful in the postseason.

The Huskers will be looking to make it nine straight years with at least one victory in the NCAA Tournament when they face the Golden Eagles. In 2003, Nebraska went 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament, topping Washington, 2-1, before falling to Portland, 4-1.

Last Time Out
The Nebraska soccer team made an uncharacterstic early exit from the Big 12 Tournament last Wednesday, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Texas Longhorns, which earned the No. 12 national seed and will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend.

The Huskers came out with great energy and intensity and had several good scoring chances while controlling the game's first 30 minutes. Texas' Kelly Wilson converted on the Longhorns first real scoring threat of the game, finding the back of the net in the 34th minute.

Wilson added another goal in the 38th minute to give UT its final margin of victory.

Scouting Oral Roberts (14-5-1)
Oral Roberts earned the Mid-Continent Conference's automatic berth by capturing the league's tournament title. The Golden Eagles secured a spot in this year's NCAA Tournament with a 3-1 victory over Valparaiso in the conference tournament championship game.

For the season, ORU is led offensively by Jessica Kellogg, who has scored a team-high 18 goals - more than any player in the Big 12 Conference - and has produced a team-high 39 points. Her six game-winning goals also lead the team, as do her 57 shots and 34 shots on goal. Heather Hall is second on the team with seven goals and 23 points and leads the Golden Eagles with nine assists.

In net, Stef Gurley has logged more than 1,530 minutes and is holding opponents to a meager 0.82 goals per game. She has allowed only 14 goals in 18 games and has recorded nine shutouts. As a team, Oral Roberts has posted 12 shutouts this season, meaning opponents have failed to score a goal in 60 percent of ORU's games.

Nebraska and Oral Roberts have played three common opponents this season. In those three games, ORU posted a 1-2 record, while NU went 2-1. The Huskers lead the all-time series, 4-0.

NU vs. The Field
Nebraska went 3-0 against the other two teams participating in the NCAA Tournament in Lawrence, Kan., this weekend. NU owns a 17-4-2 all-time record against these teams, but has never faced any of the teams in the NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament
Nebraska has enjoyed great success in the NCAA Tournament dating back to its first appearance in 1996. Since 1996, the Huskers have:

^ Advanced to the second round in each of the last eight NCAA Tournaments.

^ Compiled a 12-7-1 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament.

^ Advanced to the Sweet 16 in seven of the past eight years.

^ Posted nine shutouts in 20 NCAA Tournament games.

Nebraska's 2003 NCAA Tournament Recap
Nebraska went 1-1 at last year's NCAA Tournament, marking the eighth straight season the Huskers picked up at least one victory in the tournament. The second-round loss to fifth-ranked Portland marked the first time in eight seasons that NU did not advance past the second round.

In the first round, the 21st-ranked Huskers won on a game-winning goal by Jenna Cooper with just 1:39 remaining in the game. No current Huskers recorded a point in the game, but goalkeeper Katie Wright recorded eight of Nebraska's 11 saves in her first career start in the NCAA Tournament.

In the second round against host Portland, the Pilots were up 2-0 at halftime and added two more goals in the second period before current Husker Brittany Timko scored an unassisted goal in the 81st minute to make the final score 4-1.

Timko Named Big 12 Player of the Year
Nebraska sophomore forward/midfielder Brittany Timko was named the Big 12 Conference Soccer Player of the Year last week. Junior defender Sasha Andrews and sophomore defender Tanya Dennis were also honored as first-team All-Big 12 selections, as Nebraska placed three on the first team, trailing only Kansas’ total of four.

Timko led the conference in nearly every offensive category. Her 15 goals, 13 assists and 43 points were all league highs, as were her 82 shots, 4.32 shots-per-game average, 2.26 points-per-game average and 0.68 assists-per-game average. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native also ranked second with a goals-per-game average of 0.79 and was tied for fifth in the Big 12 with three game-winning goals.

In an outstanding season, Timko was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week three times, and also garnered three-time recognition on Soccer America’s National Team of the Week and Soccer Buzz’s Elite Team of the Week.

Andrews, a transfer from Southern Methodist, has started every game this season and has scored three goals and added four assists to total 10 points. She has also played a crucial role in the Huskers’ defense that is allowing just 1.25 goals per game and has recorded six shutouts in 2004. Andrews was also the only Nebraska player named to the All-Big 12 newcomer team.

Dennis is in her second year with Nebraska after only playing in two games last season because of injuries and her commitment to the Canadian National Team. Dennis started the year with a more offensive role, scoring three goals in the Huskers’ first three games including a career-best two-goal performance against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 3. She has moved into more of a defensive role as the season progressed and earned All-Big 12 honors at defender.

Nebraska’s three first-team selections were the most since four Huskers earned first-team honors in 2000.

In the Classroom
Five members of the Nebraska soccer team were among 80 student-athletes honored for their work off the field, earning first- or second-team academic All-Big 12 accolades. Three Huskers were named to the first team, while two more garnered second-team recognition.

Senior Lindsey Ingram and juniors Sasha Andrews and Katie Bunkers were each named to the first team. Ingram, a pre-nursing major from Littleton, Colo., also earned first-team honors in 2003, as did Bunkers, an advertising major from Sioux Falls, S.D.

Andrews, who is in her first season at Nebraska after transferring from Southern Methodist, was honored in her first year of eligibility as a nutritional science/dietetics major.

Juniors Vern Fitzgerald and Kari Hogan were each named to the academic All-Big 12 second team. Fitzgerald is a mild/moderate disabilities major from Lincoln, while Hogan is a family and consumer science major from Lakewood, Colo. Both were named academic All-Big 12 for the first time in their careers.

Nominated by each institution’s director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the soccer academic all-league squad consisted of 63 first-team members and 17 second-team honorees. First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, while the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

Timko Named Finalist For Hermann Award
Nebraska sophomore Brittany Timko the Big 12 Conference Soccer Player of the Year, was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, the official NSCAA Player-of-the-Year award for Division I.

Timko, who led the Big 12 in nearly every statistical category, has scored 15 goals, notched 13 assists and totaled 43 points this season. She tied the Nebraska record by recording five game-winning assists this season, and scored three goals in a game and added three assists in a game twice in 2004.

Short-handed Huskers
The Nebraska soccer team has had to deal with reduced depth this season, normally only using three substitutes a game. This postseason, however, the problem is heightened, as three NU starters - sophomores Brittany Timko and Tanya Dennis and freshman Sari Raber - will not participate in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend.

The trio, all natives of Canada, will be competing for the Canadian Under-20 National Team at the World Championships in Thailand, and will not be available unless the Huskers would advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

Freshmen Meghan Hungerford and Jetta Sadusky, sophomore Abby Penas and junior Kari Hogan have been NU's top substitutes this year and are expected to see more significant playing time in the postseason.

Hungerford and Penas made the first starts of their respective careers in the Big 12 Tournament last week, with Penas playing on defense for the first time in her career.

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 in four games, was her single-season career best 10th goal and gave her a single-season career-high 22 points.

In 20 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 regular season, Baker ranked 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).

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. Six of Nebraska's eight losses have come by one goal. Half of those six losses have come by a score of 1-0, including a loss to Oklahoma on Oct. 24.

The Huskers have grown accustomed to playing close games. Nine of Nebraska's last 13 games - and 12 of NU's 20 games overall - have been decided by one goal. The Huskers' last two losses have come by a score of 2-0, the only times this season NU had lost by more than one goal. The last two games also marked only the second and third times, respectively, that Nebraska trailed by more than one goal at any point in the game this season.

Road Warriors
Although the Huskers only played six road games this season, NU was very successful on the road. The Huskers finished 5-1 on the road this season, after suffering their first road loss of the season at Oklahoma.

Four of NU’s five road victories have come in Big 12 Conference play, with the Huskers recording victories over league co-champion 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 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 14 games and have outscored the opposition by an overwhelming 25-10 margin, despite falling behind at the half in their last three games. NU has held a halftime lead in 13 of its 20 games (65 percent). After beating Oklahoma State on Oct. 22, Nebraska is now 11-2 this 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 have not fared so well in the second half. NU has still outscored its opponents, 17-15, in the final 45 minutes, but have been outscored, 9-2, in the second half of Nebraska's eight losses.

10,000 Maniacs
In Nebraska's final home game against Colorado, a crowd of 1,006 pushed the season attendance to 10,749 fans, marking the seventh time in the 11-year history of the program that Nebraska has drawn more than 10,000 fans in a single season.

The crowd last Friday was the third-largest crowd of the season and was also the third crowd of more than 1,000 people in 2004.

The Huskers opened the season against traditional power North Carolina in front of 3,640 fans and drew 1,008 fans for a match against Texas Oct. 8.

The crowd that witnessed the North Carolina game was the third-largest crowd in school history and also bumped Nebraska attendance over 100,000 in the history of the program.

NCAA Rankings
In the latest NCAA statistical rankings, released Oct. 26, sophomore Brittany Timko is in the top 10 in five categories and in the top 15 in two others.

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 ranks fourth in the country for most assists in a game, as she had three against Northern Colorado and also against Eastern Illinois. She also ranks sixth in points in a single game with nine, 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 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 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 has also been 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.

Big 12 Rankings
Nebraska finished the regular season ranked in the top five in the Big 12 Conference in 11 categories.

As a team, Nebraska led the league in corner kicks (135), ranked third in shots (343) and shutouts (six), ranked fourth in goals (44) and goals per game (2.32), points (122) and ranked fifth in assists (34), assists per game (1.79), goals allowed (24), saves (87) and goals-against average (1.25).

From an individual standpoint, sophomore Brittany Timko led the league in points (43), goals (15), assists (13), shots (82), shots per game (4.32), points per game (2.39), assists per game (0.68) and ranked second in goals per game (0.79) and fifth in game-winning goals (three).

Junior Nikki Baker ranked eighth in shots (51), fourth in goals (10), fifth in game-winning goals (three) and sixth in points (22) and goals per game (0.53).

Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wright ranked in the top six of every goalkeeping category. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native ranked third in shutouts (six), saves (82) and saves per game (4.32), fourth in shutouts per game (0.32), fifth in save percentage (.774) and sixth in goals-against average (1.25).

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’s teams have posted an impressive 184-51-8 record. He recorded his 175th career victory in a 3-0 win over Purdue on Sept. 5.

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 with a win on Friday.