NU Faces Tough Test in First Road Match

After successfully opening its new home with a pair of victories over the weekend, the Nebraska soccer team travels to Champaign, Ill., this Friday for a 7 p.m. match with Illinois. The game against the Fighting Illini (0-1-1) marks the first road contest of the season for NU and is also a rematch of last season's Sweet 16 showdown, which the Illini won 2-1 by converting a late penalty kick.

In 2005, Nebraska (2-0-0) is off to a fast start, while Illinois struggled in its opening weekend. The Huskers dominated Minnesota and UAB, winning by a combined 7-1 margin. On the flip side, Illinois was unable to find the back of the net in either of its weekend contests, dropping a 1-0 decision at Marquette and playing Wisconsin-Milwaukee to a scoreless tie.

Illinois will be the second Big Ten opponent in three matches this season for Nebraska. One of the strongest soccer conferences in the nation, the Big Ten sent five teams to the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Huskers got a taste of Big Ten play when they defeated Minnesota, 3-1, in the season opener.

Nebraska jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead on a goal from senior Nikki Baker and freshman Lauren Isenhower added the first goal of her career to build NU's lead to 2-0. A Golden Gopher goal late in the first half closed the gap to 2-1 at intermission, but a superb shot from junior Tanya Dennis clinched the Huskers' 3-1 victory.

NU followed that performance with a dominating 4-0 shutout over UAB, which won the Conference USA Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2004. Nebraska controlled the game from start to finish, outshooting the Blazers 27-4 and placing 17 shots on goal, to only two from UAB.

Freshman Aysha Jamani scored the first two goals of her career in a brilliant game, while junior Brittany Timko, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year, picked up her first goal of the season to go along with a pair of assists in the win. Baker closed out the scoring with the lone goal of the second half, marking her fourth straight game with a goal, including the Huskers' two exhibition games.

Defensively, Nebraska limited opponents to just 13 total shots. In net, junior Katie Wright recorded four saves while playing all 90 minutes against Minnesota. Freshman Jamie Klages made her collegiate debut on Sunday, earning the start and posting the first shutout of her career and the first shutout of the season for Nebraska.

As it has done historically, NU continued to enjoy a decisive edge in corner kicks over the weekend. The Huskers out-cornered Minnesota, 6-1, and added 15 more against UAB.

Following the match with Illinois this weekend, the Huskers will have Sunday off before hosting San Diego State on Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 5 p.m. at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

Scouting Illinois (0-1-1)
Illinois lost its season opener at Marquette, 1-0, before playing to a scoreless draw with Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sunday. The Fighting Illini are coming off the best season in school history in 2004. Last season, the Illini went 16-6-2 and made the program's first trip to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament following a 2-1 victory over Nebraska in the Sweet 16.

Illinois returns six starters from last year's squad, but struggled to find any offense in the opening weekend of the season. Although the Illini did not manage to score a goal, they attempted 26 shots in their two games, including 10 on goal.

Ella Masar, a junior forward, is the Illini's top returning scorer after totaling 11 points last season. In net, Lindsey Carstens allowed just one goal in 200 minutes over the weekend, recording eight saves.

Last Time We Met
In the only meeting between the schools, Illinois converted a penalty kick in the 85th minute to edge Nebraska, 2-1, in the Sweet 16 of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Huskers trailed 1-0 until goalkeeper Katie Wright played a beautiful free kick to Brooke Bredenberg, who found the back of the net with a header to tie the game in the 29th minute.

The game remained scoreless until 85:16, when both a Husker and an Illini went down in the box and Illinois was awarded a penalty kick. Despite excellent reaction from Wright, Sarah Brown converted the kick to lift the Fighting Illini to the victory.

In the game, U of I outshot NU, 17-7, and placed nine shots on goal to the Huskers' five. In net, Wright made seven saves.

This year's match will have a different look, as Illinois returns only six starters, while NU will be bolstered by the additions of regular starters Jessie Bruch, Tanya Dennis and Brittany Timko who did not play in last year's meeting.

Freshman Contributions
Even with an experienced team returning nine starters from last year's Sweet 16 squad and the return of sophomore Jessie Bruch, the 2005 Huskers have received plenty of support from their talented 11-player freshman class.

In each of Nebraska's two wins over the weekend, the game-winning goal came off the foot of a freshman scoring their first collegiate goal. Against Minnesota, Lauren Isenhower notched her first career goal off an assist from junior Brittany Timko and against UAB, Aysha Jamani's first of two goals proved to be the game winner in the Huskers' 4-0 win.

Ten freshmen made their collegiate debuts over the weekend, including Selenia Iacchelli who started each match. In addition to logging minutes, the freshmen have combined to contribute three goals and three assists, accounting for 39 percent of the Husker's point total.

In net, Jamie Klages had a stellar debut, recording two saves en route to posting a shutout in her first career start on Sunday.

Offensive Firepower
With two returning players who totaled 30 or more points last season and the influx of talented attacking players, expectations were high for the Nebraska offense this season and it did not disappoint in the opening weekend.

Nebraska dominated its two opponents, scoring seven goal and outshooting Minnesota and UAB by a combined margin of 41-13. The Huskers placed 27 of those shots on goal compared to only seven by its opponents.

The offensive attack was not only explosive, but well-balanced. Four different Huskers scored a goal and five added an assist. After the opening weekend, NU boasts five players with either four or five points.

Starting Strong
By virtue of its two wins over the weekend, the Nebraska soccer team is off to its best start since the 2003 season. With a victory over Illinois on Friday, the Huskers would start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2001, when NU opened the year with a five-game winning streak.

Scoreless Debut
Freshman Jamie Klages made a sparkling collegiate debut in net, recording two saves en route to posting a shutout against UAB on Sunday. Klages became only the fourth goalkeeper in school history - and the first since Brooke Bredenberg in 2003 - to record a shutout in her debut.

Record Assistance
Junior Brittany Timko recorded a school-record six game-winning assists last season and she has picked up right where she left off. Timko produced the game-winning assist in each of the Huskers' victories last weekend. Her career total now stands at eight, which ties Jenny Benson for fourth place in the NU career record book.

The Nebraska Soccer Field
The Huskers have a chance to make school history on the field in 2005, but their field itself has already made program history. For the first time in the 12-year history of Nebraska Soccer, the Huskers are playing their home games on campus.

The Nebraska Soccer Field, located immediately northeast of Memorial Stadium in the middle of the Ed Weir Track, provides one of the most unique settings in the nation. Nestled between the home of fellow fall sports Husker football and volleyball, the location is also near the two full-size indoor practice facilities NU enjoys, including the new Championship Indoor Center.

The Championship Indoor Center not only includes a second year-round practice facility, but is also home to brand new soccer offices, including Head Coach John Walker's office, which has a balcony overlooking the field.

As part of the Championship Drive project, scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2006, the soccer team will also enjoy a large, modern locker room, in addition to new strength and conditioning and athletic medicine facilities.

The Huskers hope to be as successful on campus as they were off. Nebraska owned a career home record of 107-17-4 (.852) in its two previous off-campus homes, including a 101-16-4 (.835) mark at the Abbott Sports Complex. The Huskers are 2-0 at their new home.

Corner Kickin'
Nebraska enjoyed a decisive advantage in corner kicks in its opening weekend. In two games, NU out-cornered its opponents 21-5, including earning 15 corner kicks against UAB on Sunday and limiting Minnesota to only one corner kick on Friday.

Nearing 200
Head Coach John Walker, the only coach in the history of the Nebraska Soccer program, needs just 12 victories to reach 200 career victories and 200 wins at Nebraska. Walker, who ranks 22nd among active coaches in career victories, has a career record of 186-52-8 in 11 years at the helm of the Huskers. Walker has averaged nearly 17 wins a season at NU and at that pace would reach the 200-win plateau this season.

New Faces on the Sideline
The new on-campus home of the Huskers is not the only dramatic change from the 2004 season. For the first time in 10 years, a new face will be seen alongside NU coaches John Walker and Marty Everding, each of whom has been a part of the program since its inception in 1994. Ann Cook joins the staff for her first season in 2005, replacing Megan Skinner. Cook's addition to the staff represents the first change to the staff in 10 years.

Another new face to the sideline this season is still a familiar face to Husker fans. Kari Hogan, a senior this season, has decided to serve as the undergraduate assistant coach instead of playing her final season. Rounding out the coaching staff is another former Husker, Christine Latham. Latham is in her second year as the volunteer assistant coach. She served the same role last season while continuing her undergraduate studies and returns this season after earning her degree in May of 2005.