Huskers Open Busy Week with San Diego State

The Nebraska soccer team (2-1-0) will be looking to rebound from its first loss of the season when it hosts the San Diego State Aztecs (2-1-0) Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

The game with SDSU is the first of three in a busy week at the Nebraska Soccer Field. Following the match with the Aztecs, NU hosts Colorado College at 5 p.m. on Friday and welcomes Rice to Lincoln for a Noon kickoff on Sunday.

NU opened its season with a pair of home victories over Minnesota and UAB, but dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision at Illinois last Friday in the first road game of the season.

Three freshmen made the first road start of their careers against the Fighting Illini, including Ali Lokanc, who earned her first career start in the backline. Lokanc started in place of senior Aly Scace, who suffered a season-ending injury prior to the game.

Freshman Jamie Klages made her second consecutive start in goal, allowing just one goal while recording three saves. Natasha Karniski's game-winning goal in the 61st minute was the first goal allowed by Klages. A native of Coronado, Calif., Klages recorded three consecutive scoreless halves and strung together a scoreless streak of 150:37 to start her career.

For the first time in the young season, NU was outshot (18-8) and outcornered (6-3) by Illinois. The Huskers had controlled the tempo and been the aggressors in their first two games, and will look to regain the edge this week.

Tuesday's match will mark the first-ever meeting between the Aztecs and Huskers. San Diego State has played well this season, opening the campaign with a pair of victories against Cal State Fullerton and Northern Arizona by a combined score of 4-1.

The Aztecs, which split a pair of games over the weekend and are now 3-1-0, will be playing their third game in five days when they take the field on Tuesday afternoon.

Fans can hear all of this week's action at the Nebraska Soccer Field live on Huskers.com. Student station KRNU (90.3 FM) will carry the matches with San Diego State, Colorado College and Rice, with each game also being streamed live on Huskers.com, free of charge.

Scouting San Diego State (3-1-0)
San Diego State went 2-0 in its opening weekend of play before dropping two games last weekend. In their first game of the season, the Aztecs traveled to Cal State Fullerton and blanked Fullerton, 2-0, behind a shutout from goalkeeper Christi Yount and goals from Jen Mello and Amanda Swiader.

In its first home match, SDSU topped Northern Arizona, 2-1, erasing a 1-0 deficit by scoring goals in the 82nd and 86th minute. Mariko Strickland scored off an assist from Mello at 81:58 to tie the game, after Northern Arizona scored a goal in the 17th minute to take an early lead. Alicia Piz then capped the comeback with her first goal of the season just 3:07 later, scoring off an assist from Erica Sutton.

The Aztecs suffered their first loss at perennial power Portland. The fourth-ranked Pilots scored goals in the 33rd, 66th and 87th minute to earn a 3-0 victory. In the match, SDSU was outshot 24-4 and surrendered 11 corner kicks, while earning only three.

In its most recent match, San Diego State traveled to Washington on Sunday and earned a 1-0 victory on Mello's second goal of the season in the 80th minute.

Mello leads the team with two goals and five points, while Sutton leads the team with two assists. In net, Yount has played every minute, posting two shutouts en route to a goals-against average of 1.00.

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, the game-winning goal came off the foot of a freshman scoring their first collegiate goal. Against Minnesota in the season opener, Lauren Isenhower notched her first career goal off an assist from junior Brittany Timko and against UAB two days later, 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 in the Huskers' opening weekend wins, including Selenia Iacchelli who has started all three contests this season. 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 opened her career with a shutout against UAB and stretched her scoreless minutes streak to 150:37 before surrending her first goal in the Huskers' 1-0 loss at Illinois on Friday.

Against the Fighting Illini, freshman Ali Lokanc made the first start of her career, filling in at defender for senior Aly Scace, who is out for the season with an injury suffered after the Huskers' opening weekend.

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 goals 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 their 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 boasted five players with either four or five points.

The offense struggled last Friday against Illinois, being outshot, 18-8, and being shutout for the first time since last season's Big 12 Tournament opener against Texas. The Huskers, who had dominated play in their first two games, hope for a better offensive showing with three home games this week.

Extra Credit
Senior Sasha Andrews and junior Brittany Timko took advantage of one of only two open Sunday dates for the Huskers this season by joining the Canadian World Cup team in a friendly match with Germany in Edmonton, Alberta.

Against the 2003 World Cup Champion Germans, both players contributed in a hard-fought 4-3 loss. The Canadians scored their third goal of the game off a Timko corner kick in the 86th minute.

Starting Strong
At 2-1-0, the Nebraska soccer team would equal last year's 3-1-0 start with a victory on Tuesday over San Diego State. A victory over Colorado College on Friday would put NU at 4-1-0 on the young season and would represent the best five-game record since the 2001 team started 5-0.

Scoreless Debut
Freshman Jamie Klages made a sparkling collegiate debut in net, recording two saves en route to posting a shutout against UAB on Aug. 28. Klages became only the fourth goalkeeper in school history - and the first since Brooke Bredenberg in 2003 - to record a shutout in her debut.

Klages followed that performance by recording three saves and allowing only one goal against Illinois on Friday. Klages did not allow a goal in her first three halves and had a scoreless minute streak of 150:37 to open her career.

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.

Baker Notches 30th Career Goal
Senior Nikki Baker's second goal of the season against UAB on Aug. 28 marked the 30th goal of her career. Baker, who scored a career-high 14 goals in 2004 after totaling 14 goals in her first two seasons combined, became just the sixth player in school history to score 30 goals in a career. The Bixby, Okla., native ranks sixth on the NU career goals-scored list and has been the most prolific goal scorer at Nebraska since Christine Latham, who totaled a school-record 69 goals from 1999 to 2002.

Huskers on TV
The University of Nebraska, in association with NET Sports and CSTV, announced that the Nebraska soccer team’s home contests with Missouri on Sunday, Oct. 2 and with Oklahoma on Friday, Oct. 21 will be carried live in Nebraska on NET2/NET-HD and will also be carried nationally by CSTV.

The televised games mark the only two regular-season games that CSTV will televise live on a national basis.

Huskers Lose Pair of Starters
The Nebraska soccer team is bolstered this season by increased depth and a roster consisting of 24 players. That depth will be challenged early, as NU lost returning starter Sari Raber for the season during the exhibition season and lost another returning starter for the season when Aly Scace suffered an injury at practice following the Huskers' opening weekend.

Lokanc Makes First Start
True freshman Ali Lokanc became the second freshman to start a game this season when she earned her first career start at Illinois on Friday. Lokanc, a native of San Diego, Calif., saw action in each of the Huskers' first two games and started on the backline in place of the injured Aly Scace against the Fighting Illini.

Corner Kickin'
Despite being out-cornered 6-3 at Illinois on Friday, the Huskers still enjoy an overwhelming edge in corner kicks over their opponents. Nebraska enjoyed a decisive advantage in corner kicks in its opening weekend. In two games, NU out-cornered its opponents 21-5, and owns a 24-11 season advantage.

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.

When Leading at the Half...
Nebraska is 2-0 this season when leading at the half and is now a remarkable a 149-2-2 all-time when leading at the half. Prior to the 2004 season, the Huskers had never lost a game when leading at the half, but a pair of one-goal losses to Texas A&M and Baylor put an end to that streak. Each of those losses was the second game of the weekend, where a lack of depth and a roster of only 17 active players caught up with the Big Red.

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.

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.

Nebraska Soccer Field Firsts
In the first regular-season home game on campus in program history, senior Nikki Baker scored the first goal in the history of the Nebraska Soccer Field. Juniors Abby Penas and Tanya Dennis added the first assists, while freshman Aysha Jamani notched the first multi-goal game in just the second game at the Nebraska Soccer Field. Fellow freshman Jamie Klages also recorded the first shutout at the new home in the second game of the season against UAB.

Timko on Watch List
Junior Brittany Timko, the 2004 Big 12 Soccer Player of the Year and a third-team NSCAA All-American, was one of 25 players named to the Hermann Award preseason watch list announced.

The Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy honors the top male and female Division I college soccer players in the United States. The award represents the highest level of individual achievement in the sport. Over the years, the award has honored some of the biggest names in U.S. soccer. Kristine Lilly, Mia Hamm, Shannon MacMillan, Claudio Reyna, Alexi Lalas and Tony Meola are just a few of the players who won the award prior to achieving success on the international stage.

Timko enjoyed a stellar sophomore season in which she was named the Big 12 Conference and National Player of the Week three times. In 19 games, the Coquitlam, British Columbia native scored 15 goals and added 13 assists to total 43 points. Timko also recorded six game-winning assists, breaking the school record.

A list of 15 semifinalists for the award will be announced in early November, with the three finalists announced in December. The trio will be invited to St. Louis for a news conference and dinner held at the Missouri Athletic Club on Jan. 6, 2006, where the winner of the award will be revealed. The winner is determined through voting of NCAA Division I members of the NSCAA.

Timko was a semifinalist for the award in 2004.

The winners of the award are selected through voting by the members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Each January, the winners are honored at an annual banquet at the Missouri Athletic Club, located in downtown St. Louis. The Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy is on exhibition at the National Soccer Hall of Fame Museum in Oneonta, N.Y.