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As the saying goes, 'There is No Place Like Nebraska', and the Husker soccer team is about to experience that motto first hand. After traveling to Louisville, Ky., for an exhibition match last weekend, the Huskers return home to the Nebraska Soccer Field this Friday, Aug. 25, for the first contest of an eight-game home stand to open the regular season. Nebraska takes on WrightState for the first time in program history in a 5 p.m. kickoff on Friday, and with new facilities and a host of amenities, the Huskers couldn't ask for a better place to hang their cleats in 2006.
Fans attending Friday's match are encouraged to park in the Stadium Drive Parking Garage, located across the street from the West side of Memorial Stadium. The fee for using the garage is $1 per hour and fans are advised that UNL Parking Services will ticket vehicles parked in university lots without a permit.
As Nebraska begins its second season on the UNL campus, fans will have the opportunity to get even closer to the action with the introduction of additional sideline and endline seating. The Huskers have added even more field-level seating along the south sideline and also placed bleachers along the endlines so fans can get an up-close look at all the goal-scoring action.
Fans unable to attend can still follow all of Nebraska's home matches by tuning into live audio and stats at Huskers.com.
The Huskers are looking to build another winning season in 2006, after mounting a 14-8-1 season in 2005 and making their 10th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska returns nine starters, including two-time Big12 Player of the Year Brittany Timko and Canadian National Team member Sari Raber, who missed 2005 with an injury.
The Huskers will benefit from their extensive roster of 27 players, including 10 newcomers from across the nation.
Nebraska's contest with WrightState is the first regular-season game for both teams after each competed in exhibitions during the preseason. The Huskers fell to the Louisville Cardinals, 2-1, in the third annual Jenna Cooper Memorial Exhibition Match last Saturday and return home this Friday looking to open the regular season with a win.
Nebraska's lone goal against the Cardinals came from sophomore Danielle Schoen, with an assist from freshman Brittney Lanier. Lanier was one of seven freshmen on the field for the Huskers in the exhibition and one of four to have earned starts.
This weekend's game marks the first time since 1998 that Nebraska has started the regular season with just one game. The Huskers usually take on a pair of opponents in the opening weekend with games on Friday and Sunday. Last year, NU pocketed a 3-1 win over Minnesota on Friday before adding a 4-0 win over UAB on Sunday. The Huskers are 7-4-1 all-time in season openers.
Scouting WrightState
Wright States wracked up a number of preseason Horizon League accolades this year after finishing 2005 on a five-game winning streak. The Raiders were picked to finish third in the Horizon and return all three all-league performers from last season including first-team selections Jodie Shoaf and Jess Rooma, as well as second-team goalkeeper Steph Comisar.
In addition to its returning talent, WrightState also enjoys a talented freshman class that was ranked first in the conference by Soccerbuzz.com.
The Raiders come to Lincoln this Friday after going 1-1 in preseason exhibitions. WrightState topped Temple, 2-1, in its first exhibition with goals from junior defender Kate Comisar and sophomore midfielder Kristen Olson. The Raiders fell to Cincinnati, 4-2, a week later after a 1-1 tie in regulation led to a shootout, where the Bearcats netted four goals to WrightState's two. WSU's lone goal in the match came off a cross from senior defender Carlin Lucente that was headed into the back of the net by freshman midfielder Nicole Amador.
This is the first time the Raiders will face Nebraska in the 12-year history of the Husker program.
First Time Foes
Wright State is just one of four opponents the Huskers will meet for the first time in 2006. Along with the Raiders, Nebraska will debut series' against North Texas, Western Carolina and Central Michigan this season. North Texas qualified for the 2005 NCAA Tournament where it fell in the first round with a 3-0 loss to Southern Methodist.
The new competition will allow the Huskers a look at different programs and styles of play from around the country, giving them a well-rounded look at the competition before the NCAA Tournament in November.
Canadian Connections
As fans may have noticed, some of Nebraska's biggest names weren't on the field in NU's exhibition match against Louisville on Aug. 19. Brittany Timko, Sari Raber, Aysha Jamani and Selenia Iacchelli missed Nebraska's match with the Cardinals so they could represent Canada in international competition.
Raber, Jamani and Iacchelli are currently in Russia playing for the Canadian U-20 National Team at the FIFA U-20 World Championships. Canada is 1-1 after a 3-2 loss to Nigeria followed by a 2-0 win over Finland.
Jamani played all 90 minutes in both games, while Iacchelli notched 14 minutes in Canada's win over Finland. Canada's game-winning goal against the Fins came off a penalty kick awarded to the Canadian's after Jamani was tripped in the box.
Canada will play the third and final game of round robin play on Wednesday, Aug. 23, taking on undefeated China. Should the Canadian's advance to the FIFA World Championship quarterfinals on Aug. 26, Jamani, Raber and Iacchelli would remain with the team. However, if not, all three would return to Lincoln to join the Huskers.
While Jamani, Raber and Iacchelli play with Canada's U-20 squad, Timko is continuing her work with the Canadian National Team. She returned to Lincoln for the first week and a half of Nebraska's training camp before rejoining Canada for a two-game series against eighth-ranked China. The 11th ranked Canadian team played China to a scoreless tie in their first meeting on Aug. 19 and is set to play again on Tuesday, Aug. 22.
Husker Season Openers
There's something to be said for starting off on the right foot. In its 12-year history, the Nebraska soccer program is 7-4-1 in season-openers and went on to finish first or second in the Big 12 following six of seven of those season-opening wins.
The Huskers have started the regular season at home 11 times, with their only away opener against Minnesota in 2000. When at home, Nebraska owns a record of 6-4-1 including a 3-1 win over Minnesota in 2005 that marked both the first game of the season and the first game ever on the Nebraska Soccer Field.
Year-by-Year Season Openers
Date Opponent (NU/Opp. Rank) Location Results
9/6/1994 Creighton (/) Abbott Sports Complex L, 1-3
9/3/1995 Creighton (/) Abbott Sports Complex L, 1-2
8/30/1996 Oklahoma (25/) Abbott Sports Complex W, 8-0
8/29/1997 DePaul (6/) Abbott Sports Complex W, 4-1
9/4/1998 UW-Milwaukee (8/) Abbott Sports Complex L, 1-2
8/27/1999 Texas Tech (8/) Abbott Sports Complex W, 1-0
8/25/2000 Minnesota (5/) St. Paul, Minn. W, 4-0
8/31/2001 Arizona (5/) Abbott Sports Complex W, 4-2
8/30/2002 North Carolina (10/2) Abbott Sports Complex T, 1-1
8/29/2003 DePaul (12/) Abbott Sports Complex W, 1-0
8/27/2004 North Carolina (/1) Abbott Sports Complex L, 0-1
8/26/2005 Minnesota (17/) Nebraska Soccer Field W, 3-1
Returning Category Leaders
Along with Nebraska's nine starters and 15 letterwinners returning this season, several 2005 statistical category leaders are back on the pitch for the Huskers in 2006. Overall, Nebraska returns a high percentage of its statistical output in several categories.
Statistical Category Breakdown
Category 2005 Leader (Total) % Returning Primary Loss (Total)
Points Timko (43) 80% Sasha Andrews (14)
Goals Timko (11) 80% Sasha Andrews (6)
GWG Timko, Andrews (4) 71% Sasha Andrews (4)
Assists Timko (21) 82% Vern Fitzgerald (5)
GWA Timko (8) 87% Sasha Andrews (1)
Shots Timko (93) 82% Sasha Andrews (34)
Shots on Goal Timko (47) 80% Sasha Andrews (13)
Saves Klages (88) 90% Katie Wright (11)
Timko Placed on Hermann Award Watch List
Nebraska senior Brittany Timko earned her second nomination to the Hermann Watch List this season as announced by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Timko is one of 25 nominees compiled by a panel of coaches from the NSCAA.
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.
An NSCAA All-American, Timko earned her first nomination as a junior in 2005 and went on to finish among 15 semifinalists for the award. A list of this year’s 15 Hermann Award semifinalists will be released in early November, with three finalists chosen later that month. The finalists will be invited to St. Louis, Mo., on Dec. 2 for the announcement of the winner, as selected through voting by the members of the NSCAA, at the NCAA Men’s College Cup. The winner will receive the prestigious crystal soccer ball trophy later that evening.
Big Time in the Big 12
Since joining the conference in 1996, the Nebraska soccer program has always been considered one of the teams to beat in the Big 12. Over the last 12 seasons, the Huskers have laid claim to eight Big 12 titles and five Big 12 Tournament championships. Only Texas A&M, which matched the Huskers with its eighth Big 12 title in 2005, has earned comparable level of success in the league.
Apart from its postseason success, Nebraska also owns a number of Big 12 team season records including most shots (656 in 2000), points (316 in 1999), goals (108 in 1999), goals per game (4.32 in 1999), assists (108 in 2000) and shutouts (16 in 2000).
Individually, Nebraska also reigns supreme, capturing a league-best 39 first-team All-Big 12 picks to Texas A&M's 28. Recently, NU senior Brittany Timko also joined the Big 12 record books as she notched a conference-record 21 assists in 2005 to topple the previous record of 17, which was set in 2003 by OklahomaState's Nikki Wojtowicz.
NCAA Tournament Titans
For the Nebraska soccer program, the NCAA tournament isn't a goal, it's a tradition. The Huskers have been a staple in collegiate women's soccer's biggest competition for the past 10 consecutive seasons, including eight runs into the Sweet 16 and two into the Elite Eight.
NU's success, coupled with the enthusiasm and support of the Lincoln community and Husker soccer fans, have made Nebraska one of the NCAA's favorite postseason tournament sites. Lincoln has been host to opening-round action on seven occasions from 1996 to 2005. Even when the Huskers made the move to the Nebraska Soccer Field in 2005, the trend continued as the venue was once again chosen to host the opening round between Nebraska, Creighton, Iowa State and eventual national champion Portland.