Huskers Meet Western Carolina in Mid-Week Action

As the Nebraska soccer team finds out this week, sometimes, there is just no rest for the weary.  After posting a 2-0 record with wins over North Texas and Drake at the Nebraska adidas Invitational this past weekend, the Huskers will be back on the pitch for a mid-week contest with Western Carolina this Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 5 p.m.  In all, Nebraska will play five games in 10 days in what is certainly the most rigorous stretch of the season.

Like Nebraska, the Catamounts come into Tuesday's match following a busy weekend that included a pair of games at the Border Shootout tournament in El Paso, Texas.  Also like the Huskers, Western Carolina notched a pair of wins over Texas State and Sam Houston State, giving both teams the momentum of recent success.  

Nebraska enters the match riding a three-game winning streak after posting a pair of wins over North Texas and Drake while hosting the Nebraska adidas Invitational.  Not only did the weekend put a few more notches in the win column, but it also allowed NU's offensive production blossom, making Husker soccer not only victorious, but fun to watch.  After scoring just three goals in the first two games of the season, Nebraska punched in eight more in the subsequent three contests, with seven coming this past weekend alone.  In addition, six different Huskers own goals on the year with several others still looming as potential scoring threats.

One big reason for Nebraska's recent offensive boom is senior forward Brittany Timko.  A two-time Big-12 Player of the Year, Timko kept quiet through two games before breaking out against North Texas last Friday.  The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native led the Huskers to a 3-2 win over the Mean Green with the fourth hat trick of her career.  The three goals also lifted Timko over the 100 career-point mark, a distinction that she shares with just six other Huskers in program history.

After being on the receiving end of a pair of Timko assists the previous weekend, sophomore Aysha Jamani reversed the roles against North Texas as she served up two of Timko's three goals.  Jamani gathered another assist in Nebraska's 4-1 route of Drake on Sunday, giving her three on the season, which is just one shy of her 2005 total of four.

While Timko again grabbed Nebraska's first goal against the Bulldogs on Sunday, the rest of the Huskers stepped up and spread the wealth in the second half.  A pair of freshmen, Brittney Lanier and Julie Berkshire, netted the first goals of their careers, while sophomore Selenia Iacchelli punched in her first goal of the season. 

The Huskers also spread time around in front of the net, as redshirt freshman Brittany Pfeil earned her first time in goal with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

This is the first time Nebraska and Western Carolina have met in Husker soccer history.  It is also the first of three games for the Huskers this week as Nebraska winds up its eight-game home stand this Friday and Sunday with games against Central Michigan and TCU.   

Scouting Western Carolina
Although Nebraska is a tough team to play, especially at home, Western Carolina comes into Tuesday's contest having already faced stiff competition on the road.  The Catamounts are 2-3-0 with all five games on the road this season, including a meeting with No. 15 Duke in Durham, N.C., on Aug. 27 that ended in just a one goal defeat.

Western Carolina goalkeeper Alesha Row was a huge factor in the 1-0 loss, making 10 saves against 24 shots from the Blue Devils, while the Catamounts mounted just two shots of their own.

Western Carolina has also fallen to instate rivals NC State and Eastern Carolina this season.  The Catamounts opened the year with a 2-0 loss to NC State despite enjoying a 7-2 corner kick differential.  However, while the Catamounts may have seen a larger number of set scoring opportunities, they also gave a few away as they suffered 23 fouls in the contest.

After again failing to mount a goal in a 2-0 loss to Eastern Carolina on Sept. 1, the Catamounts went on the prowl this past weekend with a pair of wins over Texas State and Sam Houston State at the Border Shootout in El Paso, Texas.

Western Carolina punched in three goals from three different players in a 3-1 win over Texas State on Friday, before again opening up the offensive artillery with a 4-1 route of Sam Houston State on Sunday.  Like Nebraska, the Catamounts have now scored seven goals over the last two games, including two goals from freshmen.
 

Movin' On Up
After posting a pair of wins over North Texas and Drake at the 2006 Nebraska adidas Invitational, the Huskers leaped from sixth to a tie for second in the Big 12 standings.  Nebraska (3-0-2) shares the runner-up spot with Kansas (4-1-0) as both programs own a winning percentage of .800.  A win against Western Carolina on Tuesday would improve this percentage to 83 percent heading into next weekend's competition.

Nebraska is also one of just two undefeated teams in the Big 12.  The other is Missouri, which currently holds a firm grip on the No. 1 seed with a record of 6-0-0.

Timko Joins Husker Elite at 100-Point Mark
Senior Brittany Timko recorded six points in Nebraska's 3-2 win over North Texas on Friday, Sept. 8 to reach a total of 103 points in her career with the Huskers.  Timko is now one of just six players in NU history to ever reach 100 points or more.

The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native earned her six points on three goals against the Mean Green, earning her fourth career hat trick.  She is now one hat trick away from tying Kim Engesser for the school record of five.

Timko added another two points in Nebraska's win over Drake on Sunday, giving her a total of 105 points and moving her into fifth all-time on the NU career points chart.  Timko currently averages a Big 12 leading 2.50 points per game on the season.

Jamani Lends a Hand in Husker Offensive Explosion
With nine career goals in just over one season with the Huskers, sophomore Aysha Jamani has proven that she can put away the points.  But after scoring two goals to open the 2006 season, Jamani turned to another points-getter this past weekend in the Nebraska adidas Invitational.

The Calgary, Alberta, native set up three of Nebraska's seven goals against North Texas and Drake, giving her three assists on the year, which is just one shy of the four assists she earned all of last season.  Jamani's three assists rank second in the Big 12 for most assists this season behind a tie between Texas A&M's Kat Krambeer (5) and Oklahoma State's Siera Strawser (5).

Timko Reaches another Milestone
Senior Brittany Timko is no stranger to accomplishments, as she boasts two All-America awards, two Big 12 Player-of-the-Year awards, a Golden Boot Award as the top goal scorer at the Under-19 World Championship and a spot in the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame on her ever-growing list of accomplishments.

After Nebraska's match with Iowa, Timko added another milestone to that list, albeit a smaller accomplishment than most on her impressive resume. With a team-high four shots on goal against the Hawkeyes, Timko reached 101 shots on goal in her career and became just the sixth player in Husker history to place at least 100 shots on goal.  In Friday's contest with North Texas, Timko once again led the Huskers in shots, placing all five shots on goal.  She added two more shots on goal against Drake on Sunday for a total of 108 in her career.
 Timko also recorded two assists last weekend and with her first assist against Wisconsin on Sept. 1, she moved into sole possession of third place on the NU career assist chart.

Pfeil Finds the Field
With so many new faces on the pitch for Nebraska this season, it should come as no surprise that yet another Husker made her debut this past weekend.  As Nebraska's backup goalkeeper, redshirt freshman Brittany Pfeil failed to see a single minute in the net during her freshman campaign in 2005.  But in Sunday's 4-1 win over Drake, the Norfolk, Neb., native finally took her place between the posts in relief of sophomore Jamie Klages with just under 10 minutes remaining in the second half.

The first action of Pfeil's career went smoothly as the NU defense passed a ball back that she was able to successfully play with her feet.  Unfortunately, the first time Pfeil got her hands on the ball was with under three minutes remaining as she came face to face with a difficult penalty kick that barely slipped past her outstretched gloves to give Drake its lone goal of the contest.

Husker Offense Remains on Target
The law of averages says that if an event takes place enough times, a successful outcome will occur.  That law has held true for the Nebraska soccer team.  The Huskers have taken far more shots, a large portion of which were on goal, than its opponents and consequently earned twice as many goals.

In five games, the Huskers have placed 38 of their 83 shots on goal, giving them a 46 percent SOG rate.  Of Nebraska's 38 shots on goal, 11 (30 percent) have found their way into the back of the net, resulting in a 3-0-2 record for the unbeaten Huskers.

While Nebraska has been busy punching out 83 shots, its opponents have recorded just 58 shots with only 18 (31 percent) of those on goal and only six resulting scores.

One of the reasons for the discrepancy could be the help that the Huskers provide one another in front of the net.  Nebraska passes the ball well inside the box, creating more scoring opportunities as seen by the 10-2 assist differential that the Huskers claim over their opponents.    

A First Time for Everything
There's a first time for everything, and for many of the Huskers, that time was last weekend.  In all, four Huskers scored their first goals of the season, many of which were also the first goals of their careers.

Senior Brittany Timko and sophomore Selenia Iacchelli both netted their first goals of the 2006 season with Timko racking up a total of four on the weekend.  Meanwhile, freshmen Brittney Lanier and Julie Berkshire both scored the first goals of their collegiate careers with Lanier's goal proving to be the game-winner. 

Berkshire also earned the first assist of her career with help on Iacchelli's goal, while sophomores McKensie Kirchner and Lindsay Poehling both earned the first points of their careers with an assist each.

Timko Streaking
In her first four games of the 2006 season, senior Brittany Timko notched 10 points and has now scored at least one point in eight straight games dating back to a shutout loss to Iowa State on Oct. 28 of last season.

Counting only games in which NU has scored; Timko has produced at least one point in 12 consecutive games after notching at least one point in 13 straight non-shutout contests during the 2004 season.

In leading NU in goals and assists in 2005, Timko put together an impressive string where she directly contributed to 10 consecutive Husker goals over a seven-game stretch.

Of Timko’s 36 games in which Nebraska has scored at least one goal since the start of the 2004 season, Timko has failed to notch either a goal or assist only twice during that stretch.
 

Injury Update 
Nebraska has made it through the first three weeks of play relatively healthy after an unfortunate preseason that included four season-ending injuries.

Sophomore Lauren Isenhower was listed as a redshirt before the Huskers even reached training camp due to a knee injury she suffered while competing with Nebraska in Europe this past summer.  Junior Meghan Hungerford also suffered a season-ending injury before the season began as she fractured her ankle during summer camps.

Next was the loss of senior defender Abby Penas, who was expected to be a major contributor for the NU defense in her final season at Nebraska.  However, Penas suffered a knee injury in the Huskers' exhibition match with Louisville on Aug. 19, and is out for the rest of the season.

Freshman Jackie Walsh will likely apply for a medical hardship after undergoing foot surgery.

Two players who began the season injured have now recovered and seen game time.  Redshirt freshman Shannon Dickerson sat out the first week of the season with a leg injury before returning for Nebraska's 2-2 double overtime tie with Wisconsin on Sept. 1.

Since then, sophomore Ali Lokanc has also returned to the lineup after rehabilitating a broken leg she suffered early in 2005.  Lokanc saw her first game action late in the first half against North Texas last Friday and again made an appearance against Drake on Sunday.

Corner Kickin'
Nebraska, which has historically enjoyed a tremendous advantage in corner kicks taken, is again out-cornering teams by a good margin.

In five games, the Huskers have earned 32 corner kicks to just 21 by their opponents, a testament to the endline work by both the NU offense and defense. 

Nebraska is currently fourth in the Big 12 with an average of 6.4 corner kicks per game.

Timko Lands on 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 Oklahoma State'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.