Early Jayhawk Goal Shuts Door on Huskers

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln ? Despite twice as many shots on goal, the Nebraska soccer team suffered its first shutout in 18 matches as the Huskers fell to the Kansas Jayhawks, 1-0, in front of 436 fans at the Nebraska Soccer Field.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

With the loss, NU fell to 6-3-3 overall and 1-2-1 in the Big 12 Conference. Kansas improved to 7-4-0 on the season, including a 2-1-0 mark in league play.

 

Nebraska outshot Kansas, 15-9, including a 4-2 shots-on-goal advantage. The Jayhawks managed just four shots in the opening 45 minutes, including just one shot on goal. That one shot, however, proved to be the difference as KU’s Shannon McCabe found the back of the net to lift the Jayhawks to the victory.

 

Kansas started fast out of the gate with a goal just one minutes into the game.  The Jayhawks pushed into Nebraska territory from the kickoff, earning an early corner kick that resulted in the only goal of the game.  Kansas’ Monica Dolinsky put the ball in play and after receiving a pass back out to the corner, found Shannon McCabe at the top of the 18.  Nebraska goalkeeper Jamie Klages cut off the angle on McCabe’s shot, but the ball bounced off the far post and curved back into the net for the goal at 1:01.

 

The goal proved to be a wake-up call for the Huskers, who held Kansas to just three more shots in the half, while earning 13 of their own.

 

Many of Nebraska’s scoring opportunities of the first period came off of set plays including an intense round of shots in the 15th minute.  After senior Brittany Timko served up a corner kick, sophomore Selenia Iacchelli and freshman Carly Peetz fought to gain control of the ball for a solid shot, but were rejected by the KU defense.

 

In the second half, Kansas was effective in controlling the ball and limited the Huskers to just two shots. NU wasn’t without chances, however, as the Big Red made several quality attacks and fought to the end, as the game culminated with a Timko corner kick that was cleared by the Kansas defense in the game’s waning seconds.

 

Timko was held without a point in the loss, ending her school record streak of 14 consecutive games with at least one point.

 

Nebraska, which entered the game as the only Big 12 school not to be shut out this season, was kept off the scoreboard for the first time since a 2-0 regular-season ending loss to Iowa State on Oct. 28, 2005.

 

NU remains home next weekend when the Huskers host Baylor at 4 p.m. on Friday and Texas Tech at Noon on Sunday.