Nebraska Closes Big 12 Season on the Road

The Nebraska soccer team (8-5-3, 3-4-1) winds up its Big 12 regular season this weekend as it travels to the Sooner state for a pair of contests against Oklahoma State (12-2-2, 7-1-1) and Oklahoma (6-9-1, 3-5-1).  The Huskers meet up with the Big 12-leading Cowgirls in Stillwater at 7 p.m. on Friday, before heading south to take on the Sooners at 1 p.m. on Sunday. 

After a disappointing weekend that saw the Huskers drop a pair of conference contests to Texas A&M and Texas, Nebraska is looking to get back to its winning ways this weekend.    The Huskers are ranked fifth in the league and need a pair of wins this weekend to re-establish a winning record in conference play.

Against Texas A&M last Friday, Nebraska suffered just its second shutout of the season, notching a season-low four shots while allowing 21 from the Aggies.  Despite a stellar defensive effort from the Nebraska defense and sophomore goalkeeper Jamie Klages that kept A&M out of the net through 63 minutes, the Huskers couldn't seem to get the offensive side of the field moving in the right direction.

Nebraska suffered a similar fate against Texas on Sunday at the Nebraska Soccer Field, tallying just nine shots after averaging 25 shots a game in its last four home contests.  However, the Huskers did manage to get on the board off the first career goal for redshirt freshman Shannon Dickerson.  NU earned a free kick early in the game that senior Brittany Timko sent toward the net and off the leg of Dickerson to put the Huskers up 1-0 for the first time in four games.  But the lead wouldn't stand for long, as the Longhorns netted the game-tying goal before the half was out and tallied the game-winner in the second period.

The Huskers face another tough test at Oklahoma State Friday, as the Cowgirls have emerged as a contender in league play.  After finishing ninth in the Big 12 and failing to qualify for the NCAA Tournament last season, OSU has produced an impressive turnaround in 2006.  Not only do the Cowgirls lead the Big 12, but they are ranked 10th nationally with a trip to postseason action all but guaranteed.

OSU's in-state rival, Oklahoma, has not experienced quite the success of its northern neighbor.  Despite a four-game unbeaten streak that was snapped by Baylor this past Sunday, the Sooners are still below .500 in the conference and on the season.
   
Scouting Oklahoma State (12-2-2, 7-1-1 Big 12) 
After finishing ninth in the Big 12 and failing to make the NCAA Tournament in 2005, the No. 10 Oklahoma State Cowgirls have come back in a big way this season.  An impressive record of 12-2-2 (7-1-1 Big 12) has OSU leading the Big 12, while also gaining national attention in the polls.

The Cowgirls are undefeated at home this season and enter their bout with Nebraska on a five-game unbeaten streak that nearly ended last Sunday with a 2-2 double overtime tie with Texas Tech.  Nebraska is the only team standing in the way of Oklahoma State and a probable Big 12 regular-season title.

The Cowgirls have found success not in any one individual player, but instead across a multitude of talented athletes.  In all, 10 Cowgirls have scored multiple goals this season, eight of whom have scored three or more.  Leading that list is junior forward Yolanda Odenyo with four goals and seven assists for 15 points on the year.  Odenyo, along with teammate Niccole Grimaldi, is tied with NU senior Brittany Timko to lead the Big 12 in assists this season.

Although Oklahoma State has been offensively sound this season, its defensive performance has been even better.  The Cowgirls utilize a pair of goalkeepers in the net and both are ranked in the top five in the Big 12 in both goals-against average and save percentage.  Senior Jeanne Rankin leads the conference with a 0.44 GAA, while sophomore Erin Stigler ranks fifth (0.93).  Stigler ranks second (.809) in the league in save percentage, while Rankin is third (.800).  No matter which keeper the Cowgirls put in net against the Huskers, NU will have its work cut out for it as both Rankin and Stigler have six wins on the year, with Rankin boasting two shutouts and Stigler three.   

Husker History vs. Oklahoma State
Nebraska owns an all-time series record of 9-1-0 against Oklahoma State, with the Huskers' lone loss coming in 2002 at the Abbott Sports Complex.  Since then, NU has rebounded to a three-game winning streak over the Cowgirls, including the programs' last meeting on Oct. 23, 2005 when Nebraska posted a 3-2 win in Lincoln.

Senior Brittany Timko served up a career-record tying three assists in the game for goals from Jessie Bruch, Selenia Iacchelli and Sasha Andrews.  Timko also recorded her 17th assist of the season, tying Jenny Benson's school record set in 1999.

The Cowgirls scored a pair of goals in the loss from Niccole Grimaldi and Yolanda Odenyo, two players who are among the leaders in OSU's success this season.

Scouting Oklahoma (6-9-0, 3-5-1 Big 12)
Oklahoma's record is deceiving.  Despite a losing record both in the Big 12 and on the season, the Sooners have posted some big wins lately, including a four-game unbeaten streak that featured conference wins over Texas Tech, Iowa State and Missouri.  OU also tied No. 12 Texas, 3-3, in double overtime in Austin.

The major reason for Oklahoma's recent success is an offensive boom that began against the Longhorns on Oct 1.  The Sooners had scored just 11 goals in their first 10 games, while tallying 11 more in just five games since, including a 4-0 rout of Iowa State on Oct. 8.

The Sooner scoring front is led by senior Kelly Kady with six goals, three of which have come in the last five games.  Kady also has five assists on the year for 17 points overall.

Husker History vs. Oklahoma
The Huskers are 8-2-0 all-time against the Sooners.  Oklahoma earned its first win over Nebraska, 2-1, in 2002.  The Sooners' other win came the last time they met the Huskers in Norman, as OU played Nebraska to a 1-0 shutout win in 2004.

NU got back on the winning path against the Sooners last season with a 2-1 win in front of a national television audience at the Nebraska Soccer Field on Oct. 21.  Brittany Timko netted both goals for the Huskers.  The first came unassisted at 11:02, followed by the game-winner at 78:26 on a cross from Aysha Jamani that Timko headed into the net.

Oklahoma's lone goal of the afternoon came on a counterattack that found Savannah Scott with a one-on-one opportunity against goalkeeper Jamie Klages for the score.

Dickerson Goal Halts Four-Game Streak
A first half goal by redshirt freshman Shannon Dickerson against Texas on Sunday ended a four-game streak for the Huskers of allowing an opponent to score first.  Dating back to Nebraska's 1-1 tie with Colorado on Sept. 29, the Huskers had not scored first in four consecutive matches.  However, in three of those four games, NU did come back to either tie or win the game, including a pair of 2-1 come-from-behind wins over Baylor and Texas Tech.

Unfortunately, Dickerson's goal, which was the first of her career, did not hold off the Longhorns, who posted a come-from-behind win of their own as they topped the Huskers 2-1.

Reigning Big 12 Player of the Year at it Again
Two-time Big 12 Player of the Year Brittany Timko is up to her old antics once again. 

After leading the Big 12 in assists in 2005 en route to her second consecutive player of the year award, Timko has come out in her senior season and is leading the conference not only in assists, but also in points and goals.  Timko's seven assists are tied for first with Oklahoma State's Niccole Grimaldi and Yolanda Odenyo, while her 11 goals and 29 points lead the league over Texas' Kelsey Carpenter (10 goals, 24 points).

Should Timko's lead in each category stand, she would become the only player in the history of the Big 12 to lead the conference in points, goals and assists in a season.

Even if Timko is able to lead the Big 12 solely in points, she would become the fifth Husker to do so and the first since Christine Latham in 2001.

Timko also leads the Big 12 in points per game (1.93) and goals per game (0.73), while ranking second in assists per game (6).

Timko on the Big 12 All-Time Charts
Single-Season
Assists: 1st (21, 2005)
Assists Per Game: 1st (0.91, 2005)

Career
Points Per Game: 6th (1.82)
Assists: 4th (42)
Assists Per Game: 3rd (0.62)
 
Coming from Behind
Although no team prefers to be down a goal, Nebraska has proven it is capable of coming back this season.  The Huskers trailed both Baylor and Texas Tech earlier this season, 1-0, at halftime. In both games, the Huskers rallied to earn the victory. NU has trailed by one goal in three of its last five games.

Against Baylor on Oct. 6, the Huskers used a pair of late goals to earn the victory. Senior Brittany Timko scored the equalizer in the 81st minute, before sophomore Aysha Jamani provided the game-winner just 51 seconds into the first overtime period. On Oct. 8 against Texas Tech, Timko notched goals in the 55th and 79th minutes to propel the Huskers to the 2-1 win.

Huskers Score Fastest Overtime Goal
Sophomore Aysha Jamani ripped a shot into the back of the net just 51 seconds into the first overtime period on Oct. 6 to lift the Huskers to a 2-1 victory over Baylor. Jamani’s goal marked the fastest overtime goal in school history, eclipsing the previous record of 55 seconds by Christine Latham against Texas on Nov. 8, 2002.

Timko Leads Huskers
Senior Brittany Timko leads the team with 11 goals and seven assists. Timko owns a seven-goal lead over junior Jessie Bruch and a three-assist lead over sophomore Aysha Jamani for the team highs in those categories. Timko appears poised to lead the team in both goals and assists for a third straight season.

Timko led NU with 15 goals and 13 assists in her first full season at Nebraska in 2004 and again led the team with 11 goals and a Big-12 record 21 assists last year. Before Timko arrived in Lincoln, no player in school history had ever led the team in both goals and assists in the same season.

Timko has also led the team in points the previous two seasons and again leads the team with 29 points this year, as she has 18 more points than Jamani. Timko appears headed to join fellow Canadian All-American Christine Latham as the only Huskers in school history to lead NU in points in three consecutive seasons.

National Honors for Timko
Senior Brittany Timko was honored this past week as both the Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week and a member of the SoccerTimes.com Honor Roll. The awards followed an outstanding weekend for Timko that included three goals and one assist to lead the Huskers to league wins over Baylor and Texas Tech.  Timko produced the game-tying goal in both matches, while tacking on the game-winning goal against the Red Raiders and the game-winning assist against the Bears.

Timko's big weekend also gained her some ground in the national polls as she improved to fifth in points per game (2.15) and seventh in goals per game (0.85).

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

In 16 games, the Huskers have earned 118 corner kicks to just 60 by their opponents, a testament to the endline work by both the NU offense and defense.  On Sept. 15 alone, Nebraska took a season-best 16 corners, which set a Nebraska Soccer Field record.  The previous record of 15 was set against UAB on Aug. 28, 2005.

Nebraska leads the Big 12 Conference in corner kicks, while Texas A&M ranks second with 112.

Starting Fast
NU also enjoys a 140-74 advantage in shots in the opening period, while that margin shrinks to an 123-108 NU advantage in the second half. Nebraska has won 62 corner kicks in the first period, while limiting opponents to 17.

While explosive first-half play continues to be a calling card for the Huskers, much of Nebraska's recent success has come as a direct result of second-half persistence.  Against Baylor and Texas Tech, the Huskers scored three of their four goals in the second period, while enjoying a 29-12 margin in shots.

Timko Reaches 40/40
Senior Brittany Timko produced three goals and one assist Oct 6-8.  With her performance, Timko increased her career totals to 41 goals and 41 assists.

Timko joined Meghan Anderson (48 goals, 50 assists) as the only players in school history to record both 40 goals and 40 assists in a career. Timko also joined Anderson as the only players in the 11-year history of the Big 12 Conference to join the 40/40 club, as well as becoming just the 35th player in NCAA history and only the third player to play her entire career in the 21st century to reach the marks.

Timko Plays a Major Hand in Husker Offense
Since her sophomore season at NU in 2004, senior Brittany Timko has been a catalyst for the Husker offense.  Anyone who watches Nebraska play can see Timko's impact, while the statistics back up her pivotal role in the Huskers' goal-scoring ability.

The statistics of goals and assists measure a player's contribution to a team's scoring.  But, by looking at these two statistics in tandem and comparing them against the total number of goals in a season, one can calculate how often a player was involved in a team goal.  The formula for this percentage is as follows:

Goals + Assists/Team's Total Goals = Percentage of goals involving that player

From the start of the 2004 season to the present, Nebraska has scored 115 goals in games in which Timko has played.  In those games, she either found the back of the net herself or assisted on 78 of those goals (68 percent).  Statistically speaking, Timko has had a hand in slightly better than two out of every three Husker goals scored in the past three years.

Through Timko's 15 games in 2006, she has garnered 11 goals and seven assists, involving her in 18 of Nebraska's 27 goals (67 percent).

Timko Joins Husker Elite at 100-Point Mark
Senior Brittany Timko recorded six points in Nebraska's 3-2 win over North Texas on 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.
 
Injury Update 
Nebraska has made it through the first seven 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.

Then came 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 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 on Sept. 8 and has since saw consistent game time for the Huskers.

While the Huskers have enjoyed a relatively injury-free season, a few minor injuries popped up following the opening weekend of Big 12 play.

Junior Jessie Bruch suffered a slight knee injury against Missouri on Sept. 22, sidelining her for three league games.  However, Bruch returned in Nebraska's 2-1 overtime win over Baylor last Friday to record  three shots, including one on goal.  However, Bruch was back on the injured list for both of Nebraska’s games last weekend.

Sophomore Jessie Goodell also experienced a knee injury in Nebraska's loss to Iowa State on Sept. 24.  Goodell did not play against Colorado or Kansas, but returned in Nebraska's win over Baylor.

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 a 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.