Huskers End Regular Season with Mid-Week Bout

Following a two-game road test over the weekend, the Husker soccer team (9-6-3, 4-5-1) returns to the Nebraska Soccer Field on Wednesday, Oct. 25 to host Loyola-Chicago (11-5-3, 5-1-1) at 4 p.m. to end the regular season.

It is the final home game for Nebraska this season and the third game in five days for the Huskers, who split a pair of games over the weekend in Oklahoma.  NU dropped its first contest of the trip, 2-0, against No. 10 Oklahoma State before snapping a three-game losing streak with a 1-0 shutout of Oklahoma on Sunday in Norman.

A penalty kick in the 18th minute put Oklahoma State in the driver's seat in Friday's match, despite the Huskers outshooting the Cowgirls, 15-11.  Sophomore Selenia Iacchelli led the NU offensive effort with two of Nebraska’s three shots on goal, while senior Brittany Timko fired four shots, but failed to find the net.  OSU scored its final goal of the evening in the 71st minute to blank Nebraska, 2-0.

After three games without a win, the Huskers changed the tide against the Sooners on Sunday with a 1-0 shutout victory.  Sophomore Aysha Jamani was busy on the offensive end for Nebraska, putting two of five shots on goal and notching an assist on NU's game-winning goal.  Jamani fed the ball to Iacchelli in the 32nd minute to put the Huskers in the lead, giving Iacchelli the first game-winning goal of her career.  Jamani's assist was her career-high fifth of the season.

The two-game split gave the Huskers a record of 4-5-1 to end the Big 12 season.  With a record of 11-5-3, the Ramblers should present a stern test for Nebraska. The Ramblers have lost just one game in their last nine contests and enter the game on a three-game unbeaten streak, scoring eight goals in those games alone.  This caliber of play will be a good barometer for the Huskers to face in a non-conference opponent before heading to the Big 12 Tournament next week. 
   
Scouting Loyola-Chicago (11-5-3, 5-1-1 Horizon League)
Loyola-Chicago presents perhaps one of the most challenging non-conference contests for the Huskers this season.  The Ramblers have built an impressive record this season that includes just one loss in the Horizon League.  Loyola-Chicago finished the 2006 season ranked second in the Horizon League.

The Ramblers have been competitive in every game this season, with three of their five losses coming in overtime minutes and all five setbacks by a single goal.  Loyola-Chicago has faced one other Big 12 opponent this season in Missouri, which dealt the Ramblers a 3-2 loss in 90 minutes.

A well-rounded team, Loyola-Chicago averages 1.59 goals per game while holding opponents to 0.89. The Ramblers' 32 goals on the season are spread across five key players who have three goals or more, led by freshman Cynthia Morote-Ariza who has nine goals and six assists.  Defensively, Loyola-Chicago has allowed just 18 goals, due in large part to an outstanding effort by senior goalkeeper Emily Peick, who has 83 saves and seven shutouts on the year for a 0.83 goals-against average.

Husker History vs. Loyola-Chicago
The Huskers are 2-0-0 all-time against the Ramblers with both games taking place in Lincoln.  Nebraska first faced Loyola-Chicago in 1995, which ended in a 4-2 NU win.  The two programs faced off again in 1998, with the Huskers emerging with a dominant 11-0 shutout.  The win is tied for Nebraska's largest margin of victory in program history.
Jamani Sets Assists Mark

Sophomore Aysha Jamani recorded the game-winning assist in the Huskers’ 1-0 win at Oklahoma last Sunday on a goal by sophomore Selenia Iacchelli. The assist was Jamani’s career-best fifth of the season, eclipsing her total of four assists from 2005. Jamani ranks second on the team with five assists, while also ranking second with 11 points.

Iacchelli Scores Game-Winner
Sophomore Selenia Iacchelli scored the first game-winning goal of her career to lift Nebraska past Oklahoma, 1-0, in the Huskers' final Big 12 Conference regular-season game on Sunday. Iacchelli’s goal came on her only shot of the game and marked her second goal of the season. Iacchelli has now scored six goals in her career, but Sunday’s goal is her lone game-winning goal.

Klages Moves Up Charts
Sophomore goalkeeper Jamie Klages recorded six saves over the weekend to move into fourth place on the NU career saves chart. Klages has 147 saves in her career, passing Rebecca Hornbacher, who registered 141 saves for the Huskers from 1996 to 1997.

Stat of the Week
Nebraska was able to hold on to a 1-0 halftime lead at Oklahoma on Sunday, improving the Huskers to a perfect 4-0 this season when leading at the half.

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.  Timko's seven assists are tied for first with Oklahoma State's Niccole Grimaldi and Yolanda Odenyo, while her 29 points lead the league over Texas' Kelsey Carpenter (26) and Colorado's Nikki Marshall (26).  Timko is also tied for second in goals (11) with Carpenter.

Should Timko regain her lead in goals and maintain it in the other categories, 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 (1.71), while ranking second in goals per game (0.65).

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)
 
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.  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.

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

In 18 games, the Huskers have earned 134 corner kicks to just 67 by their opponents, a testament to the endline work by both the NU offense and defense.  Nebraska is especially potent in the first half, taking 71 corners in the opening 45 minutes, while that number drops to just 53 in the second period. 

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 is second in the Big 12 Conference in corners (134) behind Texas A&M (141).

Starting Fast
NU also enjoys a 155-83 advantage in shots in the opening period, while that margin shrinks to a 134-122 NU advantage in the second half.  

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 116 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 17 games in 2006, she has garnered 11 goals and seven assists, involving her in 18 of Nebraska's 28 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.

Junior Jessie Bruch suffered a 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 Nebraska's 0-2 loss to Texas A&M on Oct. 13 and her return to the pitch is still undecided.

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 occassions 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.