Experience Trumps Outcome in 2006

The 2006 season may have ended sooner than the Nebraska soccer team would have liked, but the experience gained by the young Husker squad could prove to be more valuable than postseason glory.

On the season, eight freshmen earned starts for NU, including four who started in at least half of Nebraska’s matches. In fact, the Huskers utilized just three players at the junior or senior level, which means that the majority of NU’s returning roster will boast extensive game experience in 2007. With the loss of senior Brittany Timko to graduation, Nebraska will need this returning experience to maintain the level of success that has become synonymous with Husker soccer. 

Nebraska finished the season 10-7-3, continuing a streak of posting at least 10 victories every season in the history of the program. Nebraska owned at least a one goal lead in 15 of its 20 contests this season, but an inability to close games resulted in a 4-5-1 record in Big 12 play and the Huskers failing to receive a big to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995.
Timko repeated as the Big 12 Player of the Year, sharing the honor with Oklahoma State’s Yolanda Odenyo, to become the first player in the history of the conference to earn player-of-the-year accolades more than twice. Timko was also a first-team All-Big 12 selection for the third consecutive season, while senior Tanya Dennis and sophomore Aysha Jamani both earned repeat nominations with selections to the All-Big 12 second team.  Dennis earned her first Big 12 award as a first-team selection in 2004.  Jamani earned her place on the second team last season.  Freshman Carly Peetz rounded out the Husker honorees, representing Nebraska as an All-Newcomer selection.

Overall, Timko made the most of her senior season with the Huskers. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native reached a number of plateaus on the year, including topping the 100-point mark for her career in Nebraska's 3-2 win over North Texas on Sept. 8. Timko also produced the fourth hat trick of her career in the contest to pull within one hat trick of tying the program record of five set by Kim Engesser. The 5-7 forward earned another NU program record against Iowa State on Sept. 24 as she recorded an assist on a goal from Peetz.  With the point, Timko had scored at least one point in 13 consecutive games, which topped the previous consecutive games with a point record of 12 set by Kim Engesser in 1997.  Timko's streak ended at 14 games on Oct. 1 against Kansas as the Huskers were held scoreless for the first time in 18 games.

With her 11 goals and seven assists in 2006, Timko finished her career with 41 goals and 42 assists.  With 40 goals and 40 assists, Timko joined Meghan Anderson as the only players in NU and Big 12 history to accomplish the feat.  They are also two of just 35 players in NCAA history to achieve the marks.

The passion and intensity that are synonymous with Nebraska soccer were again the defining aspects of the Huskers in 2006. NU was hampered by season-ending injuries to senior defensive starter Abby Penas, as well as forwards Meghan Hungerford and Lauren Isenhower. The injuries forced several freshmen and sophomores to take on leadership roles early in the season.

With the loss of Penas, Nebraska faced a young and highly inexperienced defense. In fact, only senior Tanya Dennis and sophomore Sari Raber owned previous collegiate defensive starts. But that didn’t phase the Huskers. Instead, sophomore Lindsay Poehling stepped into a defensive role after working as a forward in 2005, while freshman Carly Peetz and Anna Caniglia made their collegiate debuts as starters in every game for the Huskers. Together, this core four-player set-up boasted tremendous success for Nebraska, allowing just 24 goals on the season.

The Huskers opened both home and regular-season play against Wright State on Aug. 25, finishing in a 1-1 tie through two overtimes, despite outshooting the Raiders 15-8. The game was one of three ties through seven overtime contests for Nebraska on the season, setting the NU record for most overtime periods in a single season and setting the tone for the season that saw the Huskers struggle to finish games they clearly controlled.

NU placed more than half its shots on goal against Wright State and notched nine corner kicks to the Raiders’ two, but managed just one goal from freshman Savannah Allen off a rebound on a shot taken by sophomore Jessie Goodell in the 37th minute. The game-tying score was Allen’s only of the season.

Nebraska was hit by another tie the following week as it played to a 2-2 draw with Wisconsin at the Nebraska Soccer Field, despite the return of Canadian National players Timko, Jamani, Sari Raber and Selenia Iacchelli from international competition. It was the first time in the history of the program that the Huskers had tied a pair of opponents in back-to-back action.
 
Despite the return of NU’s offensive firepower in Timko and Jamani, the Badgers outshot the Huskers by a narrow 16-15 margin with a 7-4 shots-on-goal ratio.  Nebraska was also unable to enjoy its usual number of set plays, earning just six corner kicks to Wisconsin's seven. Nebraska still managed to get on the board first in the match with an unassisted goal from Jamani at 15:57. The Badgers answered not long after off a free kick at 18:12 and scored the go-ahead goal in the 63rd minute. Down 2-1 with less than 30 minutes remaining, the Huskers went back to an old standard as Timko found one of her favorite targets in junior Jessie Bruch, who landed the game-tying header.

Nebraska picked up its first win of the season in a 1-0 shut out of Iowa on Sept. 3 in Lincoln. Jamani scored the lone goal of the contest, marking her second goal of the weekend, when she connected on a cross from Timko in the 62nd minute. In goal for the Huskers, sophomore Jamie Klages picked up her first shutout of the season. Due to great work from the midfield and the defense, Klages needed to make only one save, as the Hawkeyes managed to place just one of their eight shots on goal.

The Huskers continued their winning ways the following weekend as they hosted the Nebraska adidas Invitational, welcoming USC, Drake and North Texas to the Nebraska Soccer Field. NU’s first game of the weekend featured a 3-2 win over North Texas led by Timko, who earned the fourth hat trick of her career. In a landmark evening for the Coquitlam, British Columbia native, Timko also reached the 100-point mark, becoming one of just six Huskers ever to notch 100 points or more in their careers.

Fueled by goals from four different players, the Huskers cruised past Drake, 4-1, to pick up their third straight victory and remain unbeaten on the season on Sept. 10. Nebraska’s victory was highlighted by several firsts for the unbeaten Huskers, including first career goals for freshmen Brittney Lanier and Julie Berkshire.  The pair both found the back of the net in the second half, with Lanier’s proving to be the game-winning goal. Berkshire’s first career goal was matched by her first career assist on a goal by Iacchelli, while sophomore McKensie Kirchner and Poehling also tallied the first assists of their careers.

While the Huskers were racking up points all over the pitch, the Nebraska goalkeepers were also undergoing some novel experiences of their own. With just under 10 minutes remaining in the game, redshirt freshman Brittany Pfeil took control of the net from Klages. Pfeil did not see any time in the net during her freshman season in 2005, but faced a pair of opponents in relief of Klages in 2006. Unfortunately, the first shot Pfeil would see as a Husker found her face-to-face with a penalty kick that slipped by to give Drake its lone goal. 

Nebraska got back into extra minutes in its first mid-week bout of the season, earning its fourth consecutive win, 1-0, in a double overtime battle with Western Carolina on Sept. 12. Always a potent pair, Bruch took a cross from Timko and fired a shot into the back of the net with 5:13 remaining in the second and final overtime period.

Nebraska lost its six-game unbeaten streak to Central Michigan, 2-1, on Sept. 15. NU couldn’t nudge the win despite a 25-6 shot advantage, including a 7-2 shots-on-goal margin and 16-2 corner kick differential. Along with their 25 shots, the Huskers recorded a Nebraska Soccer Field record 16 corner kicks.  Bruch led NU’s scoring effort with a team-best seven shots, including two on goal, one of which found its way into the back of the net for Nebraska’s lone score of the evening. Timko picked up her fourth assist on the second half play, while sophomore Ali Lokanc notched the first assist of her career. Despite the early second-half score, Central Michigan wasn’t phased and quickly returned with a goal of its own at 49:33, followed by the game-winning score in the 60th minute.

Despite the loss, the Huskers weren’t defeated and came back to post a dominant 4-0 win over TCU to cap the weekend series. Nebraska was led in the win over TCU by Timko, who scored her fifth and sixth goals of the season. Bruch wasn't far behind as she netted her fourth goal of the year, while Raber got in on the action with her first goal of the season and just the second of her career.

The win lifted Nebraska’s record to a solid 6-1-2 heading in \to conference play as the Huskers traveled to Missouri for their first road contest of the season. NU carried its momentum from the previous weekend into a tough match with the Tigers, giving Mizzou just its second loss of the season. The 2-0 shutout also extended Nebraska’s 11-year unbeaten streak in Big 12 openers. Klages led Nebraska to its fourth shutout of the year, punching, diving and grabbing her way to seven saves despite facing an arsenal of solid scoring attempts by Missouri. NU’s pressure on the net rattled the Missouri defense early, forcing an own goal just 4:05 in the game. Timko gave Nebraska added padding with a breakaway goal at 27:56 to push the Huskers out of reach.

NU ended the weekend on the road against Iowa State with perhaps the biggest heartbreaker of the season, as the Huskers suffered their first overtime loss of the year with a 3-2 setback in double overtime. Nebraska enjoyed a 2-1 lead in the final minute of regulation before a Cyclone penalty kick forced NU's fourth overtime game of the year, tying the 2003 squad for the most overtime games in a season. The overtime loss spoiled another outstanding performance from Timko, who assisted on the Huskers' second goal to set a school record by scoring at least one point in her 13th straight game.

Both of Nebraska’s goals were career firsts for freshmen Shay Powell and Peetz, but unfortunately, NU couldn’t hold on as the Cyclones netted the game-winning goal with just 22 second remaining in double overtime.

But the Huskers weren’t done with extra minutes just yet. In its school-record fifth overtime game of the year, Nebraska tied Colorado, 1-1, in double overtime in the Huskers’ first Big 12 Conference home match on Oct. 1. For the second consecutive game, the Huskers enjoyed a one-goal lead in the second half thanks to a goal from Timko at 50:07. The score, which was Timko’s eighth of the season, marked her 14th consecutive game with at least one point, extending her own school record. However, Colorado responded when the Buffaloes converted a breakaway attack from Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Nikki Marshall for the game-tying goal.

The Huskers then suffered their first shutout in 18 matches, falling to the Kansas Jayhawks, 1-0, on Oct. 3. 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 proved to be the game-winning goal. Nebraska, which entered the game as the last remaining Big 12 school not to be shut out in 2006, was kept off the scoreboard for the first time since a 2-0 regular-season ending loss to Iowa State on Oct. 28, 2005.

After numerous chances failed to find the back of the net, a goal in the 81st minute of regulation and a game-winning goal from Jamani just 51 seconds into the first overtime period lifted the Nebraska soccer team to a 2-1 win over Baylor, on Oct. 6 giving Nebraska its first win in three games. Jamani’s goal set a Nebraska record for the fastest overtime goal in program history. Down a goal, Timko finally got Nebraska on the board when her free kick found the back of the net at 80:13 to force overtime. The momentum from Timko’s ninth goal of the season carried over into extra time, as Nebraska immediately earned its 12th corner kick of the game, ending in Jamani’s game-winner. 

The Huskers went on to post a 2-1 win over Texas Tech the two days later, in what was perhaps Nebraska’s most dominant series of the season. Timko scored a pair of goals in the second half to lift the Huskers to the come-from-behind victory and giving Timko her 40 th and 41 st goals of her career. The Huskers were offensively dominant for the second time on the weekend, breaking their season-high shot count of 28 from Friday’s match with 30.

The pair of wins gave Nebraska the confidence and momentum it needed as it headed into its toughest weekend series of the year with matches against two top-25 teams in Texas A&M and Texas. But the taste of victory soon faded for the Huskers as they dropped both hard-fought contests.

NU first traveled to Aggieland on Oct. 13 where, despite an outstanding defensive effort, it suffered a 2-0 shutout loss to then eighth-ranked A&M. Nebraska was led by an exceptional performance from Klages, who made 10 saves on the evening to keep the Huskers in a deadlock with one of the top teams in the country through 63 minutes of play. However, the A&M defense played a smart game as well, holding Nebraska to season lows in both shots (4) and corner kicks (1), while the Aggies tallied 10 shots on goal among their 21 shots. A&M notched both of its goals on the evening in the second half, while largely containing Timko, then the Big 12 leader in goals and points on the season. Additionally, A&M took away Nebraska’s potent set plays with the Huskers failing to earn a corner in the entire first half.

Nebraska returned to Lincoln for an Oct. 15 battle with Texas, dropping a hard-fought 2-1 decision despite playing with the lead for the first time in four games. In the contest, redshirt freshman Shannon Dickerson staked NU to a 1-0 lead when she scored in the 14th minute, but the goal did not hold up, as Texas found the equalizer in the 34th minute and the game-winner in the 57th minute to give the Longhorns their fourth of 12 consecutive wins heading into the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskers finished the Big 12 season by splitting a road series in Oklahoma, falling 2-0 to Oklahoma State on Oct. 20 before tallying their first win in three games with a 1-0 victory at Oklahoma on Oct. 22.

NU’s final 3-2 regular season win over Loyola-Chicago on Oct. 25 did keep one streak alive, as the Huskers improved to 10-6-3 on the season, giving the program at least 10 wins for the past 13 consecutive seasons.

Nebraska opened postseason play against Texas in the first round of the Big 12 Championship. Despite a superb effort from the Huskers to keep the game in a scoreless tie through regulation, the Longhorns won out in extra minutes with a goal in the seventh minute of overtime. The loss proved to be season-ending for the Huskers, who failed to receive a bid to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1995.

Although the Huskers’ season ended sooner than the players and coaches would have liked, NU still accomplished plenty in the program’s 13th season. Below is a list of the 2006 Husker accomplishments:

? Won at least 13 games for the 10th straight season.
? Saw Brittany Timko earn her third consecutive Big 12 Player of the Year award, a first in league history.
? Earned two Big 12 Player-of-the-Week awards.
? Earned one National Player-of-the-Week award.
? Placed one player on the All-Big 12 first team.
? Placed two players on the second-team All-Big 12 team and one on the All-Big 12 Newcomer squad.
? Placed seven players on the academic All-Big 12 first- and second-teams.
? Saw Timko named a semifinalist for the Hermann Award for the third consecutive year.
? Broke two school records (Timko: consecutive games with points, Team: fastest overtime goal.)
? Saw Timko reach the 40/40 club with 41 goals and 42 assists in her career.
? Saw Timko lead the team in both goals and assists for the third consecutive season, the only player in school history to accomplish that feat.
? Attempted at least 20 shots in six games, including a season-high 30 shots against Texas Tech on Oct. 8.
? Improved the program’s all-time record to 162-2-2 when leading at the half, finishing 4-0-0 in 2006.
? Improved the program’s all-time record to 191-10-1 when scoring more than one goal, finishing 7-1-1 in 2006.
? Improved to 17-6-4 at the Nebraska Soccer Field.
? Finished second in the Big 12 with an average of 7.30 corner kicks per game.