Huskers Host Bears and Aztecs in Weekend Series

Lincoln - Nebraska will continue its hectic early season schedule with two home games on Friday and Sunday, after a 1-1 tie at Drake on Wednesday night. The Huskers welcome Missouri State to Lincoln on Friday at 5:30 p.m. as the teams face off for the first time in school history. San Diego State makes the trip east to face Nebraska at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Drake was a fiesty host as the Bulldogs generated high offensive pressure on Nebraska's defense during the allotted 110 minutes. Neither team could limit their mistakes as the Huskers committed 19 fouls and a Drake miscue led to Nebraska's goal. Junior Aysha Jamani led the offense with two shots on goal as Nebraska was out shot 19-10 by the Bulldogs.

The Huskers may be lagging after battling Drake late into double overtime, but the play of freshman goalkeeper Jessica Mills has been their rock. Mills started her career with a shutout of Northwestern last Sunday and continued the scoreless streak into the second half of the Drake contest. Mills has allowed just one goal in 200 minutes of action.

Mills' steadfast play will come in handy in the weekend series as the Huskers have little experience against either team. The Missouri State Bears may be a new opponent, but the Huskers have had plenty of success against Missouri Valley Conference teams. Nebraska is 11-3-2 all-time versus the league. A 3-2 Husker win in 2005 is the only time Nebraska has played San Deigo State, but the Huskers boast a 4-0-0 record against Mountain West teams.

The Huskers will look to build on their 124-23-9 all-time home record before heading to Los Angeles on Sept. 14-16. NU will compete in the USC Tournament against Tennessee at 3 p.m. Friday and Georgia at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
    
Scouting Missouri State (3-0-0, 0-0-0 Missouri Valley)
Missouri State's 2006 was an up and down season. Picked to finish fifth in the Valley's preseason poll, the Bears looked poised to throw a wrench into the MVC race heading into conference play. The team recorded six consecutive wins from Sept. 1 through Sept. 17 that tied the 1996 team for the longest winning streak in school history. But injuries and an inconsistent offense sidelined MSU's hot streak as the Bears finished the conference season at 2-3-1 and 10-9-2 overall.

MSU has opened the 2007 season on a hot streak. The Bears have posted wins against Western Michigan, Southeast Missouri State and Arkansas-Little Rock as they have outscored their opponents 5-1.

The Bears are spearheaded by junior goalkeeper Jackie Jasper, a first-team All-MVC pick the last two seasons. Jasper has allowed just one goal in 273 minutes of action this season, giving her a 0.33 goals-against average.

Offensively, MSU is led by sophomore Jenna Laughlin and junior Caroline Sweeney. Laughlin has been in all the right places early in the season, as she has recorded three goals on only eight shots. MSU has out shot its opponents 50-19. 

Sweeney led MSU in scoring (20 points), goals (9) and game-winners (3) in her first season with the Bears after transferring from Saint Louis University. She earned honorable mention All-MVC recognition and became just the fourth player in school history to record a hat trick. She has recorded one goal on 10 shots in the 2007 season.

Friday night's match against Missouri State will be the first time the schools have faced each other. MSU is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, which Nebraska is well acquainted with. The Huskers are 11-3-2 all-time against the leauge.

Scouting San Diego State (0-1-1, 0-0-0 Mountain West)
After finishing the 2006 season at 6-11-3 overall and 2-3-2 in the Mountain West Conference, the San Diego State Aztecs handed the reins of the women's soccer team over to first-year head coach Mike Friesen. The Aztecs have failed to record a winning record for three consecutive seasons.

SDSU has had a disappointing start to the 2007 season with an 0-1-1 record, but the Aztecs seem to be closing the gap. San Deigo State surrendered its first goal of the season just three minutes into the season opener against Toledo, but battled back for a 1-1 tie. SDSU's lone goal came from freshman forward Katie Tribbey. The Aztecs lost to Florida Atlantic, but by a score of 1-0. San Diego has been out shot 22-12 by its opponents.

Freshman Aubree Southwick has earned the start in net for the Aztecs this season, playing in all 200 minutes against Toledo and Florida Atlantic. Southwick gave up a goal three minutes into the season-opening game against Toledo, but has allowed just one goal since.

Husker History vs. San Diego State
The Huskers have faced SDSU only once, but it was a memorable game. Nebraska scored in the 85th minute to cap a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over San Diego on Sept. 6, 2005.  Sasha Andrews’ first goal of the season came just 1:56 after Brittany Timko tied the game with her second goal of the year. The Huskers’ flurry of goals came after the Aztecs erased a 1-0 halftime deficit with a pair of early second-half goals just 3:06 apart.

The game remained 2-1 in favor of SDSU until Timko’s goal in the 83rd minute. Nikki Baker sent a ball in the box that Timko was able to control and put past Aztec goalkeeper Christi Yount, who got a hand on the ball, but was unable to make the save.

A Timko corner kick then figured into the game-winning goal. Timko sent a beautiful ball to Andrews, who put a head on the ball before corralling it and beating Yount.

It did not appear that late-game dramatics would be necessary in the first half. NU outshot San Diego State, 11-2, in the period and took a 1-0 lead on Aysha Jamani’s team-leading third goal of the season. Following another Timko corner kick, Tanya Dennis sent a ball back into the box and Lauren Isenhower got a touch before Jamani finally controlled the loose ball and found the back of the net.

Mills Makes her Mark
Jessica Mills is not one to waste time. After graduating high school a year early to join the Huskers, Mills has already made her mark on the Husker record book. She became the first freshman goalkeeper to record a shutout in a Nebraska season opener with her 2-0 victory over Northwestern last Sunday.

The game was Nebraska's first shutout in a season opener since 2003. Mills' six saves were the most by a Nebraska goalkeeper making her career debut since at least 1996.

Mills continued her scoreless streak into the 68th minute of Wednesday night's match against Drake. A Bulldog goal ended her career opening scoreless streak at nearly 160 minutes, but Mills' play was still spectacular. Mills recorded another six saves for the game, including a diving save with less than 10 second left in the game.

Mills has started her career with a 1-0-1 record, accumulating a 0.45 goals-against average.

Second Chances
Nebraska has designated the second half as its time to shine thus far in the 2007 season. The Huskers have recorded all three of their goals on the season in the second frame, including 17 of their 32 shots. Nine of NU's 10 corner kicks have come in the second half as the Huskers have picked up their offensive pressure.

Freshman Facts
The Nebraska roster is nearly half freshmen this season as 14 of 31 players are in their first year in Lincoln. Three of those freshmen made their first career starts on Sunday in a 2-0 Husker win over Northwestern, including midfielder Anna White, forward Brittany Goosen and goalkeeper Jessica Mills.

Alexa Cardona, another freshman, did not start, but did score the game-winning goal in the 71st minute. Cardona became the first true freshman to score the game-winning goal in a season-opener since Ashley Carter in 2003.

The shutout was Nebraska’s first in a season-opener since 2003 and made Mills the first freshman goalkeeper to record a shutout in a Nebraska season opener.

Mills' six saves on the day were also the most by a Nebraska goalkeeper making her career debut since at least 1996.

Meet Me at the Corner
The Huskers’ eight second-half corner kicks against Northwestern in the season opener matched or exceeded NU’s entire game total from 11 of its 20 games in 2006. Nebraska last had at least eight corner kicks in a half last season against Central Michigan when NU took 12 second-half corner kicks.

Corner kick duties for the Huskers have been split between midfielder Anna Caniglia and forward Brittney Lanier.

Jamani Earns Big 12 Pick
Junior Aysha Jamani has been selected to the preseason All-Big 12 soccer team in the league’s coach’s poll. Jamani returns to Nebraska for her junior year in 2007 as the Huskers’ most potent offensive threat following the graduation of three-time Big 12 Player of the Year Brittany Timko.  Jamani owns 11 goals and eight assists in two seasons and has started at forward in 37games. A former Big 12 All-Newcomer Team member and two-time second-team All-Big 12 selection, Jamani has consistently performed at the highest level for the Huskers.