Huskers Head West for USC Tournament

Lincoln - After a grueling early-season schedule, the Nebraska soccer team takes the week off before heading west to partake in the USC Tournament at McAlister Field. NU will have little time to take in the attractions as it faces two tough Southeastern Conference opponents in Tennessee and Georgia. The Huskers will face their first ranked opponent of the season in No. 13 Tennessee on Friday at 3 p.m. before a 12:30 p.m. showdown with Georgia on Sunday.

The Huskers tangled with four teams last week, but came out unscathed as NU remained unbeaten on the year at 2-0-2. Nebraska notched a 2-0 win over Northwestern to open the season Sept. 2. The team battled Drake to a 1-1 overtime tie on Sept. 5 in Des Moines, Iowa, but came back home to put up a 2-1 victory over Missouri State last Friday. The Huskers followed up with a 0-0 tie with San Diego State last Sunday to end a long week.

One area of the Husker squad that never faltered was the defense. Nebraska has allowed just two goals on the season behind the inspiring play of freshman goalkeeper Jessica Mills. She recorded her second shutout of the season on Sunday against San Diego State and lowered her goals-against average to 0.45, which ranks second in the Big 12.

That Husker defense will get tested this week by the Lady Vols and Bulldogs. Tennessee enters the game ranked No. 13 in the NSCAA/adidas poll, after opening the season with a 2-1 win over then-No. 7 Penn State. Georgia presents its own challenges as the Bulldogs enter the weekend undefeated at 4-0 with four straight home wins. Nebraska has never faced either school, but is 9-1-0 all-time against SEC teams. The Huskers have a 25-10-1 record in games at neutral sites.
    
Scouting Tennessee (3-1-0, 0-0-0 Southeastern Conference)
Tennessee's 2006 season saw the Lady Vols go deep into the NCAA Tournament. UT finished the regular season second in the Southeastern Conference, but advanced all the way to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before eventual champion North Carolina knocked them out 6-2.

The Lady Vols look to be a force to deal with again this year. Tennessee started the 2007 campaign unranked, but pulled a 2-1 upset of then-No. 7 Penn State in its first game of the season. UT scored the come-from-behind victory after out shooting the Nittany Lions 21-11. Tennessee has defeated Minnesota and No. 24 Wake Forest at home, with its one loss of the season coming at Virginia Tech, 2-1.

Tennessee's early offensive leader has been redshirt freshman Devon Swaim with two goals and five shots on goal. Sophomore Mick Imgram, the Lady Vols' second-leading scorer last year, has one goal and one assist in the young 2007 season. Junior Kylee Rossi, the 2006 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, has yet to score in 2007 and has only one assist.

Goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson is back for her junior year for UT and is on her way to another solid season. After tallying a 1.05 goals-against average in 2006, Johnson has a 0.73 average in 367 minutes of action this year. She has 20 saves, recording two shutouts in four games.
 
Scouting Georgia (4-0-0, 0-0-0 Southeastern Conference)
The University of Georgia Bulldogs completed the 2006 season with an early exit in the Southeastern Conference Tournament as a first-round loss to Florida ended its season at 10-9 and 5-7 in the SEC. After a disappointing 2006 season, the Bulldogs have added new blood and started their 2007 campaign on the right foot.

Georgia has rolled to four consecutive wins to start the season at 4-0-0. The Bulldogs have dominated Wisconsin, Charlotte, Texas Tech and South Florida, racking up 12 goals while allowing only two.  UG has recorded 67 shots to its opponents' 36 and enjoys a 36-12 advantage in corner kicks.

The Bulldogs new-found success has come from young in-state recruits. Freshman Carolina Simpson leads the team with 10 points on four goals and two assists, while freshman Marah Falle is tied for second with seven points. Falle has recorded three goals and one assist, while sophomore Carrie Patterson has seven points on two goals and three assists. All three hail from the state of Georgia.

The Bulldogs are young on all parts of the field as sophomore Michelle Betos returns in net for just her second year in the program. Betos has earned the majority of minutes for UG with 332 minutes in net so far. She has recorded one shutout and lowered her goals-against average to 0.54 while making 15 saves.

Hot Husker Start (Again)
Nebraska played its first four games of the 2007 season in a span of just seven days, marking just the fifth time in program history the Huskers played four games in one week. NU has never suffered a loss when playing four games in a week, opening this season 2-0-2, while posting a 3-0-1 record in 2006 and perfect 4-0-0 marks in 1996, 2001 and 2004.

Nebraska is unbeaten through the first five games of the season for the second straight year. The Huskers will look to match the 2006 squad’s six-game season-opening unbeaten streak, which was the longest to open a season since the 2002 squad won 15 consecutive games to open the year.

Just like last year, Nebraska has posted two ties through the season’s first four games. Counting 2006 and 2007, the Huskers have recorded two or more ties in a full season just three times in the program’s 14-year history.

More than Mills
Goalkeeper Jessica Mills continues to wow Husker fans in her freshman campaign, but Mills owes part of her success to the stout Nebraska defense in front of her. Mills, along with starting defenders Brittany Goosen, Anna Caniglia, Carly Peetz and Lindsay Poehling, have allowed only two goals through the first four games this season, including a pair of double-overtime contests. The 2002 NU squad was the last to allow two or fewer goals after four games, while the 2000 team was the last to have a lower goals-against average through four games than this year’s squad (0.45).

The Huskers’ stout defense has them near the top in several statistical categories in the Big 12. Nebraska is second in goals allowed with two and second in shutouts with two. NU’s goals-against average of 0.45 ranks second in the conference, trailing only Oklahoma State at 0.25.

The Nebraska defense has not allowed a first-half goal this season, a stretch totaling four games and 180 minutes. If Mills and the Huskers hold Tennesse scoreless in the opening 45 minutes on Friday, it will mark the longest season-opening stretch without allowing a first-half goal at NU since at least 1996.

Fit to be Tied
Nebraska’s 0-0 tie with San Diego State last Sunday was just the third scoreless tie in the 14-year history of Husker soccer, totaling a whopping 293 games. The last time NU played to a scoreless tie was against Kansas in 2005, also at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

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 on Sept. 2.

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 a Sept. 5 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 contest.

Working on one day of rest, Millls showcased another stellar performance for the Huskers last Friday against Missouri State in Lincoln. Mills recorded four saves in the game and allowed only her second goal of the year as Nebraska won 2-1.

Mills was back at it last Sunday as she notched her second shutout in four games against San Diego State. She recorded four saves as the Huskers tied the Aztecs 0-0 in Lincoln.

Mills has started her career with a 2-0-2 record, accumulating a 0.45 goals-against average, which ranks her second in the Big 12.

Second Chances
Nebraska has designated the second half as its time to shine thus far in the 2007 season. The Huskers have recorded three of their five goals in the second frame, including 38 of their 68 shots. Eighteen of NU's 25 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 Sept. 2 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.