Nebraska Entertains Tournament-Tested Teams

Lincoln - The Huskers return to the friendly confines of the Nebraska Soccer field this weekend, after a busy early-season schedule and a long trip out west left them with a 2-2-2 record.

Nebraska entered last weekend's USC Tournament unbeaten, but squaring off against two Southeastern Conference opponents, the Huskers came up empty handed. NU lost to No. 13 Tennessee 2-0 on Friday and 2-1 to Georgia on Sunday. Nebraska invites two more respectable foes to the Nebraska Soccer Field this weekend as it faces the Saint Louis Billikens on Friday at 5 p.m. and the Florida Gators on Sunday at 1 p.m.

After offensive struggles over the past several games, Brittany Goosen found the back of the net for the Huskers against Georgia. The freshman defender launched a free kick from near midfield that bounced over the head of Bulldog goalkeeper Michelle Betos. The goal broke a 245-minute scoreless streak for the Huskers.

Defense continues to be a strong point for NU. Freshman Jessica Mills recorded 11 saves over the weekend, bringing her season total to 31 and a goals-against average of 0.93.

The Huskers' next four games are at home, but they are far from easy. Saint Louis returns seven starters from a squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Florida visits Lincoln as the Huskers face their third SEC team in four games. Nebraska went 0-2 against the SEC last weekend and NU is 1-1 all-time against the Gators and 9-3-0 all-time against SEC teams. The Huskers match with Saint Louis sets several firsts as Nebraska has never faced the Billikens or an Atlantic 10 conference team.
    
Scouting Saint Louis (3-2-0, 0-0-0 Atlantic 10 Conference)
Saint Louis looks to have another deep team this year, after returning seven starters to a squad that qualified for the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons. The Billikens saw their season end last year after a 2-0 loss to then-No. 15 Illinois 4-1 in the second round of the tournament.

SLU's 2007 campaign got off to a rocky start as the team dropped its first two decisions. Saint Louis lost road games at Penn and Ohio State to start the year 0-2, but has since rebounded with three straight victories. SLU defeated common opponent Missouri State 1-0 and went 2-0 in the Toys for Tots Tournament, including a 1-0 double-overtime win over Army last Sunday.

The Billikens have been led early by two underclassmen in Alyssa Mautz and Kelly Waeckerle. Mautz, a freshman, leads the team with five points on two goals and an assist, recording all her points in a 3-1 Saint Louis win over Southeast Missouri. Waeckerle has three points on one goal and one assist. Her goal came early against Missouri State.

The Billikens have another freshman standout in Hannah Koesterer, who has recorded the majority of minutes in net for SLU. She has a 3-2 record this season with two shutouts, while making 15 saves. Her goals-against average is 0.79.

What is a Billiken?
Saint Louis' mascot, the Billiken, may not be the easiest to recognize, which begs the question: What exactly is a Billiken? The Billiken was a charm doll created by Florence Pretz, an American art teacher and illustratro, who is said to have seen the mysterious figure in a dream. In 1908 she patented the Billiken who was elf-like with pointed ears, a mischievous smile, and a tuft a hair on his pointed head. His arms were short and he was generally sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him. The Billiken was auspiciously named after the newly elected President of the United States, William Howard Taft. The Billiken was one of the first copyrighted dolls and the first likenesses of the Billiken, banks and statues, were produced in 1909. After a few brief years of popularity, like many other fad toys, the Billiken faded into obscurity.

Scouting Florida (4-2-0, 0-0-0 Southeastern Conference)
After finishing first in the SEC, the Gators advanced deep into the postseason in 2006 before bowing out in the third round with a 3-2 loss to UCLA. Florida will look to build on that run this year as it returns 10 starters from that squad.

The Gators have started the 2007 season where they left off in 2006, climbing the polls to the No. 9 spot with a 4-2 record. UF has outscored their opponents 9-4 and is recording over 11 shots per game.

Senior midfielder KeLeigh Hudson leads the Gator attack. She can distribute and shoot, racking up nine points thus far, on three goals and three assists. Another senior Ashley Harris may play defense, but has shown an offensive threat, recording eights points on four goals this season.

Redshirt freshman Katie Fraine has taken all the minutes in net for the Gators this season. In 540 minutes of action, she has made 18 saves and notched three shutouts. Her goals-against average is 0.67.

Husker History versus Florida 
Nebraska has split its two meetings with Florida, as the Huskers won their inagural meeting 7-2 at the Abbott Sports Complex in Lincoln in 2000, while the Gators notched a 1-0 victory in 2002 in Gainesville.

The Huskers struggled offensively in the teams' previous meeting on Sept. 8, 2002. The Gators knocked off the seventh-ranked Huskers in front of more than 1,800 fans to give NU its first loss of the season. Christine Latham led the Huskers with three shots, two of which were on goal, but NU suffered from 11 offisides infractions throughout the game.

Nebraska goalkeeper Erin Miller had four saves on the game, but was unable to stop a shot from Florida's Dena Floyd in the 58th minute.

NU is 9-3-0 all-time against SEC schools, including 0-2 this season.

Goosen's Goal
Brittany Goosen (pronounced GO-sun) has been one of several freshmen to step up for the Huskers this season. Goosen has started all six games on the back line for the Huskers this year. She is part of a defense that has allowed just six goals in six games, including two shutouts.

Goosen proved her offensive worth last weekend as she scored her first career goal against Georgia on Sunday. She took a free kick from nearly midfield in the 65th minute. The ball bounced in the goal box and made it over the head of Bulldog goalkeeper Michelle Betos. Her goal broke a 245-minute scoreless streak for the Huskers.

Goosen became the second freshman to score a goal for NU this season. Fellow Husker Alexa Cardona recorded the first NU goal of the season against Northwestern in the season opener. Goosen's performance earned her a spot on the all-tournament team for the USC Tournament.

A Winning Week
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.

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, 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 Nebraska defense did not allowed a first-half goal through the first four games and 180 minutes.

Fit to be Tied
Nebraska’s 0-0 tie with San Diego State Sept. 9 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.

Just like last year, Nebraska 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.

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 Sept. 7 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 Sept. 9 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.

Second Chances
Nebraska has designated the second half as its time to shine thus far in the 2007 season. The Huskers have recorded four of their six goals in the second frame, including 48 of their 85 shots. Twenty one of NU's 32 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 midfielders Sari Raber and 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.