Lincoln-Headed into the 2007 campaign, head coach John Walker knew the season would test his club. The Huskers would be looking to fill a hole left in the midfield by the graduated Brittany Timko, while 24 of the 31 members of the team were underclassmen, including 14 freshmen.
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The season lived up to its billing as challenging as the Huskers finished with a 5-10-4 record, including 1-8-1 in the conference, but Walker and the team refused to let the final record define the season.
Closer examination reveals several bright spots for <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska. The youth, that was once considered a challenge, turned out to be one of the strengths of the Huskers as six freshmen earned starts during the season, including Jessica Mills and Brittany Goosen. The duo started all 19 games for the Huskers at key positions, with Mills in goal and Goosen on the defensive line.
Those young Huskers helped the team start the season on the right foot, including freshman Alexa Cardona, who scored the first goal of the season in a 2-0 NU win over Northwestern on Sept. 2. The Huskers boasted a 3-0-2 record in non-conference play at the Nebraska Soccer Field in 2007, including a 5-1 drumming of Saint Louis on Sept. 21.
Several players helped to replace the loss of Timko, including fellow Canadians Sari Raber and Selenia Iacchelli. Raber, a junior from Richmond, British Columbia, finished with three goals and three assists on the season as she placed herself as a leader and distributor in the midfield.
Iacchelli, a junior from Edmonton, Alberta, also finished with three goals and three assists as she established herself as a viable threat on set plays. Two of her three goals came on free kicks from more than 35 yards away. Iacchelli recorded 50 shots and 24 shots on goal in the season, both of which led the team.
Filling in for Timko’s goal scoring was sophomore Shay Powell, who led the Huskers with five goals on the season. Powell’s goals came on just 15 shots on goal as the Dallas, Texas, native overcame an early-season injury.
Offensively, Nebraska distributed the ball well, as 17 Huskers scored points during the season. Six freshmen recorded points, including two goals and three assists by Cardona. Sophomore Carly Peetz had only two goals on the season, but she made both count as each was a game-winner. Nebraska scored at least one goal in their last eight competitions, which included a 4-0 victory over Lamar on Oct. 12.
Nebraska’s 4-0 win over the Cardinals was the offensive high of the season as the Huskers racked up 44 shots, including 26 in the first half. The 44 shots were the most in a game since NU recorded 44 in an 11-0 win over Drury on Sept. 3, 2000. Nebraska put half their total shots on goal as 22 of their shots found their way towards the net. NU’s defense would not be outdone though, as the Huskers allowed Lamar just three shots.
The Husker defense had plenty to brag about throughout the season also. Mills completed her first season in net as she anchored the Husker defense. She recorded a shutout in her first career game and went on to be named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25. Mills’ shutout performance against Saint Louis on Sept. 21 and one-goal allowed against No. 12 Florida on Sept. 23 earned her the award. She recorded 11 saves in the two games.
Mills ended the season with 79 saves and three shutouts, but not all the credit can be given to her. Mills had a solid defensive line in front of her, led by Peetz, Goosen, Lindsay Poehling and Anna Caniglia. The Huskers started their season 2-0-2 thanks in part to a defense that allowed just two goals in the first four games. Poehling and Caniglia, both sophomores, will return to a battle-tested defense in 2008.
The Huskers failed to qualify for the Big 12 Championships, but the knowledge and experience gained by the young squad in the 2007 season will prove to be invaluable in the upcoming season. Nebraska loses only three players to graduation, midfielder Jessie Bruch, defender Meghan Hungerford and defender Abby Penas, including only one starter of a 31-player team.
The 2007 season saw the Huskers:
-Earn one Big 12 Player-of-the-Week Award (Mills)
-Take 44 shots, including 26 on goal, in a 4-0 win over Lamar
-Place nine players on the academic All-Big 12 first and second teams
-Win 12th consecutive league opener in 12 tries with a 1-0 win over Oklahoma
-Improve the program’s all-time record to 166-2-2 when leading at the half, finishing 4-0-0 in 2007
-Improve to 21-9-7 at the Nebraska Soccer Field