NU Faces Two First-Time Opponents in Final Tuneup

Game 8: Nebraska (2-4-1) vs. North Dakota State (3-3-1)
Date: Friday, Sept. 19
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Nebraska Soccer Field, Lincoln, Neb.
Free Live Stats: Huskers.com
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com

Game 9: Nebraska (2-4-1) vs. Stephen F. Austin (2-3-0)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 21
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Nebraska Soccer Field, Lincoln, Neb.
Free Live Stats: Huskers.com
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com

Lincoln-The Nebraska women’s soccer team will host two first-time foes this weekend, in its final preparations for the upcoming Big 12 schedule. Playing in their third and fourth games in an eight-day span, the Huskers will face North Dakota State on Friday at 5 p.m. and Stephen F. Austin on Sunday at 1 p.m. NU kicks off conference play the following weekend with home matches against Kansas and Missouri.

After 110 minutes of scoreless soccer in a 0-0 tie with Drake last Tuesday, the Huskers will look to return to the scoreboard against the Bison of the Summit League. Nebraska was able to put up three goals against Oakland on Sept. 14, who also hails from the Summit League. The Ladyjacks pose another challenge for the Huskers on Sunday, under first-year coach George Van Linder who spent the past five seasons at Baylor. The Huskers are 2-1-1 at home this season, including a shutout of Drake by senior goalkeeper Brittany Pfeil.

Live stats and audio will be available for both games through Huskers.com.

Scouting North Dakota State (3-3-1)
North Dakota State will be the Huskers’ second Summit League opponent this season, after NU defeated Oakland 3-2 in overtime on Sept. 14. The Bison are off to a 3-3-1 start. NDSU has an 8-1 goal advantage in its three wins over Austin Peay, Murray State and the University of Mary, but a 9-1 deficit in its three losses to Creighton, Minnesota and Iowa State. Last weekend the Bison traveled to the South Dakota State Tournament where they lost to the Cyclones and tied Eastern Washington at one.

Offensively, North Dakota State has been led by junior midfielder Lorraine Thompson, who has seven points on three goals and one assist. Forwards Michelle Gaffaney and Nicole Rand have both contributed four points on two goals each. Gaffaney, a freshman, had the game-winning score against Murray State, while Rand, a senior, put in the game-winner versus Mary.

Freshman Kalani Bertsch has gotten the starting nod at goalkeeper for the Bison. She has accumulated a 1.66 goals-against average after allowing 12 goals and making 51 saves. She has one shutout on the year, against Murray State.

NDSU is 54-36-7 in Coach Pete Cuadrado’s sixth season at the helm and returns five starters from last year’s squad that finished 11-7-1 overall. This is the first meeting between the two programs, after the Bison joined Division I in 2004.

Scouting Stephen F. Austin (2-3-0)
Stephen F. Austin travels to Lincoln for the first time, as the Huskers face another first-time opponent on Sunday in the Ladyjacks. SFA is 2-3-0 on the year after winning two home games, but dropping all three road contests. The Ladyjacks shutout Centenary College, 1-0, before defeating Arkansas State, 3-1, on Sept. 8. SFA has yet to score a goal on the road, dropping 5-0, 1-0 and 2-0 decisions at TCU, Houston and Louisiana Tech, respectively. Stephen F. Austin’s game last weekend with Arkansas was cancelled due to Hurricane Ike.

Sophomore forward Kim Kimmel leads the Ladyjacks with three points on the year with one goal and one assist. Senior midfielder Amanda Lackey and freshman forward Janae Lee also both have a goal. Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Courtney Bauder has started the last four contests, collecting 12 saves and allowing four goals. She sports a 1.00 goals-allowed average, including a shutout of Centenary College.

George Van Linder is the first-year coach at Stephen F. Austin, after coaching the previous five seasons at Baylor. The Ladyjacks return nine starters from a squad that finished 13-5-2 and first in the Southland Conference last year.

Last time out: Pfeil Collects First Career Shutout in Tie With Drake
Making just her fourth career start, senior goalkeeper Brittany Pfeil posted her first career shutout as the Huskers dominated the possession but had to settle for a 0-0 double overtime tie with Drake at the Nebraska Soccer Field on Tuesday. NU moved to 2-1-1 at home and 2-4-1 overall.

Pfeil collected two saves and helped the NU defense allow just three total shots and two shots on goal, both opponent-lows this season. The Huskers have given up only 13 shots on goal in the last four games. The 110 minutes of action lowers Pfeil’s goals-against average to 0.69 on the season.

The Nebraska offense nearly gave the Huskers their third straight win, as it racked up 22 total shots for the third consecutive game. NU directed 10 shots on net for the second consecutive game and has taken 41 shots on goal in the last four games.

The Huskers had several scoring chances, including two goals called back by offside calls. Senior Aysha Jamani took a shot in the 15th minute that Bulldog goalkeeper Jenny Schroeder saved but couldn’t hang onto. Junior Shay Powell was there to put the rebound in the back of the net, but the goal was called back because she was offside.

Nebraska appeared to strike again in the 25th minute as freshman Molly Thomas headed in a cross but she was ruled offside. The three forwards combined for 10 shots and five of the shots on goal, as Thomas recorded a shot on goal in her sixth consecutive game. Junior Anna Caniglia posted five shots and put three on net. Nebraska nearly captured the victory again in the 65th minute, when Powell put a shot off the post.

NU collected eight corner kicks, while Drake had one, and forced Schroeder to make 10 saves on the day.

Brickwall Brittany
Senior goalkeeper Brittany Pfeil earned the starting nod against Saint Louis on Sept. 5 and has been impressive since. She has posted a 2-1-1 record while collecting nine saves and lowering her goals-against average to 0.69. Pfeil has allowed three goals in four games. She played 86 minutes of shutout soccer against UAB to collect her first career win on Sept. 7, before earning her first career shutout last Tuesday in NU’s 0-0 tie with Drake.

Do The Math
Nebraska has statistically dominated its last four opponents, racking up more than 20 shots and allowing less than 10 shots while going 2-1-1. The Huskers cranked out 22 shots against Saint Louis, UAB, Oakland and Drake in successive matches, falling just short of their season high of 23 in each match. NU earned 10 shots on goal against the Billikens and set a season high with 11 against the Blazers before putting up 10 again versus Oakland and Drake. Freshman forward Molly Thomas has recorded at least one shot on goal in the last six games.

The Husker defense has been just as tough over that stretch, holding all four opponents to under nine total shots in each game. It was the first time Nebraska has held four consecutive opponents to fewer than 10 shots since 2000. UAB managed five shots on goal, while the NU defense held Saint Louis to a season-low two shots on goal for a Nebraska opponent. Oakland managed only four shots on net and Drake could only amass two shots on goal and three total shots.

Power in the Powell
Shay Powell, Nebraska’s leading scorer last season, has already assumed the title again this year. Powell, a junior forward score two goals in two consecutive games to lead the Huskers to victories over UAB and Oakland. She notched her first career mult-goal game against the Blazers on Sept. 7 and followed with two more against Oakland on Sept. 14. She had previously scored a single goal in six different games over the past two years. Powell led the Huskers in points last season with five goals and ranks first again this season with four goals already, including two game-winners.

Powell’s performance was the first back-to-back multi-goal showing for a Husker since Nikki Baker accomplished the feat in 2004. Baker notched two scores in a 2-1 overtime win against Missouri and followed up with two more goals in a 4-3 NU win over Texas the following week.

Putting up the Points
Nebraska has racked up three goals in three different games this season, including two of the last three against UAB and Oakland. It was the first time NU has had at least three goals in back-to-back games since earning a 3-2 win over North Texas and a 4-1 victory over Drake in 2006.

The Huskers other three-goal campaign this season was against Northwestern on Aug. 22, and featured two scores by sophomore forward Michaella Fulmer. NU notched the scores in a span of 19 minutes to tally their most goals in a regular-season game since a 4-0 win over Lamar on Oct. 12, 2007. It was also NU’s highest point total in a season opener since 2005.

It was also the first time in Nebraska’s 15-year history the Huskers have erased a two-goal second-half deficit on the road, as they came back from down 3-1 to tie the game at 3-3 before falling 4-3.

Holy Molly!
Molly Thomas continued her impressive freshman campaign with another goal against UAB on Sept. 9. Thomas headed a bending Aysha Jamani corner kick into the back of the net to give Nebraska a 2-0 lead just 22 minutes into the match. Thomas is tied for second on the team in points with five on two goals and one assist, after making six starts.

Several Starters
Depth is one of the strengths for Nebraska this season and it has been reflected in the Huskers’ starting lineup for the first seven games. In all, 16 different players have earned a start this season, as only five Huskers have started all seven contests. Those five are Shay Powell, Anna Caniglia, Carly Peetz, Lindsay Poehling and Aysha Jamani. All 23 players have seen action in at least two of the six games.

Winning by the Stats
Nebraska fans that see the Huskers’ box scores may be a little confused. NU has statistically outplayed almost all of its opponents, but still holds a 2-4-1 record. The Huskers have outshot their opponents in five of their seven contests, holding a 134-74 advantage in total shots. NU has also put 25 more shots on goal than its opponents (60-35). Nebraska also has more corner kicks (42-26) and fewer fouls (55-62).

In Comes Iacchelli
Senior midfielder Selenia Iacchelli saw her first game action of the season against UAB on Sept. 9. Iacchelli, who came of the bench in the 3-0 NU win, missed the first four games of the season after suffering a stress fracture in her foot over the summer. She also appeared in last Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win over Oakland. A physical player in NU’s midfield last year, Iacchelli is a veteran player that the Huskers will look to for leadership this fall.

First on the Field
Several Huskers made their first career appearances on Aug. 22 against Northwestern. Redshirt freshmen Katie Goetzmann, Bri Eilman and Blair Slapper all saw the pitch for the first time in their NU career, while freshman Molly Thomas came off the bench for her first career appearance. Fellow redshirt freshman Jamie Sanchez made her first career appearance against UAB on Sept. 7.

First in the First
For the second consecutive season a Husker freshman scored her first career points in the first game of the season. Forward Alexa Cardona notcher her first career goal, which turned about to the game winner, in a 2-0 NU win over Northwestern to start last season. Fellow forward Molly Thomas scored her first career points with an assist against Northwestern on Aug. 22 in the first game of this season.

Jamani Named to Preseason All-Big 12 Squad
Senior Aysha Jamani was selected to the preseason All-Big 12 soccer team in a vote of the league’s coaches on Aug. 15. Jamani, who earns the honor for a second consecutive season, is a welcome returnee to the 2008 lineup after an injury cut short her 2007 season. The Alberta, Canada, native started Nebraska’s first 10 contests, but a ruptured Achilles tendon brought her season to an abrupt end. A former Big 12 All-Newcomer team member and two-time second-team All-Big 12 selection, Jamani owns 11 career goals and eight assists in 47 starts for the Huskers.

Working Wonders in the W-League
Several Huskers stayed sharp this past summer by playing in the United Soccer League’s W-League, including Shay Powell who was selected to the All-League Team. Powell was the Ottawa Fury’s leading scorer, notching 12 goals on the season, and helping the Fury to a 13-1 regular-season record. She notched two hat tricks during the season and was named the W-League’s Player of the Week on July 9 for her hat trick against the Laval Comets.

Powell was joined on the Fury’s roster by Husker teammates Sari Raber and Anna Caniglia. Carly Peetz played for the Fort Collins Force and Selenia Iacchelli spent time with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The USL W-League is an open league that gives college players the chance to play alongside professionals while maintaining their collegiate eligibility. The league has 41 teams spread among three conferences.