Nebraska Hosts adidas Husker Classic This Friday, Sunday

Game 5: North Dakota (1-2-0) vs. Nebraska (2-1-1)
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Audio: KRNU
Date: Friday, Sept. 11
Time: 5:15 p.m. CST
Location: Nebraska Soccer Field; Lincoln, Neb.

Game 6: Akron (2-0-1) vs. Nebraska (2-1-1)
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Audio: KRNU
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Time: 12:45 p.m. CST
Location: Nebraska Soccer Field; Lincoln, Neb.

adidas Husker Classic Schedule
Friday, Sept. 11	Sunday, Sept. 13
Akron vs. Creighton, 2:45 p.m.	Creighton vs. North Dakota, 10:30 a.m.
North Dakota vs. Nebraska, 5:15 p.m.	Akron vs. Nebraska, 12:45 p.m.

After improving its record to 2-1-1 with a win over Lamar last week, Nebraska hosts a busy weekend with the adidas Husker Classic at the Nebraska Soccer Field this Friday and Sunday. The Huskers will welcome three teams to Lincoln, taking on North Dakota on Friday at 5:15 p.m., before facing Akron on Sunday at 12:45 p.m. Friday's schedule will also feature Creighton vs. Akron at 2:45 p.m., while Sunday's action starts with North Dakota vs. Creighton at 10:30 a.m.

The NU Marketing Department will be giving out Nebraska Soybean Board Husker Magnets on Friday vs. North Dakota and Husker hats to the first 100 fans on Sunday vs. Akron.

The adidas Husker Classic will mark the second and third games in a stretch of five straight home contests for Nebraska. The Huskers began their homestand with a 7-1 victory over Lamar last Friday, marking the largest point total by NU at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

Tickets can be purchased at the field-level entrance on game day or by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED. Single-game admission is $5 for adults and $3 for youth/seniors. UNL students get in free with their N-Card.

Husker History vs. North Dakota
Nebraska and North Dakota will play each other for the first time in school history this Friday. The Huskers have played one team from "The Peace Garden State", defeating North Dakota State last season, 3-0.

Scouting the North Dakota Fighting Sioux
North Dakota won its season opener against Northern Iowa, 3-1, on Aug. 28, but dropped both its games last weekend to South Dakota. The Fighting Sioux and Coyotes played Friday in Grand Forks, N.D., when South Dakota defeated North Dakota, 3-2, in double-overtime. The same teams squared off in Vermillion on Sunday afternoon and South Dakota earned another one-goal win, 2-1.

North Dakota was 5-12-0 last season in its second year as a Division I program. The Fighting Sioux return eight starters from that team, including their second-leading point scorer in forward Rachel Loomis (13). The forward already leads North Dakota in goals this year with two.

Former Husker Returns to Lincoln
North Dakota will have a familiar face on the sideline as former Husker Kristen Gay is in her second season as head coach of the Fighting Sioux. She is leading North Dakota's transition into Division I soccer, after spending two years as the head coach at Dana College (Blair, Neb.) and a pair of seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana State. While at Nebraska from 1995 to 1998, Gay was a 1996 all-conference and all-region selection, before being named a team captain in 1998. She was part of two NCAA Sweet 16 teams and one Elite Eight squad.

Husker History vs. Akron
Nebraska and Akron will be meeting for the first time when the two teams face off on Sunday afternoon. The Huskers are 0-1-0 all-time against teams from the Mid-American Conference, falling to Central Michigan, 2-1, on Sept. 15, 2006 in Lincoln.

Scouting the Akron Zips
Akron has not been defeated this season as it comes to Lincoln with a 2-0-1 record. The Zips earned wins over Wright State (1-0) and Morehead State (2-1 OT), before playing to a scoreless double-overtime tie at Kentucky on Sunday. Akron also had a match-up with IPFW on Aug. 28 canceled due to inclement weather.

Senior forward Britni Back leads the Zips with four points. She was Akron's leading scorer last year with 20 points, double the total of any of her teammates.

The Zips were 7-9-2 overall in 2008 and finished 11th in the Mid-American Conference with a 2-7-2 mark. Akron has an experienced team this fall as it returned nine of 11 starters.

Marlborough Among Best Freshmen in NU History
With 10 points (4 goals, 2 assists) in 2009, forward Morgan Marlborough has tied former Husker Christy Harms for the most goals and points by an NU freshman through the first four games of a season. Harms produced the same numbers to begin the 2000 campaign.

Marlborough's four goals and 10 points lead the Huskers, while her two assists are tied for the team lead with senior Anna Caniglia and junior Michaella Fulmer.

The Lee's Summit, Mo., native also finds herself near the top of numerous Big 12 rankings, including points per game (1st, 2.50), goals per game (T-1st, 1.00), total points (T-2nd, 10) and total goals (T-3rd, 4). She started her collegiate career in strong fashion by scoring the first goal of the 2009 season in Nebraska's 3-0 win over Northern Colorado on Aug. 22. Marlborough also added an assist to finish the game with three points, tying Lindsay Eddleman for the most points by a freshman in a season opener in school history. Eddleman did so in a 8-0 win over Oklahoma on Aug. 30, 1996.

Macdonald Racking Up Saves in the Net
Junior goalkeeper Tara Macdonald ranks first in the Big 12 in saves per game this season with 5.67. The Oklahoma transfer has started three games for NU and totaled 17 stops (T-4th in the Big 12) to help the Huskers to their 2-1-1 record. Macdonald has given up just three goals to account for an .850 save percentage, while her nine saves against Villanova are the most by any Big 12 goalie this season.

Isenhower Has Career Night
Senior Lauren Isenhower had a career night last Friday when she matched her previous career total of two goals with a pair of scores in Nebraska's 7-1 win over Lamar. Both of Isenhower's goals came within a five-minute span near the end of the first half to help the Huskers built a 4-1 halftime advantage. The senior entered the game with two career goals that each came in her 2005 freshman season.

Review: Huskers Cruise Past Lamar, 7-1
Nebraska opened the home season in fine fashion on last Friday, Sept. 4, as it ran past the Lamar Cardinals, 7-1, at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The Huskers played strong defense by limiting Lamar to just six total shots, while the offensive power came from senior Lauren Isenhower and freshman Morgan Marlborough, who each scored two goals.

The Huskers' seven goals set a Nebraska Soccer Field record and also marked the most NU has scored in a game since the 2004 NCAA Sweet 16 squad had seven against Northern Colorado.

Isenhower's scores broke the game open near the end of the first half as she found the net twice on assists from junior Michaella Fulmer within a span of five minutes to give the Huskers a 4-1 lead at the break.

The Cardinals' lone goal came at the 34:30 mark of the first half after NU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on scores from Marlborough and senior Shay Powell in the first 14 minutes of the contest. Marlborough added her second goal just 95 seconds into the second half on a penalty kick that beat Lamar goalkeeper Jennifer Gibbs on the right side of the net and increase the Husker lead to 5-1.

The Huskers' final scores came from junior Colleen Goetzmann off a corner kick from senior Anna Caniglia, while Fulmer wrapped up the scoring by adding a goal with 24 seconds left when she scored in the box off a free kick from sophomore Blair Slapper.

Marlborough finished the game with five points as she assisted on Powell's score, while Fulmer and Isenhower turned in four-point performances. Marlborough increased her team-leading goal total to four.

The Huskers had 27 shots overall, including 15 on goal. Junior goalkeepers Tara Macdonald and Jessica Mills split time in net for NU, with Mills recording each of the Huskers' two saves.

Up Next: Huskers Host South Dakota, Arizona State
Nebraska ends its five-game homestand by hosting South Dakota and Arizona State Sept. 18 and 20 at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The Huskers face the Coyotes on Friday, Sept. 18 at 5 p.m., before taking on the Sun Devils on Sunday, Sept. 20 at Noon. The match-up with Arizona State will be Nebraska's first game against a Pac-10 team since 2004 when the Huskers played Stanford.

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