Huskers Explode in Second Half for 9-0 Victory Over South Dakota

Lincoln - The Nebraska soccer team tied the school record for goals in a half as it scored seven times in the final 45 minutes to defeat South Dakota, 9-0, on Friday at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The win is the fourth in a row for the Huskers (5-1-1), as they tuned up for Sunday's showdown in Lincoln against Pac-10 foe Arizona State.

Nebraska has now scored 35 goals this year, already four more than the entire 2008 season. The Huskers entered the weekend as the nation's third-best scoring team, featuring freshman Morgan Marlborough, who added to her NCAA-leading goal total with two scores on Friday night. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native now has 12 goals this fall and is just three away from entering Nebraska's all-time top 10 list for goals in a season.

Marlborough was one of three Huskers with a multi-score game, as sophomore Molly Thomas and freshman Jordan Jackson also registered a pair of goals.

Thomas continued a spectacular start to her second season, adding two assists versus South Dakota to finish with six points in the contest. The Omaha, Neb., native now has 15 points (6 goals, 3 assists) to surpass her freshman total of 11.

Jackson looks to be on track to become another freshman sensation as her two goals give her three on the season to go along with one assist. Jackson and Thomas were the driving force in the second half as they scored all their goals in Nebraska's stretch of seven scores over the final 45 minutes.

Nebraska's first goal was just five seconds off the fastest in school history when Marlborough found the net off a pass from sophomore Katie Goetzmann just 42 seconds into the game. The record for the quickest goal was set by Nikki Baker on Oct. 20, 2002 at Baylor when she scored 37 seconds after kickoff.

Junior Colleen Goetzmann gave Nebraska a 2-0 lead with 24:56 to go in the first half when senior Anna Caniglia contributed the first of two assists in the game to pull into a tie for the team lead with four on the season.

Nebraska used a total team-effort to spread the margin in the second half, including a goal by junior Jaclyn White on a penalty kick to give the Huskers a 6-0 lead with 27:46 remaining. White also assisted on Jackson's second goal to finish with a career-high three points.

Husker freshmen scored five of Nebraska's nine goals, as Bri Exstrom made the most of her first appearance of the season, scoring with 8:24 left off Caniglia's cross into the penalty box. The Lincoln, Neb., native could add another scoring threat to Nebraska's potent offense that turned in season-high totals for shots (35) and shots on goal (22) on Friday night.

South Dakota attempted just four shots, including one on goal to mark season-best totals for the Husker defense in both categories. Junior goalkeeper Tara Macdonald improved her record to 5-0-1, playing the first 62:14 of the game before junior Jessica Mills finished the shutout effort.

The Huskers' seven second-half goals tie the record previously set three times, most recently on Aug. 27, 2000 in an 11-0 victory against Arkansas-Little Rock.

Nebraska now prepares for the Arizona State Sun Devils, who come to Lincoln for a Noon CST contest on Sunday at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The Sun Devils are also 5-1-1 this season after defeating Creighton, 2-1, on Friday night in Omaha. The first 150 fans to Sunday's game receive free Husker bandanas.