Huskers Travel to Texas, Host No. 14 Texas A&M in Critical Big 12 Battles

Game 15: Nebraska (8-2-4, 2-1-2) vs. Texas (6-6-2, 2-1-2)
Live Video/Audio: Click Here
Live Stats: Click Here
Date: Friday, Oct. 16
Time: 7 p.m. CST
Location: Mike A. Myers Stadium, Austin, Texas

Game 16: #14 Texas A&M (9-4-1, 3-1-1) vs. Nebraska (8-2-4, 2-1-2)
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Audio: Click Here
Date: Sunday, Oct. 18
Time: 1 p.m. CST
Location: Nebraska Soccer Field, Lincoln, Neb. 

The Nebraska soccer team (8-2-4, 2-1-2) enters the final stretch of the season with a weekend of important conference matches against Big 12 South Division foes.

The Huskers will meet Texas at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin on Friday night at 7 p.m., before they return home to host No. 14 Texas A&M on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

The Huskers have climbed to fifth in the league standings following a 5-2 victory over Oklahoma this past weekend. In the win, freshman Morgan Marlborough produced her second hat trick of the year and became the freshman single-season school record holder for goals with 19. Marlborough has been No. 1 nationally in goals since the first NCAA rankings were released on Sept. 14 and is tied for fifth on the all-time single-season chart with five regular-season games remaining.

The University of Texas will provide live video and audio for Friday's game between the Huskers and Longhorns on www.texassports.com. Live audio and live stats will be available for Sunday's game against Texas A&M, which will mark Breast Cancer Awareness Day at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The Huskers will be aiming to keep an unbeaten home streak as they are 7-0-2 in Lincoln this season.

Husker History vs. Texas
The all-time series between Nebraska and Texas is knotted up at 9-9-0. The Huskers held the advantage in the early years by winning six of the first seven meetings, but the Longhorns have had the upper hand as of late by taking five of the past six contests.

Nebraska won last year's battle against No. 8 Texas in Lincoln, 2-1. Anna White and Aysha Jamani notched goals for the Huskers, while Anna Caniglia tallied two assists.

Between the two schools, Nebraska and Texas have combined for seven Big 12 tournament championships and four regular-season crowns.

Scouting the Texas Longhorns
Texas (6-6-2, 2-1-2) is currently sixth in the Big 12 standings and has a 5-3-1 record on its home field this season. Last weekend, the Longhorns stepped out of Big 12 play for a non-conference victory over Loyola-Chicago (2-1), but then lost at Oklahoma State on Sunday, 1-0. The Longhorns are 2-1-2 in the league with wins over Oklahoma and Kansas, while tying Baylor and Missouri.

Texas was ranked in the NCSAA Top 25 at the beginning of the season, but fell from the poll after a 1-3 start and a season-opening loss against TCU. The Longhorns have been shut out in four of the past six games and opponents have outscored Texas, 19-17, in 2009.

Sophomore midfielder Kylie Doniak leads the Horns with four goals. Five other players have two goals, led by junior forward Kirsten Birkhold, who also has a pair of assists. Texas looks to be one of the most disciplined teams in the Big 12, as it has the lowest totals in the conference in both fouls (7.5 per game) and offsides (1.29 per game).

On Friday night, Nebraska could play in front of the biggest crowd it has seen this season, as the Longhorns are averaging 835 fans per game, including two crowds over 1,000 against Houston and Washington State. The largest attendance the Huskers have seen so far this year is 855 at Colorado on Sept. 25.

Head coach Chris Petrucelli is in his 11th season at Texas, where he has gone 140-70-20. The Longhorns were 13-4-4 last season and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Husker History vs. Texas A&M
Nebraska and Texas A&M have one of the most competitive series in the Big 12 Conference as the Huskers lead the all-time count, 13-11-0. From 1998-2001, Nebraska and Texas A&M met nine times (regular season and Big 12 Tournament), with the Huskers winning eight contests. The Aggies have controlled recent years by taking the past six meetings, including the last matchup in Lincoln in 2007 (4-1).

In 2008, No. 7 Texas A&M defeated Nebraska, 2-0, in College Station. Whitney Hooper scored both goals for the Aggies in the second half after a scoreless first period.

Scouting the Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M is ranked No. 14 in the latest NSCAA Top 25 poll. The Aggies have not lost a game since Sept. 27 at Oklahoma (3-2) as they are 9-4-1 overall with a 3-1-1 Big 12 record to place them third in the league standings. Texas A&M has posted three wins over opponents who were ranked at the time of the matchups (No. 8 USC, No. 2 Portland and No. 19 Kansas).

Junior forward Whitney Hooper and sophomore midfielder Katie Hamilton are two of the Big 12's top goal scorers, as Hooper is tied for fourth with seven and Hamilton is tied for 10th with five. Hooper holds the team lead with 16 points (7 goals, 2 assists) to rank No. 5 in the Big 12 Conference, while she is tied with Texas Tech's Brittney Harrison in game-winning goals this season with four. Junior midfielder Katie Shipley is tied for the third-most assists in the league with 14.

As a team, the Aggies are tied for second in the Big 12 in shutouts as they have held five opponents scoreless, including their most recent conference win at Oklahoma State (1-0) on Friday. They are second in the league behind Nebraska in assists with 31.

Texas A&M went 18-5-1 in 2008 and made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament before being defeated by eventual national champion North Carolina. The Aggies are led by 17th-year head coach G. Guerrieri (Tulsa '85), who holds a 282-82-16 record.

Marlborough Breaks Freshman Single-Season Goal Record, Climbs Charts
Following a hat trick in Nebraska's 5-2 victory over Oklahoma on Sunday, Morgan Marlborough set the Nebraska freshman single-season goal record as she increased her nation-leading total to 19. The previous record of 17 was set in 1996 by both Lindsay Eddleman and Isabelle Morneau.

Marlborough's 19 goals are the fifth-most overall by a Husker in a single season, while she has led the NCAA in goals since the first rankings were released on Sept. 14.

Sunday's hat trick was her second of the year, as the Lee's Summit, Mo., native tied the single-game school record with four goals against Akron on Sept. 18. Only 14 games into her freshman season, Marlborough is one of only seven Huskers in school history to produce multiple hat tricks in a career.

Aside from leading the NCAA in goals, Marlborough is also No. 1 in goals per game (1.357), points (42) and points per game (3.00). Her 42 points are tied for the ninth-most ever by a Husker in single season.

Marlborough was voted Big 12 Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Week on Sept. 15 after she turned in six goals and two assists in wins over North Dakota (Sept. 11) and Akron (Sept. 13). It marked just the third time in Big 12 history that a player has earned two awards in the same week.

Aside from holding four nation-best marks, Marlborough is also the Big 12 leader in shots per game (4.86 pg), third in game-winning goals (3) and tied for seventh in assists (4). Her four-goal performance against Akron is the tied for the best single-game performance in the Big 12 Conference this season. Colorado's Nikki Marshall matched Marlborough's four-goal game in the Buffs' 5-1 win over Oklahoma on Oct. 2.

Marlborough has scored in all but four games this season (vs. Lehigh, at Colorado, vs. Oklahoma State, vs. Baylor) and has six multiple-goal games, the seventh-most by a Nebraska player in program history.

Marlborough's Season Numbers
GP Goals Assists Points Shots Sh% SOG SOG% GW PK-Att
14    19        4         42       68   .279    32    .471      3    1-1

Huskers Tied for First Nationally in Scoring
Nebraska scored six goals in its two Big 12 games last week and now ranks in a tie for first nationally in scoring offense with 50 goals.

The Huskers are averaging 3.57 goals per game (2nd NCAA) and have already scored the most goals by a NU team in a season since 2002. The Huskers have scored 41 times at home, shattering the previous Nebraska Soccer Field season record of 26, which was set in both 2005 and 2005.

Nebraska's five goals against Oklahoma on Sunday were the most in a Big 12 game since a 5-1 win over Iowa State on Sept. 26, 2003.

On Sept. 27, NU scored three goals in the first half at Texas Tech to mark the most first-half goals in a Big 12 game by the Huskers since Oct. 30, 2005 (also at Texas Tech). Nebraska's nine goals in a 9-0 victory over South Dakota on Sept. 18 is the best single-game total in the Big 12 Conference this season.

Powell Coming on Strong in Conference Play
Nebraska's leading goal scorer the past two seasons looks to have found her offensive rhythm again, as senior Shay Powell has scored three goals in the Huskers' first five Big 12 games.

Powell produced just one goal in Nebraska's first nine contests, but has increased her offensive production to reach the double-digit point plateau on four goals and five assists (13 points). She had one of the biggest goals of the season on Oct. 4 against Oklahoma State, as she knocked in the game-winner in the 10th minute. Last Friday, Powell's goal in the 46th minute forced a 1-1 tie versus Baylor, while she added an assist against the Sooners.

Powell was the Huskers' leading scorer in 2007 (11 points) and 2008 (19 points).

Thomas Continues to Lead Offensively
Sophomore Molly Thomas continues to emerge as one of Nebraska's best offensive players in recent history. The Omaha, Neb., native has six goals and five assists (17 points) this season after a solid two-game stretch last weekend when she contributed an assist in each of Nebraska's contests against Baylor and Oklahoma.

A member of the 2008 Big 12 All-Newcomer team, Thomas turned in a career-best two-goal, two-assist game in Nebraska's 9-0 win against South Dakota on Sept.18.

Peetz, Caniglia Head Down Final Stretch
Senior defenders Carly Peetz and Anna Caniglia are bidding to end their collegiate careers having started every single game as a Husker. Now in their fourth seasons, the duo has each started all 73 games from 2006 to 2009. The seniors are primary reasons NU has held opponents to 1.21 goals per game this year. If Peetz and Caniglia continue their starting streaks, they will enter the Nebraska all-time top 10 list for career starts.

Perhaps even more impressive has been the offensive production. Peetz has a career-high eight points this season, including one of the biggest goals of her career against the Cowgirls on Oct. 4, as Peetz headed in a free kick from Caniglia to wrap up Nebraska's 2-0 victory. Caniglia is sixth in the Big 12 with five assists (sophomore Blair Slapper, 4th, six assists), but Caniglia has the highest total among defenders. The Omaha native also has a pair of goals in 2009.

Peetz is "In Focus" on Big12Sports.com this week. The University of Nebraska is this week's featured school and Peetz is one of three Husker features along with cross country's Ari Goldstein and volleyball's Hannah Werth. Check out the story here.

Freshmen See Playing Time in First Year with Huskers
Freshman Jordan Jackson has played in all 14 games this season, scoring four goals on 29 shots, while also tallying two assists. Freshman Bri Exstrom saw her first game action of the 2009 season against South Dakota on Sept. 18 and made the most of her opportunity by notching a goal in the 82nd minute. The freshman class was responsible for four of Nebraska's five goals in the win over Oklahoma last Sunday and has 24 on the season (Marlborough-19, Jackson-4, Exstrom-1).

Nebraska has high hopes for its freshman class, which includes goalkeeper Emma Stevens, forward/ midfielder Stacy Bartels, defender/midfielder Taylor Houck and defender Bri Badje.

Review: Marlborough's Hat Trick Leads Huskers Over Oklahoma
Morgan Marlborough scored three times and the Husker offense reached the 50-goal mark in 2009, as Nebraska ran away from Oklahoma in the second half for a 5-2 victory on Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

With their second Big 12 victory of the season, Sunday's win looks to help the Huskers in their quest to climb up the league standings, while Marlborough continues her own climb up the record charts.

The Lee's Summit, Mo., native's three-goal effort increased her nation-leading total to 19, while she became the freshman school record holder for single-season goals, passing the previous mark of 17 set in 1996 by both Lindsay Eddleman and Isabelle Morneau. The 19 goals are also the fifth-most overall by a Husker in a single season in school history.

Nebraska fell behind 1-0 for the second straight game, but Marlborough led the comeback effort with her first goal on a header from freshman Jordan Jackson to tie the contest in the 18th minute. Six minutes later, Marlborough earned one of her most impressive goals of the season after she was taken down by an OU defender on the right side of the penalty box. Marlborough then recovered to keep control of the possession and dribbled through the Sooner defense before beating OU goalkeeper Kelsey Devonshire with a shot off the far post to give Nebraska a 2-1 halftime lead.

Unbeaten when leading at the intermission (8-0-2), the Huskers struck quickly in the final period to ensure that streak would not be broken. Jackson produced her fourth goal of the season just 89 seconds into the second half when she connected on a straight-on shot from 15 yards away to make it a two-goal Nebraska lead (3-1).

Marlborough's efforts were nearly countered by OU junior forward Whitney Palmer, who kept the Sooners in the match with the game's first goal in the 16th minute and another goal in the 61st minute to close the Husker lead to 3-2 with under 30 minutes remaining.

Nebraska separated itself from Oklahoma with 15 minutes left, when junior Blair Slapper's shot from 35 yards away was saved by Devonshire, but the deflection bounced off the crossbar and landed an Marlborough's feet for her third goal of the game.

The hat trick was Marlborough's second of the year, as the freshman also reached the three-goal plateau against Akron on Sept. 13 when she tied the single-game school record with four goals. Only 14 games into her freshman season, Marlborough is one of only seven Huskers in school history to produce multiple hat tricks in a career.

The Huskers added an insurance goal on a well-executed play in the 83rd minute, as sophomore Molly Thomas skipped a pass through the OU defense from the short corner to senior defender Anna Caniglia, who knocked in her second goal of the season.

Sunday's victory makes Nebraska 12-2-0 all-time against Oklahoma, while it also ended a strong four-game homestand in which the Huskers finished with a 3-0-1 record.