Huskers Take to Road for Big 12 North Battles

Game 17: Nebraska (9-3-4, 3-2-2) vs. Kansas (10-6-1, 2-5-0)
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Date: Friday, Oct. 23
Time: 3 p.m. CST
Location: Jayhawk Soccer Complex, Lawrence, Kan.

Game 18: Nebraska (9-3-4, 3-2-2) vs. No. 23 Missouri (10-4-3, 5-0-2)
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Date: Sunday, Oct. 25
Time: 1 p.m. CST
Location: Audrey J. Walton Complex, Columbia, Mo.

With momentum spurring from an upset over No. 14 Texas A&M, the Nebraska soccer team looks to build on its success as the Huskers hit the road for a pair of challenging Big 12 North matchups at Kansas and No. 23 Missouri this week.

Nebraska meets the Jayhawks in Lawrence on Friday, Oct. 23 at 3 p.m., before heading east to take on the Tigers in Columbia on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. A live blog will be available for Friday's game on Huskers.com (NU Soccer Blog) in addition to live stats at www.kuathletics.com. Fans can watch Sunday's game with the purchase of a monthly subscription ($9.95) to Mizzou All-Access on www. mutigers.com. Free live stats will also be available.

Last September, Nebraska's matchups with Kansas and Missouri were two of the most exciting games of the 2008 season, as the Huskers defeated both the Jayhawks and Tigers in back-to-back overtime contests at the Nebraska Soccer Field. Kansas was ranked No. 25 at the time of the meeting before it went on to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskers have risen to a tie for fourth place in the Big 12 standings with a 3-2-2 conference record (11 points). Freshman Morgan Marlborough scored both goals in Nebraska's 2-1 win over the Aggies on Sunday to increase her NCAA-leading total to 21 and earn Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. As a team, the Huskers' 53 goals rank third in the nation.

Husker History vs. Kansas

Nebraska leads the all-time series against Kansas, 13-3-2. The Jayhawks, however, have defeated the Huskers two of the past three seasons, including the last meeting in Lawrence when Kansas downed Nebraska, 3-1.

The Huskers are 5-1-1 all-time at Kansas. The last NU victory in Lawrence was one of the most memorable games in school history, as the Huskers beat the No. 8 national-seed Jayhawks in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet 16.

Molly Thomas led Nebraska to another upset over Kansas last September in Lincoln, as the Huskers defeated the No. 25 Jayhawks 2-1 in double-overtime. Thomas found the back of the net in the 106th minute after she chased down a long ball and sent a low shot into the far right corner of the net for the game-winning goal.

Scouting the Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas (10-6-1, 2-5-0) is currently ninth in the Big 12 standings after it split a pair of road games last week at Oklahoma (W, 2-1) and Baylor (L, 1-2 2OT). The Jayhawks had possibly the toughest opening stretch of conference play as they lost their first three Big 12 tilts at Oklahoma State (0-3), at No. 15 Texas A&M (3-4) and at Texas (1-2) before picking up their first league win on Oct. 9 vs. Texas Tech (3-2) in Lawrence. Kansas is 5-1-0 at home with its only loss coming to Colorado (0-1) on Oct. 11.

The Jayhawks' leading scorer is sophomore forward Emily Cressy with eight goals and three assists (19 points). Individually, Cressy is the Big 12's fourth-leading goal scorer while helping KU to the third-most shots in the conference this season (103) behind Nebraska (1st, 152) and Missouri (2nd, 113). Freshman forward Whitney Berry is not far behind as she is tied for second in the conference with seven assists to go along with five goals. Cressy and Berry tallied both KU goals in the Jayhawks' 2-1 win over Oklahoma last Friday in Norman.

Kansas retuned nine of 11 starters from its 2008 team that went 13-8-2 (4-5-1) and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. After a 5-0 start this season, the Jayhawks were ranked as high as No. 13 (Soccer America) before going 5-6-1 in the past 12 games.

Head coach Mark Francis is in his 11th season at Kansas. He has a 127-84-16 record in Lawrence after spending three years at South Alabama.

Husker History vs. Missouri

Nebraska has dominated the all-time series against Missouri, 15-2-0, as the Tigers earned wins in 2003 and 2007. The Huskers won the first 11 meetings before Missouri picked up a win in the series. The Huskers are 6-1 in Columbia, but lost the last match at Missouri in 2007, 3-1.

Sari Raber scored the game-winning goal in last year's Nebraska-Missouri contest in the 107th minute of double-overtime. Shay Powell and Michaella Fulmer both assisted on the play, while Carly Peetz and Anna Caniglia scored the other two goals in the 3-2 victory.

Scouting the Missouri Tigers

Missouri (10-4-3, 5-0-2) jumped to No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference following its road wins at Baylor (5-0) and Oklahoma (1-0, 2OT) last weekend. The Tigers are ranked No. 23 in the most recent Soccer America poll. They have not lost a game since Sept. 20 at No. 4 UCLA (0-5).

Missouri has one of the most aggressive offensive attacks in the conference. The Tigers are second in goals behind Nebraska with 41, but first in conference games with 17, while the Huskers are second with 14. Eleven MU players have at least two goals this season, led by senior forward Michelle Collins (six).

Senior forward Kristin Andrighetto has five goals and leads the Big 12 Conference in total shots with 87. Andrighetto came up with the game-winning goal in the 100th minute of Missouri's 1-0 double-overtime victory at Oklahoma on Sunday.

Missouri finished the 2008 season with a No. 17 national ranking as the Tigers went 16-5-2 (7-3) and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before they were ousted by Illinois in a shootout. The season was highlighted by the Big 12 Tournament title with a 1-0 win over Colorado in the championship game.

Head coach Bryan Blitz is in his 14th season at Missouri and holds a 151-123-14 record with the Tigers. Prior to coming to Columbia, Blitz spend five years as the head coach for the Butler Bulldogs.

Marlborough Claims Conference, National Honors

Forward Morgan Marlborough continues to garner national recognition through a spectacular freshman season as she was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and one of College Soccer 360's 'Primetime Performers of the Week' following her clutch play in Nebraska's 2-1 upset over No. 14 Texas A&M last Sunday.

Marlborough increased her nation-leading goal total to 21 in the victory, as she scored both Husker goals, including the game-winner in the 82nd minute. She ranks in a tie for fourth all-time among single-season goal leaders in school history, trailing only Kim Essenger (27, 1998; 26, 1997) and Christine Latham (23, 2000), and has led the NCAA since the first rankings were released on Sept. 14.

The Big 12 award is the third of the season for Marlborough, as she was also won offensive and newcomer honors on Sept. 15. Marlborough is just the third freshman in Big 12 history to win three awards in a season, joining Texas A&M's Ashlee Pistorius (three in 2004) and Colorado's Nikki Marshall (four in 2006). Her three awards in 2009 lead the conference.

College Soccer 360's 'Primetime Performers of the Week' are based on criteria that includes playing against top-25 teams or top-level opponents and players who are involved in clutch performances such as game-winning goals or late scores. Marlborough is the second Husker to be named one of College Soccer 360's 'Primetime Performers of the Week' this season after senior defender Carly Peetz earned the honor on Oct. 6.

Following a hat trick in Nebraska's 5-2 victory over Oklahoma on Oct. 11, Marlborough set the Nebraska freshman single-season goal record, previously held by both Lindsay Eddleman and Isabelle Morneau in 1996 with 17 goals each.

Marlborough's hat trick versus the Sooners 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 beame one of 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 (1.313), points (46) and points per game (2.88). Her 46 points are tied for the sixth-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, Marlboroughps four-goal performance against Akron is 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 five games this season (vs. Lehigh, at Colorado, vs. Oklahoma State, vs. Baylor, at Texas) and has seven multiple-goal games, the seventh-most by a Nebraska player in program history.

Huskers Rank Third Nationally in Scoring

Nebraska has scored the third-most goals of any women's college soccer team in the NCAA this season, as it has 53 goals through 16 games to lead the Big 12 Conference. The Huskers trail only Portland (56) and Stanford (54).

Nebraska is averaging 3.31 goals per game (4th NCAA) and has already scored the most goals by a NU team since 2001. The Huskers have scored 43 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 Oct. 11 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 seven 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. On Oct. 8, Powell's goal in the 46th minute forced a 1-1 tie versus Baylor, while she added an assist against the Sooners.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Powell ranks in a tie for eigthth in the Big 12 with three goals in conference play. She was the Huskers' leading scorer in 2007 (11 points) and 2008 (19 points).

Thomas Continues to Lead Offensively, Pressures Defenses

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, including a solid two-game stretch Oct. 9-11 when she contributed an assist in each of Nebraska's contests against Baylor and Oklahoma.

Thomas' offensive prowess is evident even when it does not show up in the statistics. Following Nebraska's 2-1 victory over Texas A&M, Morgan Marlborough credited Thomas' aggressiveness and speed for putting the Huskers in position to score.

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 Reach All-Time Top 10 for Career Starts

Senior defenders Carly Peetz and Anna Caniglia have reached the Nebraska top-10 list for career starts, as each has started 75 games in their Husker careers. More impressive, however, is that Peetz and Caniglia have done so in a consecutive streak from 2006 to 2009.

The seniors are two of the most consistent and important players the NU soccer program has even seen. On the field, the duo has helped the Huskers hold opponents to 1.25 goals per game this year.

Perhaps even more impressive has been the offensive production. Peetz has a career-high nine 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 tied for second in the Big 12 with seven assists (sophomore Blair Slapper, 5th, six assists), including possibly her biggest of the season last Sunday in Nebraska's win over Texas A&M when her free kick led to the Huskers' first goal. Caniglia has the highest assist total among Big 12 defenders, while she also has a pair of goals in 2009.

Freshmen See Playing Time in First Year with Huskers

Freshman Jordan Jackson has played in all 16 games this season, scoring four goals on 34 shots, while also tallying three 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 on Oct. 11 and has 26 on the season (Marlborough-21, 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: Huskers Upset No. 14 Texas A&M

Freshman Morgan Marlborough delivered the biggest play of the season to date with her game-winning goal in the 82nd minute to lead Nebraska to a 2-1 upset victory over No. 14 Texas A&M on Oct. 18 at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

In one of the most intensity-filled games of the year, Marlborough's second goal of the day broke a 1-1 tie after Texas A&M had tied the contest on a penalty kick (hand-ball) by Rachel Shipley in the 68th minute. Marlborough answered 14 minutes later, resulting from an intercepted pass by senior Julie Berkshire in front of the midfield line. Berkshire then fed the ball to Marlborough, who dashed through the Texas A&M defense right-to-left and sent in the game-winning goal from 15 yards away on the left side of the penalty box.

With the victory, Nebraska has won three of its past four games against top-25 opponents at the Nebraska Soccer Field, while improving its 2009 home record to 8-0-2.

Marlborough now has seven multiple-goal games this season, as she also connected in the 19th minute to give Nebraska an early 1-0 lead. Caniglia took a free kick from 30 yards out, which was headed by freshman Jordan Jackson before Marlborough swept up the pass on the left side of the net and scored off the crossbar.

Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Texas A&M turned up its offensive pressure in the second half and outshot Nebraska 13-5 in the final 45 minutes. The Husker defense, however, came up big in crucial situations to hold the Aggies scoreless aside from Shipley's penalty kick with 22 minutes remaining. Texas A&M only had three shots on goal, including a free kick in the 60th minute that nearly found the top of the net, but was deflected over the crossbar by junior goalkeeper Jessica Mills.

Nebraska took five shots on net, including a pair from Marlborough that accounted for both of Nebraska's goals. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native has a nation-leading 21 goals to tie for the fourth-most in a single-season in school history. Sunday also marked the third time that she has scored multiple goals in a Big 12 game after a pair of goals at Texas Tech on Sept. 27 and a hat trick vs. Oklahoma on Oct. 11.

Caniglia contributed on both of Marlborough's goals and now has a team-leading seven assists.