Season Review: Huskers Continue Winning Ways in 2009

A Winning Tradition
Behind the strength of a six-person senior class and two All-Big 12 underclassmen, the 2009 Nebraska soccer team successfully carried on the winning tradition of a program built just 16 years ago. For the 15th season, the Huskers compiled a double-digit win total with an 11-5-4 overall record, while retaining its claim among the league's best with a fourth-place Big 12 finish, its highest since 2005.

The Big 12's Best
In 2009, Nebraska fielded the best player in the conference, as freshman Morgan Marlborough won the Big 12 Offensive Player and Rookie of the Year awards. The declaration as the league's finest player was no more evident than Oct. 18 in Lincoln, when Marlborough scored both goals in Nebraska's 2-1 upset over No. 14 Texas A&M. The game-winner came in the 82nd minute, as Marlborough dashed through the Aggie defense right-to-left and shot across her body from the left side of the penalty box. It was the last of 21 goals on the season for the Lee's Summit, Mo., native, the best mark ever by an NU freshman and fourth overall on the all-time chart.

The victory over Texas A&M was the staple in a 5-3-2 conference season and an unbeaten home record at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The Huskers began the Big 12 slate Sept. 25 with a narrow 1-0 loss at Colorado, giving up the match's only goal with 22 minutes remaining. On the same weekend road swing, the Huskers took a 3-1 lead at Texas Tech behind two goals from Marlborough and one from senior Shay Powell, but gave up a pair in the final 45 minutes to tie the Red Raiders, 3-3.

The near victories resulted in a statement game when the Huskers returned home to face Oklahoma State on Oct. 4. In this 2-0 victory over the defending Big 12 champions, the NU seniors stepped up with one of the best performances of their careers. In the 10th minute, Powell accounted for the game-winning goal, clanging a shot off the cross bar on a pass from Blair Slapper. The teams then went scoreless for nearly 70 minutes, until seniors Anna Caniglia and Carly Peetz teamed up for an insurance goal with 11 minutes remaining. Caniglia was Nebraska's 2009 assist leader with nine (tie-3rd in Big 12), contributing her fifth of the season on a free kick from 35 yards out that Peetz headed in from the left side of the goalie box.

As usual, Peetz was a defensive expert in 2009, but her critical goal against the Cowgirls was a microcosm of her increased offensive role as a senior, scoring four times and adding three assists. She went on to claim a spot on the 2009 All-Big 12 First Team after previously earning All-Big 12 Second Team (2008) and Big 12 All-Newcomer (2006) honors.

A week later, the Huskers welcomed two more Big 12 South opponents to the Nebraska Soccer Field as Baylor and Oklahoma came to Lincoln. Powell played a big role again, forcing a tie with the Bears after BU took a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute. The Dallas native responded with a goal just 1 minute, 20 seconds into the second half, although neither team would break the 1-1 deadlock the rest of the way.

With a pair of ties in its first four conference matches, the Huskers were in need of a breakout performance from an offense that averaged nearly four goals per game (3.9) in non-conference play. NU gained that offensive swagger back on Oct. 11 with a 5-2 domination over the Sooners. After tying the single-game school record with four goals in a September win vs. Akron, Marlborough became the seventh Husker in history to produce multiple hat tricks in a career by scoring three times against Oklahoma.

Marlborough's three-goal effort increased her nation-leading total to 19, while becoming 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. Nebraska had fallen behind for the second straight game vs. OU, but Marlborough led the comeback effort beginning with her first goal on a header from freshman Jordan Jackson 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, but recovered to keep control of the possession and dribble through the Sooner defense to beat the OU goalkeeper with a shot off the far post.

Unbeaten when leading at the intermission (10-0-2) in 2009, the Huskers struck quickly in the final period with Jackson's fourth goal of the season just 89 seconds into the second half. Nebraska separated itself with 15 minutes left when Slapper's shot from 35 yards away was saved, but the deflection bounced off the crossbar and landed in Marlborough's lap for her third goal of the game.

Although Marlborough put together the best freshman season in school history, Jackson was quietly becoming one of the best newcomers in the Big 12 Conference, scoring five goals and adding three assists on the season. She had four multiple-point matches, highlighted by a goal and assist against the Sooners.

Nebraska's 2009 offense was scoring easily, ranking first in the NCAA with 50 goals (3.6 per game) following the 5-2 triumph over Oklahoma. The scoring output through mid-October had already marked the most goals in a season by a Husker team since 2002. On Sept. 18, Nebraska's nine goals in a 9-0 shutout of South Dakota was the best single-game total in the Big 12 Conference in 2009. A back-to-back All-Big 12 selection, forward Molly Thomas contributed the top offensive performance of her career versus the Coyotes with two goals and two assists. She ranked second on the team with 23 points (8 goals, 7 assists), including seven assists to rank sixth in the conference and earn All-Big 12 Second Team honors. She was also one of six Huskers to start all 20 matches along with Caniglia, Peetz, Slapper and juniors Katie Goetzmann and Anna White. Marlborough and junior Brittany Goosen started 19 games.

Adding to History
Entering 2009, a total of 24 hat tricks had been achieved in the 16 years of Nebraska soccer (1.6 per season). Marlborough single-handily passed that average by achieving two in the first 14 matches, then following up with both goals in the Huskers' 2-1 upset over No. 14 Texas A&M on Oct. 18.

Behind Marlborough, Thomas and Jackson, Nebraska had created one of the most talented and youngest frontlines in the nation. While the trio was responsible for half of NU's goal total (31 of 62), the Huskers benefited greatly from the unanticipated offensive force of Caniglia. The Omaha native transitioned from defender to midfielder in her final year with the Huskers and went on to produce the team's third-highest point total (19) on five goals and nine assists. With Nebraska sitting in a tie for fourth in the league standings on Oct. 23, Caniglia turned in one of the best single-game performances in recent Husker history, as she scored three goals and added an assist to lead Nebraska to a 7-4 road victory at Kansas. Her career day was highlighted by the team's most spectacular goal of the season when she scored on a bicycle kick in the goalie box in the 59th minute. Thomas, Jackson, Peetz and junior Michaella Fulmer also hit the back of the net to contribute in the highest scoring Big 12 game since 1999.

Nebraska ended the weekend road swing with a loss at Missouri, but returned home for Senior Day on Oct. 30 vs. Iowa State. The 2009 senior class consisted of six members that started a combined 230 games, scored 60 goals and included four team captains. Academically, the group earned 36 spots on the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll and 15 Academic All-Big 12 awards.

Nebraska would not be denied in its final home game, as senior Lauren Isenhower's header in the 97th minute broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Huskers away with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory. Isenhower's game-winner concluded Nebraska's regular season with an 11-5-4 record and gave the Huskers a fourth-place Big 12 finish. Isenhower's goal came off a cross from Thomas in the far corner, who gave NU an opportunity for the win as she scored her eighth goal of the season in the 72nd minute, just nine minutes after Iowa State took a 1-0 lead.

Riding the momentum of its overtime win, Nebraska traveled to San Antonio for the 2009 Big 12 Championship. With its sights set on a possible NCAA Tournament berth, the Huskers ran into a tough challenge and fell to eventual champion Oklahoma State in the first round. Nebraska suffered from the absence of its Big 12 Player of the Year, as Marlborough did not play due to illness. The match ended Nebraska's run, as the Huskers were not invited to the postseason.

Awarded for Outstanding Accomplishments
Morgan Marlborough became just the third freshman in league history to earn the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award, as the conference announced her as the winner following the regular season. Marlborough was also named Big 12 Rookie of the Year as she led three Huskers to All-Big 12 accolades, joining senior Carly Peetz (All-Big 12 First Team) and sophomore Molly Thomas (All-Big 12 Second Team).

Marlborough was the sixth Husker to win a player-of-the-year honor and the first to do so since Brittany Timko in 2006. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native led the Big 12 Conference with 21 goals and ranked sixth in assists with seven. Marlborough separated herself from the rest of the Big 12 field in scoring, as her 21 goals and 49 points were well ahead of the league's second-highest scorer, Oklahoma's Whitney Palmer (15 goals, 32 points). Following her freshman season, Marlborough ranks fourth and fifth all-time on the Husker single-season goal and point charts.

Peetz earned the third All-Big 12 award of her career, as she was on the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team in 2006 and a Second-Team All-Big 12 pick in 2008. The defender had her best offensive season, scoring four goals and adding three assists. Along with Caniglia, she started every game of her Husker career, a streak of 79 that ties the duo for the eighth-most starts in NU history.

Thomas was an All-Big 12 honoree for the second consecutive year, as she was part of the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team in 2008. The sophomore ranked sixth in the conference in goals (8) and seventh in assists (6).

With Marlborough and Peetz, Nebraska now has 42 first-team honors all-time and 67 spots on the all-conference teams overall. The Huskers have had at least three All-Big 12 selections 12 times in the 15-year history of the program.

At the conclusion of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, each was awarded with NSCAA All-Central Region honors, as Marlborough earned a spot on the Second Team and Peetz was named to the Third Team. Peetz became the first Husker defender to earn multiple All-Region honors since Breanna Boyd was a three-time selection from 2000 to 2002.

Success In the Classroom
The Nebraska soccer team made a mark among the conference schools on the 2009 Academic All-Big 12 Team, as the Huskers had 14 student-athletes named to the squad to tie for the highest total of any team.

In addition to achieving a perfect 4.0 grade-point average, senior Shay Powell attained one of the highest honors in collegiate athletics when she was named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team. Her award increased Nebraska's nation-leading total to 271 across all sports and further exemplified the school's long-standing tradition of academic excellence.

The Academic All-Big 12 honor was Powell's third consecutive first-team award, an achievement matched by classmates Anna Caniglia, Brittney Lanier and Carly Peetz. All six seniors were named to the first team, as Julie Berkshire and Lauren Isenhower also gained top accolades.

Junior Anna White and sophomore Katie Goetzmann each obtained first-team honors for the second consecutive year, while sophomore Alexa Cardona and juniors Jessica Mills and Jaclyn White earned the first awards of their career.

Junior Michaella Fulmer and sophomore Blair Slapper were named to the second team, bringing Nebraska's total to 14, the second-most selections the Huskers have ever had on the Academic All-Big 12 Team (15 in 2008).

On the National Stage
Nebraska's young talent was on display following the 2009 season as Morgan Marlborough and Molly Thomas were each invited to camps with the U.S. Under-20 and Under-23 National Teams. Marlborough made an impact with the Under-20 squad at the 2010 CONCACAF Women's Championship in Guatemala City, scoring the game-winning goal and contributing an assist in a pool play victory over Trinidad & Tobago. The United States would go on to win the tournament, but Marlborough did not see action again as she was sidelined due to illness.

In April, Thomas was invited to the Under-23 training camp in Corvallis, Ore., where she played in two exhibition contests vs. Oregon State and Portland alongside the top players in women's collegiate soccer.