Nebraska Travels to Sun Devil Desert Classic

Game 6: Nebraska (4-1-0) vs. Arizona (1-2-1)
Date: Friday, Sept. 10
Time: 6:30 p.m. CST
Location: Sun Devil Soccer Stadium, Tempe, Ariz. (map)

Game 7: Nebraska (4-1-0) at No. 25 Arizona State (3-0-1)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 12
Time: 3:30 p.m. CST
Location: Sun Devil Soccer Stadium, Tempe, Ariz. (map)
Live Stats: Click Here

Riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak, the Nebraska soccer team travels to Arizona for its toughest weekend yet, as the Huskers face Arizona and No. 25 Arizona State at the Sun Devil Desert Classic in Tempe. Live stats for the Nebraska-Arizona State match will be available on www.thesundevils.com.

The matchup between Nebraska and Arizona (1-2-1) Friday evening will be a meeting of old foes, as the Huskers' first win in program history came against the Wildcats on Sept. 9, 1994 in Missoula, Mont. Nebraska leads the all-time series, 3-1. The Huskers will then meet a talented Arizona State (3-0-1) squad Sunday afternoon that entered the NSCAA/HendricksCars.com national rankings this week at No. 25. The Sun Devils (3-0-1) qualified for the 2009 NCAA Tournament and tied Nebraska in Lincoln last season, 1-1.

Nebraska (4-1-0) has won its last four games, including a 3-1 road victory at Indiana last Saturday. All-Big 12 selections Morgan Marlborough and Molly Thomas have heated up on offense by combining to score eight (four each) of the team's 11 goals. The NU defense has been solid as well with three shutouts behind senior goalkeeper Tara Macdonald, who leads the Big 12 Conference with a 0.30 goals against average and .944 save percentage.

Following this weekend, the Huskers return to Lincoln for the beginning of a four-game homestand. Nebraska hosts Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Sept. 17 and then closes non-conference play against Big Ten opponent Iowa on Sunday, Sept. 19.

Scouting Arizona
The Wildcats (1-2-1) picked up their first win of the season last Sunday with a 4-2 triumph over Cal Poly. Arizona opened the campaign at the San Diego Tournament with a pair of losses to San Diego and Pepperdine before tying Northern Arizona at home. Despite the 1-2-1 record, the Wildcats have averaged 1.5 goals per game.

Arizona was 4-15-1 last season and finished ninth in the Pac 10 standings with a 1-8-0 record. The Wildcats lone conference win was a 2-1 double-overtime home thriller over rival Arizona State. Arizona returns six starters this fall, including top scorer Renae Cuellar. The sophomore led UA with six goals in her first collegiate season, four more than any teammate. Cuellar is off to a fantastic start this season with four goals and two assists in the first four matches. The Wildcat defense has allowed 2.75 goals per game while rotating its goalie position between junior Ashley Jett and freshman Lorena Aragon.

Head Coach Lisa Oyen (Montana, 1998) is in her second season at Arizona and holds a 5-17-2 record with the Wildcats. Oyen spent time as an assistant coach at Washington State and Arizona before becoming a head coach. She helped the Wildcats win its first Pac-10 championship in 2004 and then reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2005. Oyen was a two-year captain and four-year letterwinner as a starting defender for the Montana Grizzlies from 1994 to 1997.

Husker History Against the Wildcats
Nebraska leads the all-time series against Arizona, 3-1. The teams met twice in NU's inaugural 1994 season, the first in which the Huskers earned their first win in program history, a 2-1 victory in Missoula, Mont., on Sept. 9, 1994. Nebraska then ended that season with a 3-1 win over the Wildcats in Tucson. The following year, Arizona defeated the Huskers in Lincoln (2-1), while NU won the most recent matchup in 2001, a 4-2 home win.

Scouting No. 25 Arizona State
The Sun Devils (3-0-1) have picked up where they left off from last year's NCAA Tournament berth by winning three of its first four games in 2010. Arizona State has defeated Northern Arizona, Baylor and Charlotte, while tying South Carolina on the road to earn a No. 25 national ranking in the latest NSCAA/HendricksCars.com poll. The Sun Devils were 9-7-4 last season and earned an at-large NCAA bid before their run was ended in the first round with a penalty kick loss at Wisconsin.

Arizona State has brought back a strong group of players from last season as it returns eight starters. Among the returnees is senior midfielder Alexandra Elston, a 20-point scorer in 2009. This season, Elston has just one assist while senior forward Karin Volpe leads the team with seven points on three goals and an assist. Sophomore forward Sierra Cook is the second-leading scorer with two goals and an assist. Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Gilmore has been solid in the net by playing all 380 minutes, giving up five goals (1.18 GAA) with a .722 save percentage.

Head Coach Kevin Boyd (Tri-State Univeristy, 1990) is in his fourth season at Arizona State, where he has a 30-24-10 record. Boyd has been in the collegiate ranks for 14 seasons as he holds a 154-87-30 career record. Prior to Arizona State, Boyd spent 10 seasons as the head coach at California, where he led the Bears to the NCAA Tournament eight times. He has reached back-to-back NCAA Tournaments with Arizona State.

Husker History Against the Sun Devils
Nebraska and Arizona State will be meeting for just the second time in school history. The only other contest was last September in Lincoln when the Huskers and Sun Devils fought to a 1-1 tie at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

Huskers Carry Nation's Seventh-Longest Home Unbeaten Streaks
Nebraska currently has the nation's seventh-longest home unbeaten streak, carrying a 13-0-2 record since its last loss at the Nebraska Soccer Field, a 2-1 setback to No. 15 Colorado on Oct. 17, 2008. During that span, NU compiled a 9-0-2 record in 2009 that was the best home record since the 2001 Huskers went 12-0-0 at the Abbott Sports Complex. Since moving on campus in 2005, Nebraska has won 74 percent (41-11-10) of its home matches. Last season's home success included a 2-1 upset of No. 14 Texas A&M, while the two ties came against Arizona State and Baylor. The Huskers scored at least two goals in 9-of-11 home matches and a combined 29 goals in the first four games.

Nebraska has played three home matches this season, earning shutouts over Loyola Chicago, Loyola Maryland and IUPUI.

Thomas, Marlborough Produce Heavy Offense
Junior Molly Thomas and sophomore Morgan Marlborough, both 2009 All-Big 12 selections, have sparked the 2010 NU offense after it was held scoreless in the season opener at New Mexico. In its last four matches, Thomas and Marlborough have each scored four goals to total eight of the team's 11 goals. Marlborough leads the scoring attack with 10 points (four goals, two assists), followed closely by Thomas with nine points (four goals, 1 assist). Thomas has tallied at least one point in each of the last four matches and has scored her four goals in just five attempts on goal.

The Huskers ranked third in the NCAA with 3.10 goals per game in 2009, the highest scoring average by a Nebraska team since 2000 (4.0). Marlborough had 49 points (21 goals, 7 assists) to rank fifth in the nation in scoring and earn the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award. Thomas scored 23 points on eight goals and seven assists. As underclassmen, Marlborough and Thomas combined for 29 of the team's 63 goals. In all, the Huskers return 70 percent of its goals (43-of-62) from last season.

Macdonald Moves Up All-Time Charts
Senior Tara Macdonald was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for matches Aug. 27-29 following her strong performances in wins over Loyola Chicago and Loyola Maryland. Macdonald's player of the week award is the first of her career and the ninth for a Husker goalie in school history.

A native of Austin, Texas, Macdonald turned in two shutouts in her first action of the 2010 season, as Nebraska downed the Ramblers (2-0) and the Greyhounds (2-0) two weeks ago. Macdonald totaled seven saves in the victories, including a four-save, complete-game shutout against Loyola Maryland. She currently ranks first in the Big 12 Conference with a 0.30 goals-against average and 0.944 save percentage.

Macdonald transferred from the University of Oklahoma in 2008. Despite battling injuries in just over one season at Nebraska, she has reached eighth on the school's all-time top 10 lists for career saves with 62. She is also tied for 10th on the all-time win list with a 10-2-3 record as a Husker, including victories at Indiana and vs. IUPUI last weekend.

Last season, Macdonald ranked fourth in the Big 12 Conference with 3.75 saves per game and totaled 45 on the year with a .763 save percentage.Freshmen Playing Big Roles in 2010
Four Husker freshmen have combined to earn 13 starts this season, led by forward Ari Romero and defender Maritza Hayes who have each started all five matches. Hayes, along with senior Brittany Goosen and junior Katie Goetzmann, have helped lead the Huskers to three shutouts in the past four games. Goalkeeper Emma Stevens earned a starting role in the first two matches, while Bartels worked her way into the lineup for the season opener at New Mexico.

Husker underclassmen have made up 46 percent of Nebraska's starts this season.

Romero Returns Home
Freshman forward Ari Romero will be making a trip home this week, as she is a native of Surprise, Ariz., 43 miles from the Arizona State campus. Romero has started all five matches this season and totaled four shots.

Romero was heavily active in club soccer in Phoenix for Sereno SC. She helped the Sereno 92 Golden Eagles to eight state championships and three Region IV semifinal appearances. Additionally, her squad won 13 tournament titles. Romero was on the 2009 Arizona Olympic Development Program team that advanced to the semifinals of the Region IV Championship.

Cardona, White Return to Starting Lineup
Forward Alexa Cardona has earned three starts this season, marking a return to the lineup for the first time since Nov. 2, 2007 when she scored a goal and had an assist in a 2-2- tie against Iowa State. Since then, the Lincoln, Neb., native was forced to sit out the 2008 season due to a foot injury and then missed the last six games of 2009 with a dislocated knee cap. Before her injury-shortened junior season, Cardona tallied two assists in 11 games. With action in 35 career matches, she is one of the more experienced players on the NU roster.

Another veteran Husker who saw a recent return to the starting lineup is utility player Jaclyn White. The senior from Long Beach, Calif., started the 4-0 win over IUPUI last Sunday, her first start since 2007.

Review: Huskers Win Fourth in a Row with 4-0 Shutout of IUPUI
Sophomore Jordan Jackson scored two first-half goals to lead Nebraska (4-1-0) to its fourth straight win in a 4-0 shutout over IUPUI (1-4-0) on Monday afternoon. The Huskers played in front of a Labor Day crowd of 739 fans, the largest attendance at the Nebraska Soccer Field since October 3, 2008. Since that month, Nebraska has been one of the best home teams in the country, compiling a 13-0-2 record since its last loss in Lincoln on Oct. 17, 2008.

Jackson's two goals marked the second multiple-scoring game of her career and her first goals of the 2010 season. She put the Huskers on top in the 16th minute via a free kick from 35 yards out that was perfectly placed into the upper left corner of the net over IUPUI goalkeeper Kristin Hasely. Just four minutes later, junior Molly Thomas sent a pass to the front of the net from the left side of the box, where Jackson was moving toward Thomas and flicked the ball with her right foot into the right side of the net.

A native of Overland Park, Kan., Jackson's five-point day (2 goals, 1 assist) was a career-best performance. Her second goal, assisted by Thomas and junior Katie Goetzmann, gave Thomas at least one point for the fourth-straight match.

Leading 2-0 at the intermission, Nebraska continued its offensive pressure immediately in the second half with two goals in the first nine minutes. Sophomore Morgan Marlborough scored her fourth goal of the season in the 46th minute when she dribbled through the Jaguar defense on the left side of the penalty box and sent a low shot inside the right post to give NU a 3-0 lead.

In the 54th minute, senior Colleen Goetzmann scored her first goal of the season on a header near the left post. Goetzmann's goal resulted from a corner kick by Jackson after she sent the ball to senior Jaclyn White, who then entered a pass into the goalie box. Goetzmann's goal marked the first of the season not scored by the dangerous trio of Marlborough (4), Thomas (4) and Jackson (2).

The reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, senior goalkeeper Tara Macdonald improved her record to 4-0-0 in the net. The Austin, Texas native played the first 53:34 of the contest before she was substituted for freshman Emma Stevens. With just over 26 minutes remaining in the match, the game was stopped for 30 minutes due to lightning. When action resumed, Stevens and the Husker defense kept the Jaguars off the scoreboard, giving Nebraska its third shutout of the season.

The Huskers outshot IUPUI, 23-6, including a 10-to-4 shots on goal advantage. NU did not allow the Jaguars any corner kicks, while the Huskers took six.