Huskers Host Texas, No. 6 Texas A&M to Begin Big 12 Play

Game 10: Texas (6-1-1) vs. Nebraska (7-2-0)
Date: Sept. 24, 2010
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Nebraska Soccer Field, Lincoln, Neb.
Capacity: 3,500
Series History: UT leads, 10-9
Live Audio: 90.3 KRNU
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Promotion: UNL Student Night (free pizza)

Game 11: #6 Texas A&M (7-2-0) vs. Nebraska (7-2-0)
Date: Sept. 26, 2010
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Nebraska Soccer Field, Lincoln, Neb.
Capacity: 3,500
Series History: NU leads, 14-11
Live Audio: 90.3 KRNU
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Promotion: Hometown Husker Day (Lincoln)

Following a strong start to the season with a 7-2-0 non-conference record, the Nebraska soccer team moves on to Big 12 play by hosting a pair of tough opponents this week as Texas (6-1-1) and No. 6 Texas A&M (7-2-0) come to Lincoln. The Huskers will meet the Longhorns on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., before taking on the Aggies on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Live radio broadcasts will be available for both matches by 90.3 KRNU (krnu.unl.edu) in addition to live stats on Huskers.com. Friday will be UNL Student Night, giving the first 200 students free pizza by showing their N-Card. Sunday will mark Lincoln Hometown Husker Day.

Nebraska's 7-2-0 record is its best nine-game start in nearly a decade, as the 2001 team began the season 8-1-0. The Huskers are ranked No. 10 in the NSCAA Central Region and receiving votes in the national top 25 after winning seven of their past eight matches, including wins over Indiana, Arizona and Iowa, while dropping only a road match at No. 25 Arizona State. The challenge will be high this week as the Longhorns are coming off a home upset of No. 10 BYU and are ranked No. 18 by Soccer Times and No. 21 by Soccer America. The Aggies advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 last year and returned 11 starters. Texas A&M's only two losses of the season have come to No. 1 North Carolina and No. 3 Portland. Last season's match-ups against the Big 12 South foes were two of Nebraska's tightest and most exciting games of the season. The Huskers lost a 2-1 nail-biter in Austin by giving up a Texas goal in the 83rd minute, but rebounded two days later to knock off No. 14 Texas A&M in Lincoln, 2-1.

This weekend's contests will also feature some of the Big 12's best individual talent, as Nebraska sophomore Morgan Marlborough and Texas A&M senior Alyssa Mautz share the conference goal lead with seven each. Marlborough ranks first in the league in points with 17 (seven goals, three assists), while sophomore teammate Jordan Jackson is tied for second with Mautz at 15 points (five goals, five assists). Jackson is also tied for the conference assist lead with five, along with Texas junior Kylie Doniak. Marlborough and Jackson combined for four goals and two assists in Nebraska's wins over Cal State Fullerton and Iowa last weekend. Marlborough has moved into the ninth spot on Nebraska's all-time top 10 goal chart with 28 career goals.

Huskers Carry Nation's Fifth-Longest Home Unbeaten Streak
Nebraska is currently tied for the nation's fifth-longest home unbeaten streak, carrying a 15-0-2 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 75 percent (43-11-10) 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 is 5-0 at home this season and has given up only two goals.

Team	Record	Last Loss
1. UCLA	68-0-2	Sept. 9, 2005
2. Portland	30-0-0	Aug. 30, 2008
3. Stanford	27-0-1	Nov. 23, 2007
4. North Carolina	24-0-3	Sept. 5, 2008
5. Nebraska     Samford	15-0-2	Oct. 17, 2008 Sept. 7, 2008
7. Central Michigan	14-0-3	Oct. 19, 2008

Scouting Texas
The Longhorns (6-1-1) are ranked in the Soccer Times (No. 18) and Soccer America (No. 21) national polls following Monday night's win over No. 10 BYU. The Longhorns were 9-9-3 last season and finished sixth in the Big 12 with a 4-4-3 conference mark. They return seven starters from that team, including a pair of 2009 All-Newcomer Big 12 selections in sophomores Hannah Higgins and Sophie Campise.

Junior midfielder Kylie Doniak has been the lead force so far for the Longhorns, as she leads the team with nine points resulting from two goals and a conference-leading five assists. Higgins, along with Leah Fortune, are the top two UT goal scorer with three goals each, although four other Longhorns have each netted two goals to help Texas average the fifth-most goals per game (2.12) in the conference. Defensively, the Horns have not allowed more than one goal in any match this season behind senior defender Erica Campanelli and sophomore goalkeeper Alexa Gaul. Gaul is 6-1-1 with a 0.97 goals against average and .750 save percentage.

Head coach Chris Petrucelli (UNC-Greensboro, 1984) is in his 12th season at Texas, where he has gone 149-74-22. The Longhorns are just two years removed from a 13-4-4 season in 2009, which saw them advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Husker History Against the Longhorns
Texas holds a narrow 10-9-0 advantage in the all-time series, including a 2-1 victory last season in Austin. 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 six of the past seven contests.

Nebraska won the last battle in Lincoln when the Big Red upset No. 8 Texas, 2-1. Anna White and Aysha Jamani notched goals for the Huskers, while Anna Caniglia tallied two assists.

Scouting Texas A&M
Texas A&M (7-2-0) is ranked No. 6 in the latest NSCAA/HendricksCars.com Top 25 poll. The Aggies' only two losses have come at the hands of No. 1 North Carolina and No. 3 Portland, while they have countered for those setbacks with notable victories over No. 16 Virginia Tech, Washington State and Purdue. Texas A&M also defeated Indiana on the road, 5-2, a week after the Huskers downed the Hoosiers, 3-1, in Bloomington. Last season, the Aggies advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 before they were eliminated by No. 5 Florida State in a two-overtime loss. The 2010 squad returns 11 players who start regular starting time and lost only senior Emily Peterson to graduation.

Senior midfielder Alyssa Mautz is tied for the Big 12 scoring lead with Nebraska's Morgan Marlborough at 15 points each. Mautz' total has come via seven goals and one assist, while junior forward Merritt Mathias is second on the team with 13 points (five goals, three assists). The Aggies field an explosive offense as a pair of seniors in 2009 All-Big 12 selections Rachel Shipley and Whitney Hooper have also scored in double digits (Shipley 12 points, Hooper 10 points). The Aggies rank second in the Big 12 with 26 goals on the season, trailing only Baylor (31). In the net, senior Kristin Arnold has started all but one game en route to a 6-1-0 record. She holds a 1.36 goals against average with a .737 save percentage.

The Aggies are led by 18th-year head coach G Guerrieri (Tulsa, 1985), who has an impressive 295-97-19 record in College Station. In 2008, Texas A&M went 18-5-1 and qualified for the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament before being defeated by eventual national champion North Carolina. Guerrieri's teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament for 15 consecutive seasons.

Husker History Against the Aggies
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, 14-11-0. 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 six of the past seven meetings, although Nebraska won last year's match-up in Lincoln, 2-1. In that contest, Morgan Marlborough scored both goals, including the game-winner in the 82nd minute to upset the 14th-ranked Aggies.

Lincoln Natives to be Honored Sunday
Lincoln natives Alexa Cardona, Bri Badje and Amy Swearer will be honored this Sunday on Lincoln Hometown Husker Day. The three players each attended different high schools before making the decision to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level, led by Cardona, a graduate of Pius X High School. The junior has started three games this season. Badje, a redshirt freshman from Southwest High School, has seen action in five matches. Swearer is a true freshman goalkeeper from Lutheran High School who moved to Vancouver, Wash., for her senior year before returning to Nebraska for college.

Marlborough Cracks All-Time Top 10
In only 28 collegiate games, sophomore Morgan Marlborough has already cracked the school's top 10 list with 28 career goals. Following her 27th and 28th goals in last weekend's wins over Cal State Fullerton and Iowa, Marlborough has moved into sole possession of the ninth spot ahead of former Huskers Kori Saunders (1999-2002) and Jenny Benson (1996-2000). Christine Latham (1999-2002) is the school record keeper with 69 career goals, although Marlborough could rise to seventh quickly as Nikki Baker (2002-04) currently holds that spot with 30 career goals.

A native of Lee's Summit, Mo., Marlborough and Alyssa Mautz of Texas A&M currently hold the Big 12 scoring lead with 15 points each. Marlborough leads NU in goals (six) and is second in assists behind Jordan Jackson with three.

Last season, Marlborough's 49 points (21 goals, 7 assists) led a Husker scoring attack that ranked third in the NCAA with 3.10 goals per game, the highest scoring average by a Nebraska team since 2000 (4.0). Marlborough was named a freshman All-American and earned Big 12 Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Year awards.

The fifth-highest scorer in the NCAA last fall, Marlborough broke the freshman school record for single-season goals just 14 games into the season. She is just one of seven players in school history to produce multiple hat tricks in a career after she tied the single-game school record with four goals against Akron and then had three vs. Oklahoma.

Prior to the start of this season, Marlborough was named to the watch list for the 2010 Hermann Trophy, given annually to the nation's best women's collegiate soccer player, while she also claimed a spot on the 2010 Preseason All-Big 12 Team.

Established in 1967, the Hermann Trophy is presented by the Missouri Athletic Club. The Husker forward is one of only 10 underclassmen on the 45-player watch list. Past winners of the award include Christine Sinclair, Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly, while Stanford's Kelly O'Hara claimed the 2009 honor.

Jackson Turns Up the Heat on Offense, Named Big 12 Player of the Week
Sophomore Jordan Jackson has turned up her offensive power as of late, scoring 13 of her 15 points in the past five matches alone. Jackson had two goals in Nebraska's 3-1 win over Iowa last Sunday, following a two-assist performance in the 3-1 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Friday to earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors. The sophomore scored her first two goals in the Sept. 6 win against IUPUI and has since been one of the biggest offensive threats in conference. She is tied for second in the Big 12 with 15 points and is also tied for first with five assists.

Jackson worked her way into the lineup to start 14 of 20 games as a freshman, including the last 11. The forward scored five goals on the season, tied for the third-most on the team. Jackson added three assists, including one in Nebraska's upset of No. 14 Texas A&M. She accounted for 13 points on the year.

Thomas Works Toward Another All-Big 12 Season
Two-time All-Big 12 selection Molly Thomas is third on the team in goals behind Marlborough and Jackson with four. The Omaha native also has one assist to total nine points on the year as she aims for All-Big 12 honors for the third straight season. Thomas scored at least one point in four straight matches from Aug. 27-Sept. 6, including both goals in Nebraska's 2-0 win over Loyola Chicago. Her offensive aggressivness and speed has been the lead force in helping Nebraska currently rank second in the Big 12 with 51 corner kicks.

Thomas has started 46-of-48 career games with the Huskers. She had 23 points on eight goals and seven assists in 2009 after an 11-point freshman season.

Stevens Regains Starting Role
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Emma Stevens produced her first career victories in last weekend's triumphs over Cal State Fullerton and Iowa. The Corona, Calif., native is 2-1-0 with a 1.69 goals-against average this season as she has split time in the net with senior Tara Macdonald.

Stevens redshirted the 2009 season, but was impressive in the spring season that included a shutout over BYU. At Santiago High School, Stevens accumulated over 6,000 minutes in net and notched 383 saves. As a senior, she posted 121 saves while leading the Sharks to a 19-4-2 record. Stevens earned two shutouts in the state tournament, before Santiago was eliminated in the quarterfinals. She claimed 11 shutouts during the 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 was 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 70. She is also tied for seventh on the all-time win list with an 11-3-3 record as a Husker.

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 25 starts this season, led by forward Ari Romero and defender Maritza Hayes who have each started all nine matches. Hayes, along with senior Brittany Goosen and junior Katie Goetzmann, have helped lead the Huskers to four shutouts. Goalkeeper Emma Stevens has earned a starting role in four matches, while Bartels has worked her way into the lineup for three games and scored her first and second career goals in last Friday's win against Cal State Fullerton.

Husker underclassmen have made up nearly 50 percent of Nebraska's starts this season.

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., has also started three matches, her first starts since 2007. White has made the most of her opportunity as she scored her third career goal in NU's 3-0 win over Arizona on Sept. 10.

Review: Jackson Guides Huskers to 3-1 Win Over Iowa
Sophomore Jordan Jackson scored two goals to guide Nebraska (7-2-0) to its seventh win in the past eight matches and finish the non-conference slate on a strong note with a 3-1 victory over Iowa (7-2-0) on Sunday afternoon at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The Huskers' 7-2-0 record marks the best nine-game start by NU in nearly a decade, as the 2001 squad began the year 8-1-0. The non-conference finale victory also stopped the Hawkeyes' seven-game winning streak and pushes Nebraska into Big 12 play.

Jackson scored her fourth and fifth goals of the season Sunday afternoon, accounting for the game-winner in the 65th minute off a corner kick from Blair Slapper. The junior sent a perfect ball over the Hawkeye defense to the far post and Jackson elevated to head in her second goal of the match. The aggressive header bounced in front of the goal line and was just out of the reach of Iowa goalkeeper Emily Moran as it went upward to catch the bottom of the cross bar.

A native of Overland Park, Kan., Jackson's game-winning goal came two minutes after the Hawkeyes tied the game at 62:58 on a goal from Jade Grimm. Jackson increased her scoring totals to five goals and five assists on the season, a 15-point total that ranks second on the team and surpasses her entire freshman year total of 13 points.

After Jackson gave Nebraska a 2-1 lead with 25 minutes remaining, Iowa's Alex Melin nearly answered less than a minute later, but her line drive shot from 15 yards out was knocked over the cross bar by NU goalkeeper Emma Stevens to preserve the Husker lead.  Stevens, a redshirt freshman from Corona, Calif., had three saves in the match and moved her record to 2-1-0.

Nebraska took a 1-0 lead just before halftime (44:07) on Jackson's first goal of the day. With each team struggling to find an offensive rhythm on wet field conditions, Nebraska capitalized on its limited opportunities as senior Jaclyn White sent a pass to junior Katie Goetzmann on the left side of the goalie box, who then found Jackson five yards in front of the goal for a clean shot.

Leading 2-1 in the game's final minutes, junior Alexa Cardona created Nebraska's third goal as she was fouled in the box while attempting to dribble through the Iowa defense. Sophomore Morgan Marlborough converted the penalty kick to solidify the Husker win and nail down her team-leading seventh goal of the season. Marlborough is a perfect 3-of-3 on penalty kick opportunities during her two-year career, while she also took sole possession of ninth place on Nebraska's all-time scoring chart with 28 career goals.

The Huskers scored three goals against a tough Iowa defense that had shut out six opponents coming into the match, including a 4-0 win at Iowa State. Nebraska has scored at least three goals in five of its last six games. The Huskers also remained unbeaten at the Nebraska Soccer Field since October of 2008, recording a 15-0-2 mark during that stretch.