Huskers Take on Iowa State, Missouri at Nebraska Soccer Field

Game 14: Iowa State (6-5-2, 1-2-0) vs. Nebraska (9-4-0, 2-2-0)
Date: Oct. 8, 2010
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Nebraska Soccer Field, Lincoln, Neb.
Capacity: 3,500
Series History: NU leads, 12-2-1
Live Audio: 90.3 KRNU
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Promotion: Free T-Shirt Giveaway

Game 15: Missouri (4-5-2, 2-1-0) vs. Nebraska (9-4-0, 2-2-0)
Date: Oct. 10, 2010
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Nebraska Soccer Field, Lincoln, Neb.
Capacity: 3,500
Series History: NU leads, 15-3-0
Live Audio: 90.3 KRNU
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Promotion: Power of Pink Game

Following a 5-4 overtime thriller at Texas Tech, the Nebraska soccer team returns to Lincoln for a pair of Big 12 home match-ups against Iowa State (6-5-2, 1-2-0) and Missouri (4-5-2, 2-1-0) this week at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The Huskers are in a five-way tie for third place in the league standings and hope to climb the ladder beginning Friday when the Cyclones come to Lincoln for a 4:30 p.m. contest. The match will be T-shirt Giveaway Day at the Nebraska Soccer Field, as the first 100 UNL students and 100 general public fans receive free Husker soccer T-shirts. The Huskers then turn around to host the defending Big 12 champion Tigers on Sunday at 1 p.m. in a Power of Pink game to raise breast cancer awareness. A live radio broadcast of both matches will be available on 90.3 KRNU (krnu.unl.edu) in addition to live stats on Huskers.com.

Nebraska is 9-4-0 overall with a 2-2-0 record in Big 12 play after it split road matches over the weekend at Baylor and Texas Tech. The Huskers are ranked No. 7 in the NSCAA Central Region, moving up one spot from last week. Iowa State carries a winning 6-5-2 overall record with a 1-2-0 Big 12 mark after it dropped a pair of close one-goal contests to Oklahoma (3-4) and No. 8 Oklahoma State (0-1) after a 2-0 win over Kansas. Missouri is one of the Big 12's most intriguing teams, as the Tigers have faced one of the nation's toughest schedules en route to a 4-5-2 overall record before winning two of its first three Big 12 matches over Kansas (4-1) and Oklahoma (2-1), while falling to No. 8 Oklahoma State (1-3). Missouri was 13-6-3 last season and won the 2009 Big 12 regular season championship before it was controversially left out of the NCAA Tournament field.

Nebraska sophomore Morgan Marlborough will pose a strong offensive threat to both the Cyclones and Tigers. The forward is the Big 12's leading scorer with 29 points and 12 goals, numbers that rank second and third nationally. Marlborough has scored in six consecutive games to run her career-goal total to 33, the seventh-most in school history. Sophomore teammate Jordan Jackson is atop the league rankings as she is tied with Texas' Kylie Doniak in assists with six. Jackson also ranks fourth in goals with seven after she scored twice in Sunday's 5-4 win at Texas Tech.

Scouting Iowa State
Iowa State (6-5-2, 1-2-0) began the season on a hot streak by winning four of its first five games, including three on the road. Loyola Chicago, who Nebraska defeated in Lincoln on Aug. 27, ended the early success by downing the Cyclones, 2-0, in Chicago as ISU three games in a four-game stretch with losses to Iowa and South Dakota State. ISU rebounded to win its Big 12 opener over Kansas before dropping one-goal games to Oklahoma and No. 8 Oklahoma State last weekend. Last season, Iowa State was 7-9-4 and finished 10th in the conference with a 2-8-0 record. ISU defeated eventual Big 12 tournament champion Oklahoma State during the regular season.

Freshman forward Brittany Morgan is one of the top newcomers in the league and leads the Cyclones with four goals. Classmate Emily Goldstein is tied with Morgan for the team points lead with eight, as she has three goals and two assists. The offense ranks third in the league in corner kicks with 69 behind Nebraska (78) and Texas A&M (70).

Freshman Maddie Jobe has started 10 of 13 games as ISU's goalkeeper, producing a 5-5-1 record with three shutouts. She has a 1.36 goals-against average and .786 save percentage.

Head Coach Wendy Dillinger (Indiana, 1998) is in her third season at Iowa State and has an 18-26-8 record with the Cyclones. Dillinger spent six years as the head coach at Washington University in St. Louis and has a 104-51-16 career record. A two-time All-Big Ten selection at Indiana, Dillinger played progressional with the Atlanta Beat in 2001.

Husker History Against the Cyclones
Nebraska leads the all-time series against Iowa State, 12-2-1. The Huskers won the first 10 meetings against the Cyclones from 1995 to 2004, before dropping back-to-back matches in 2005 and 2006. The squads tied in 2007, while Nebraska has won the last two meetings.

Last year the Huskers won a 2-1 overtime battle in Lincoln on senior Lauren Isenhower's header in the 97th minute. Nebraska trailed late in the second half before Molly Thomas forced the match into overtime with a goal in the 73rd minute.

Scouting Missouri
Missouri (4-5-2, 2-1-0) has faced one of the toughest schedules in Division I soccer this season by taking on nationally-ranked Maryland, Duke and North Carolina in non-conference action away from Columbia. The Tigers challenging schedule resulted in a misleading 2-4-2 non-conference record, as Missouri has since begun Big 12 play with a 2-1-0 mark by earning wins over Kansas and Oklahoma, while dropping a 3-1 contest to No. 8 Oklahoma State. Last season, Missouri won the Big 12 regular season title and finished with a 13-6-3 overall record but was left out of the NCAA Tournament field.

Senior Alysha Bonnick holds the team-scoring lead with 15 points on seven goals and one assist. She led a Tiger comeback against the Sooners last weekend by scoring two goals in the games' final six minutes to give MU a 2-1 win. Senior Krista Kruse is also in double-digit scoring as she has five goals and one assist to total 11 points.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jessica Gwin has started eight of 11 matches in the net, although she has come away with an 0-3-2 record. She has a 2.19 goals-against average and .683 save percentage. Senior Paula Pritzen has started three games and has posted a 1.69 goals-average and .444 save percentage.

Head coach Bryan Blitz is in his 15th season at Missouri and holds a 158-130-16 record with the Tigers. Prior to heading to Columbia, Blitz spend five years as the head coach for the Butler Bulldogs. Earlier this season, he picked up his 200th career win (203-174-24).

Husker History Against the Tigers
Nebraska has controlled the all-time series against Missouri, 15-3-0, although the Tigers have earned recent wins in 2007 and 2009. The Huskers won the first 11 meetings before Missouri picked up a win in the series.

Last year in Columbia, the 23rd-ranked Tigers shut out the Huskers, 5-0, to clinch the Big 12 regular-season championship. Alysha Bonnick scored two goals in the match.

Marlborough Enters All-Time Top 10 Lists
In only 32 collegiate games, sophomore Morgan Marlborough has already rised to No. 7 on the school's top 10 list with 33 career goals. Marlborough has at least one goal in each of the past six matches and has earned back-to-back CS360 Primetime Performer of the Week honors. Her two goals in Nebraska's 2-1 victory over Texas on Sept. 24 helped the forward earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the fourth time in her career. This season, Marlborough has passed former Huskers Nikki Baker (2002-04), Kelly Rheem (1998-2001), Kori Saunders (1999-2002) and Jenny Benson (1996-2000) on the all-time goal chart. Christine Latham (1999-2002) is the school record keeper with 69 career goals. Marlborough's Big 12-leading season totals of 12 goals and 29 points rank second and third in the NCAA.

Although the all-time goal list is one of the most prominent charts, Marlborough holds her highest top-10 ranking with nine multiple-goal games, tied for the sixth-most in school history with Brittany Timko (2003-06). She is also ninth in game-winning goals (7) and 10th in points (72).

A native of Lee's Summit, Mo., Marlborough currently holds the Big 12 scoring lead with 10 goals and 23 total points, numbers that rank third and fourth nationally. 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.

Jackson Among Top Offensive Players in Big 12 Conference
Sophomore Jordan Jackson ranks first in the Big 12 with six assists, alongside Texas' Kylie Doniak. The number also ties the midfielder for 24th in the nation. Jackson falls just outside the NCAA rankings with 20 points, a total that ties her for third in the Big 12.

The midfielder has scored 18 of her 20 points in the past nine matches alone. She had five points on two goals and an assist in Sunday's 5-4 win at Texas Tech, marking her fifth multiple-point game of the season. Jackson had two goals in Nebraska's 3-1 win over Iowa on Sept. 19, following a two-assist performance in the 3-1 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 17 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.

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 two assists to total 10 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 first in the Big 12 with 78 corner kicks.

Thomas has started 50-of-52 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 biggest career victory Sept. 24 when she helped lead the Huskers to a 2-1 Big 12-opening win over Texas. Stevens had five saves in the contest while allowing only one goal. The victory came on the heels of back-to-back wins over Cal State Fullerton and Iowa the previousl week. The Corona, Calif., native is 3-1-0 with a 1.61 goals-against average.

Stevens redshirted the 2009 campaign, 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) three weeks ago. Macdonald totaled seven saves in the victories, including a four-save, complete-game shutout against Loyola Maryland. She has a 1.44 goals-against average and 0.787 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.

Romero Scores First-Career Goal, Named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week
Freshman Ari Romero saved her first career goal for an opportune time as her rebound header in the 92nd minute gave Nebraska a 5-4 overtime victory at Texas Tech on Sunday afternoon. After a Texas Tech foul less than two minutes into overtime, sophomore Morgan Marlborough took a 40-yard free kick from the right side of the field that hit the left post. Romero was positioned inside the six-yard box for the rebound attempt and headed in the game-winning goal past Texas Tech goalkeeper Colleen Pitts. It marked the first-career goal for Romero, a freshman from Surprise, Ariz., who has started all 13 matches for the Huskers this season.

Following her game-winning goal, Romero was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday.

Freshmen Playing Big Roles in 2010
Four Husker freshmen have earned time in the starting lineup this season, led by forward Ari Romero and defender Maritza Hayes who have each started all 13 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 six matches, while Bartels has worked her way into the lineup for five games and scored her first and second career goals in the Sept. 17 win against Cal State Fullerton.

Nearly the entire true freshmen class has seen playing time this fall, including midfielder Ashley Hick, forward Maddie Hanssler, midfielder Kylie Kusleika and forward Megan Merrill. Goalkeepers Mallorie Monhollon and Amy Swearer have not yet appeared in a game, as they have both battled injuries while serving as back-ups to redshirt freshman Emma Stevens and senior Tara Macdonald.

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. Her role was taken to a further extend last Sunday against No. 6 Texas A&M when she served as the NU goalkeeper for the final 49 minutes of the match. Despite having no previous goalkeeping experience, White gave up only one goal and tallied three saves against the Aggies in the 2-1 loss.

Huskers Hold One of Nation's Biggest Home Field Advantages
Nebraska has shown the Big Red has one of the best home field advantages in the country by losing only one home match in its past 19. The lone loss came last Sunday against No. 6 Texas A&M, breaking a streak of 18-straight unbeaten home games that was the fifth-longest in the NCAA. 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 (44-12-10) of its home matches. Last season's home success included a 2-1 upset of No. 14 Texas A&M, while 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 6-1 at home this season.

Review: Huskers Win 5-4 Overtime Thriller at Texas Tech
Freshman Ari Romero saved her first career goal for an opportune time as her rebound header in the 92nd minute gave Nebraska a 5-4 overtime victory at Texas Tech on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Jordan Jackson provided NU with a strong attack in the offensive showdown by scoring two second-half goals and adding a first-half assist to complete a five-point day.

Jackson's second goal of the match resulted from a breakaway in the 86th minute and put the Huskers on top 4-2 with just under five minutes remaining. Nebraska's first Big 12 road win would not come easy, however, as Texas Tech's Jessica Fuston tallied a penalty kick goal two minutes later (87:36) before Mallory Yacullo scored the improbable game-tying goal with one second left on the clock (89:89) to force overtime.

Despite relinquishing a pair of two-goal leads and playing in its first extra-period game of the season, Nebraska maintained composure following the Red Raider comeback. After a Texas Tech foul less than two minutes into overtime, sophomore Morgan Marlborough took a 40-yard free kick from the right side of the field that hit the left post. Romero was positioned inside the six-yard box for the rebound attempt and headed in the game-winning goal past Texas Tech goalkeeper Colleen Pitts. It marked the first-career goal for Romero, a freshman from Surprise, Ariz., who has started all 13 matches for the Huskers this season.

Leading 2-1 at the half, Marlborough, Jackson and junior Molly Thomas teamed up to give Nebraska a 3-1 lead in the 51st minute. Jackson's sixth goal of the year occurred after Marlborough's corner kick to Thomas was crossed to Jackson at the near post. Texas Tech's Leanne Mihelich responded in the 56th minute to close the margin to 3-2 before Jackson's seventh goal of the season at 85:20 gave NU its late 4-2 advantage. Jackson accounted for five points on the day and has reached the 20-point plateau this season via seven goals and a Big 12-leading six assists.

Senior Colleen Goetzmann was the beneficiary of a previous corner kick opportunity involving Jackson and Marlborough in the 26th minute, as she picked up a rebound from Marlborough to score her second goal of the season and put NU on top 2-0 early in the match.

Marlborough scored the game's first goal in the 15th minute when she beat a defender 1v1 and shot into the upper corner of net for her Big 12-leading 12th goal of the season. With four points (two goals, two assists) against the Red Raiders, Marlborough has 78 in her career to claim sole possession of ninth on the Nebraska all-time list. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native has exploded in the past three weeks to score at least one goal in six straight games.

Marlborough and the Huskers had a similar tussle with Texas Tech last year in Lubbock, tying the Red Raiders, 3-3, after holding a 3-1 halftime lead. This year's Red Raider squad is one of the most improved in the conference and is off to one of their best starts in school history by beginning the year 9-4-0.