Huskers Visit Nittany Lions, Buckeyes

Game 14 - No. 15 Penn State (12-3-0, 5-1-0)
Series History - First meeting
When - Friday, Oct. 14 (7 p.m. CT)
Where - Jeffrey Field
Live Video - BTN.com (Premium)
Live Radio - None
Live Stats - GoPSUSports.com

Game 15 - Ohio State (8-5-1, 3-2-1)
Series History - First meeting
When - Sunday, Oct. 16 (Noon)
Where - Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
Live Video - BTN.com (Premium)
Live Radio - None
Live Stats - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

Lincoln - The Nebraska soccer team (5-7-1, 2-4-0 Big Ten) will add two opponents to its all-time series list this weekend when it visits State College, Pa., on Friday for game with No. 15 Penn State (12-3-0, 5-1-0) and Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday for a game with Ohio State (8-5-1, 3-2-1). Both games will be the first ever meetings between the two programs and the two teams are the final two squads in the Big Ten that the Huskers have never played.

The Nebraska offense has struggled to put the ball in the back of the net as of late with just two goals of the last four games. After starting Big Ten play with a pair of wins over Northwestern and Purdue, the Huskers have dropped four straight games to Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan and Wisconsin by a total score of 7-2.

The Huskers will look to put an end to their four-game losing streak on Friday when they meet that Nittany Lions at Jeffrey Field for a 7 p.m. (CT) game. PSU enters the game heading in the opposite direction, as they've won six straight games after losing their Big Ten opener to Wisconsin on the road. Penn State has outscored their opponents 16-1 during the streak.

Sunday's game is set for a Noon (CT) start at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium with the Buckeyes (8-5-1, 3-2-1). After opening the Big Ten season with a 2-2 tie to Minnesota, the Buckeyes have gone 3-2 in conference play, including a 2-0 record at home.

Both games this weekend will be shown live on BTN.com, but a premium account is needed. Live stats will also be provided by the home schools and a link to the stats can be found on Huskers.com.

Scouting Penn State
- Maya Hayes leads the Nittany Lions and ranks third nationally with 18 goals on the year. No other player on PSU's roster has scored more than six goals.

- Penn State enters Friday with a six-game winning streak and they are a perfect 5-0-0 at home this season. During the winning streak, PSU has outscored its opponents by a score of 16-1.

- Penn State goalie Erin McNulty has posted three shutouts on the season and owns a save percentage of .788.

- PSU has outscored its opponents by a score of 21-3 in the second half of games this year. In the first half, the Nittany Lions hold a 17-7 advantage.

Scouting Ohio State
- Ohio State holds a 78-78-13 all-time record in Big Ten competition.

- The Buckeyes are 87-63-6 all-time in matches played in October; under Lori Walker, they are 70-46-6 in October.

- OSU has lost two of its last three games entering the weekend, but has not lost at home since Sept. 14.

- Tiffany Cameron leads the team in goals with five. Six other players have scored two goals each.

- The Buckeyes are 7-1-0 this season when they take more corner kicks then their opposition.

Leader of the Pack
Junior Morgan Marlborough is tied for the national lead in goals per game (1.23) and  ranks second nationally points per game (2.77).

During Big Ten play, Marlborough leads the conference in points per game at 2.50 and in goals at 1.17 per game. She is the only player during conference play to average more than 1.0 goals per game. Maya Hayes of Penn State ranks second with a 0.83 goal per game average.

Nationally, Hayes ranks third in both points (2.73) and goals (1.20) per game.

Movin' On Up
Morgan Marlborough continues to climb up the Nebraska career goals chart and is now sits second with 55 career goals. The junior started the season in seventh place and has passed two-time All-American Brittany Timko (41), 1996 All-American Kari Uppinghouse (42), 2000 All-American Meghan Anderson (48), 1996 All-American Lindsay Eddleman (50) and 1998 All-Americans Kim Engesser (53).

Christine Latham (1999-2002) holds the school record with 69 career goals. 

NU vs. B1G
Historically, the Huskers hold a 18-9-2 record against teams from the Big Ten Conference. NU has played at least one game against every team in the conference except Ohio State and Penn State. The Huskers will play both teams this weekend.

Nebraska is undefeated against Minnesota (5-0-0), Iowa (3-0-0).

One More to Go
With one more hat trick this season, Morgan Marlborough will break a pair of school records that are held by Kim Engesser. Marlborough is currently tied with Engesser for both hat tricks in a season (3) and career hat tricks (5).

Keeping the Lead
The Huskers are a perfect 4-0 this season when going into halftime with the lead. Nebraska has just one win this year when they are either tied (1-3-0) or trailing (0-4-1) when heading into halftime.

In Need of a Win
The Huskers enter Friday's game in 11th place in the Big Ten standings and need to get to seventh place by the end of the season to guarantee a bid to the conference tournament. Only the eight teams are invited to the tournament and the host school, Northwestern, receives an automatic bid. The Wildcats currently sit 12th in the standings with a 1-5-0 record, which means the Huskers need to climb into one of the top-seven spots to secure a bid to the postseason.

Here to Help
Senior Molly Thomas hasn't put in a goal yet this season, but the Omaha native is doing her part in helping her teammates score goals. Thomas' six assists on the season are one shy of tying her career-high seven assists in 2009. Thomas ranks first in the conference since league play began with four assists. Three other players rank second with three assists each.

POW
Morgan Marlborough has earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week twice this season. Both honors have come after she posted a hat trick and in the month of September.