Huskers Top Spartans to Qualify for Big Ten Tourney

Lincoln, Neb. – The Nebraska soccer team (9-6-4, 5-3-3 Big Ten) earned a spot in the eight-team Big Ten Tournament with its 2-0 win over Michigan State at Hibner Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

The match between the Huskers and Spartans (5-10-3, 0-9-2 Big Ten) was the regular-season finale for both teams and the only game played across the Big Ten Conference on Wednesday.

NU entered the game tied for eighth in the conference standings with 15 points (three points for a win, one point for a tie), but moved into a tie for fifth with its win over the Spartans. Nebraska, who finishes the regular season with 18 points, shared fifth place with Illinois, but the Huskers will be the No. 6 seed due to the seeding tiebreaker. Tiebreaker-1 for Big Ten Tournament seeding is head-to-head result, which favors Illinois, who defeated Nebraska by a 2-1 margin on Oct. 21.

On Wednesday, the Huskers scored both of their goals in the first 12 minutes and never looked back, as NU’s defense recorded its fifth shutout of the season. Junior goalkeeper Aubrei Corder, who played the entire 90 minutes, earned one save.

On the offensive end, NU outshot MSU by a 13-5 margin, including a 4-1 edge in shots on goal. In the first half alone, the Huskers outshot the Spartans by a 9-2 margin. Two of those shots found the back of the net, including Savanah Uveges’ goal in the seventh minute. It marked her eighth goal of the season, which ranks second on the team and tied for fourth in the conference.

In the 12th minute, Meg Brandt scored her third goal of the season when Faith Carter passed to Brenna Ochoa, who found Brandt for the score.

Nebraska opens the Big Ten Tournament against No. 3 seed Ohio State in the quarterfinal round on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. The game, set for 1 p.m. (CT), will be televised on the Big Ten Network.