Awards & Honors
- NU Single-Game School Record (13 saves at Oklahoma; Oct. 10, 2010)
- Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week (Aug. 31, 2010)
- Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Spring 2009)
2010 (Senior)
Tara Macdonald battled through injuries en route to a successful senior season in 2010. Macdonald started 13 of Nebraska’s 21 contests and compiled an 8-4-1 record with a season-high three shutouts to match her career total entering the season. The senior finished her Husker career sixth on NU’s all-time charts in both saves (115) and wins (14).
Macdonald’s season included a marquee performance Oct. 14 at Oklahoma when she broke the NU single-game school record with 13 saves in a 0-0 tie against her former school.
Macdonald was sidelined due to injury in September and missed four games. She returned in October and helped lead NU to a third-place league finish.
2009 (Junior)
Macdonald took hold of the No. 1 goalkeeper position and started 11 games for the Huskers. She battled several foot injuries throughout the year but put together a solid debut season, producing a 6-2-3 record in the net.
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. She shut out Northern Colorado (3-0) in the season opener and helped lead Nebraska to a 5-0-1 mark through the first month of action. In 12 appearances, Macdonald only allowed three opponents to score more than one goal. She played three full double-overtime matches (110 minutes) in ties against Villanova, Arizona State and Texas Tech.
2008 (Did Not Play)
Macdonald sat out the 2008 season and trained with her former club coach David Winner in Austin, Texas. She enrolled at Nebraska in January and played with the Huskers during the spring exhibition season. Macdonald helped the team to an 8-1-3 record by combining with Jessica Mills for six shutouts.
2007 (Freshman at Oklahoma)
Macdonald earned a starting goalkeeper spot seven games into the 2007 season, and made an immediate impact in her first career starts for Oklahoma. She made 12 saves and notched back-to-back shutouts over North Texas and Middle Tennessee State at the Sooner Invitational. Her efforts won her all-tournament honors and she was named the defensive MVP.
With Oklahoma visiting Lincoln for its 2007 Big 12 opener, Macdonald played an impressive game, notching 11 saves against the Huskers, but NU triumphed 1-0. The goal broke a 249-minute shutout streak to start her career. Macdonald went on to start OU's first six conference games, including a 10-save effort against Texas A&M, before injuring her back against Kansas and missing the remainder of the season. Overall, she made eight starts and 10 appearances while collecting 55 saves and allowing 10 goals in 757 minutes of action.
2006 Season (Redshirt at Oklahoma)
Macdonald redshirted during the 2006 season at Oklahoma.
High School
During her prep career, Macdonald lettered two years while playing under Coach Carrie Hoffman at James Bowie High School in Austin, Texas. She led her team to district titles from 2003 to 2005, while earning first-team all-district honors on the field and in the classroom her senior season.
Other Information
Macdonald played club soccer for the Austin United Capitals under David Winner from 2001 to 2005.
Personal Information
Tara was born May 14, 1988, in Houston, Texas, and is the daughter of Mark Macdonald and Pam Helmly. Tara has a brother, Brooks, and a sister, Meredith. She is a sociology major at Nebraska.
Worth Noting
Macdonald is within reach of putting her name in the NU record books, as she could enter the all-time top 10 for career saves (needs 12) and wins (needs four) this season.
She is one of four goalkeepers on the 2010 roster, but the only one with game experience.
Macdonald's Career Statistics
|
Year |
GP-GS |
Min |
SV |
GA |
GAA |
SHO |
W-L-T |
| 2006 | Redshirt | ||||||
| 2007 | 10-8 | 757:39 | 55 | 10 | 1.19 | 2 | 2-5-1 |
| 2008 | Did Not Play | ||||||
| 2009 | 12-11 | 943:22 | 45 | 14 | 1.34 | 1 | 6-2-3 |
| 2010 | 14-13 | 1175:37 | 70 | 21 | 1.61 | 3 | 8-4-1 |
|
Totals |
36-22 |
1876:38 |
170 |
45 |
1.38 |
6 |
16-11-5 |
Macdonald's Career Highs
Saves-13 at Oklahoma (10/14/10)
Shutouts-6, last at Oklahoma (10/14/10)
Scoreless Minutes-249, vs. North Texas, Middle Tenn. St. (9/21-9/28/07)