2005 Threads are popping up, here's one for Nebraska. The schedule is up, maybe I'll write up a little preview soon. I can tell you this much, this will be the best Nebraska team in quite a few years. Sun, Aug 14 Louisville (Exhibition) at Louisville, Ky. TBA Sat, Aug 20 Alumni Game Lincoln, Neb. TBA Fri, Aug 26 Minnesota Lincoln, Neb. TBA Sun, Aug 28 Alabama-Birmingham Lincoln, Neb. TBA Fri, Sep 02 Illinois at Champaigne, Ill. 7 p.m. Tue, Sep 06 San Diego State Lincoln, Neb. TBA Fri, Sep 09 Colorado College Lincoln, Neb. TBA Sun, Sep 11 Rice Lincoln, Neb. TBA Fri, Sep 16 Purdue at West Lafayette, Ind. 7 p.m. Sun, Sep 18 UC Irvine Lincoln, Neb. TBA Fri, Sep 23 Colorado at Boulder, Colo. TBA Sun, Sep 25 Texas Tech at Lubbock, Texas 1 p.m. Fri, Sep 30 Kansas Lincoln, Neb. TBA Sun, Oct 02 Missouri Lincoln, Neb. TBA Fri, Oct 07 Baylor at Waco, Texas 7 p.m Sun, Oct 09 Texas A&M at College Station, Texas 1 p.m. Fri, Oct 14 Oral Roberts at Tulsa, Okla. 7 p.m. Sun, Oct 16 Texas at Austin, Texas 1 p.m. Fri, Oct 21 Oklahoma Lincoln, Neb. TBA Sun, Oct 23 Oklahoma State Lincoln, Neb. TBA Fri, Oct 28 Iowa State Lincoln, Neb. TBA
Here's a story about Nebraska's move to campus. http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38&SPID=26&DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=157732
The Huskers will be strong this year. Three of their Canadians - (Sari, Selenia, and Aysha) just got back from a week in Mexico City with the Canadian U20 Team. Timko and Andrews are part of a Whitecaps team that is walking with ease through the W League. Jess Bruch should be 100% healthy, other great veterans; some strong Freshmen by the looks of it. Oh, its going to be a good one.
I'm sorry, but Jetta Sadusky was NOT a key player. She played forward. This year the Huskers have, let's see, Brittany Timko, an All-American Forward from last year. Nikki Baker, yeah, she scored 14 goals last year. Aysha Jamani, one of the top recruits in the world. Not going to miss somebody who ran off to Oregon State to score 4 goals.
You sound a little bitter. The poster just made a comment and you respond like that? How about some class? Your posts are usually better than that... Nebraska lost a couple transfers, didn't they? Can you comment on them without the criticism?
They will have 3 of last year's Freshmen not with the team this season; 2 who never got any minutes and Sadusky who was asked to consider a transfer.
By your comment perhaps GopherBob should ammend his to say... "was RUN off to OSU to score 4 goals." No matter how great a program it cannot reflect well on it to be asking players to leave (barring discipline issues etc, none of which are implied here) If coaches recruit a kid who does not pan out they should not be asking that kid to leave. They made the mistake, they should live with it (IMHO)
Sorry, it was an early morning post, I never claim to be at my 'classiest' at 3 a.m. on a Friday night/Saturday morning. I just thought it was misleading that somebody would say that Jetta Sadusky was a key player. She scored 1 goal and had no assists last year in 865 minutes.
This post is no better than the Asprilla9 one. Players don't always pan out as expected. If they're lucky the coach is honest with them about their prospects and gives them the option of transferring to a school where they can get more playing time. Calling that running a player off is purely inflammatory b.s. Talk about a trolling expedition full of nothing but errors and innuendo's. No wonder Gopher Bob got testy. Someone kindly point out what any of this crap has to do with Nebraska's REAL key players, promising rookies and prospects for the upcoming season.
2005 Husker Soccer Preview In the late 90s and early into the 2000s, Nebraska soccer looked poised to join the nation’s elite. Players such as Sharolta Nonen, Isabelle Morneau, Meghan Anderson, Christine Latham, Karina LeBlanc and Jenny Benson passed through Lincoln on their way to bigger and better things. Since the graduation of the most decorated player in school history, Latham, things have become harder in Lincoln. In 2003, the Huskers lacked finishing and fell to an unfamiliar spot in the middle of the league. In the spring of 2004, the team lost their best player, Jenna Cooper, to a tragic shooting in which she lost her life. The team didn’t seem to recover, and lacked the depth of elite programs, although they made a surprise run to the Sweet Sixteens without several key players gone for the U-19 world championships. Fast forward to 2005, one will see a Nebraska poised to make yet another run at the College Cup. Fittingly, Nebraska will be putting to rest some of their frustrations as they move from their stadium in far Northwest Lincoln into the friendly confines in the shadows of famed Memorial Stadium. Goalkeepers There will be a battle this fall for the starting spot in goal this fall. Junior Katie Wright held the spot between the pipes for part of the 2003 and all of the 2004 seasons. While she only managed a marginal record, Wright was one of the better keepers in the conference. Her competition will come from Jamie Klages. The 5’11 freshman out of San Diego comes to Lincoln after earning NSCAA All American honors last season and being invited to the USA U-20 team training camp. I’m expecting Klages to come away with the starting spot. Defense The Nebraska defense returns loads of talent this season, including 2004 All Big 12 1st teamers Tanya Dennis and Sasha Andrews. Couple those stars with two 4-year starters in Katie Bunkers and Aly Scace and the Huskers should feature the premier defense in the Big 12. Sophomore Sari Raber may also seem time in back this season. Andrews and Bunkers, at 5’11 and 5’9 respectively, command the balls from the air in the central defense, while speedsters Dennis and Scace will patrol the wings and make runs forward for the offense. Midfield The only position with significant differences from last season will be the midfield. Gone are Lindsey Ingram and Brooke Bredenberg, the team’s 3rd and 4th leading scorers from a year ago. Their replacements are no slouches. Jessy Bruch led the team in scoring as a freshman in 2003 before being lost to a torn ACL the following spring. Bruch is expected to be at 100% as she patrols the midfield and attacks this fall. The Huskers also bring in freshman Selenia Iachelli, who redshirted last season to be with the Canadian U-19 team. Iachelli was excellent in the spring and has already gained a strong rapport with most of her team. Two-year starter and Lincoln native Vern Fitzgerald may have to come off the bench this season, but she is a strong ball winning midfield that fits excellently into John Walker’s system. Look for 2004 Big 12 Player of the Year Brittany Timko to slide into an attacking midfield role this season if Raber is kept at forward instead of on the back line. The legend in the making scored 15 goals with 13 assists in 19 games last season. Forward Nebraska will feature two great goalscorers up top. While it is always questionable to rely on a freshman, Aysha Jamani comes in with one of the best resumes of any Husker recruit. The quick and technical 5’2 forward has scored 11 goals in 14 caps with the Canadian National Team and has earned praise at every level. The Husker program expects her to easily make the transition and be one of the nation’s most dangerous forwards. Senior Nikki Baker comes back for her 4th season after starring in last season’s NCAA tournament. With 14 goals last season, Baker should be expected to be one of the top scorers in the league this season. Summation Look for Nebraska to return to their usual frenetic level of soccer that has been missing the past few seasons. With proven scorers in Iachelli, Jamani, Timko, Bruch and Baker, plus an overpowering back line, Nebraska will be able to gain possession and score goals in bunches. A spot in the Top Ten is fully expected by this group, and an inaugural trip to the College Cup is their realistic goal.
Good article, too bad they forgot to mention Boyd. Latham and Boyd were key to Nebraska's success for at least their (Boyd's and Latham's) last three years. This squad might be as good as the one that got edged out by Notre Dame in OT in the Elite Eight - or it might go further, time will tell.
http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=173695 Huskers are preparing for the Jenna Cooper Memorial Exhibition this Sunday in her hometown of Louisville, KY as the Huskers take on the Cardinals of Louisville. Fantastic to see that Kristine Lilly and Kate Markgraf are going to be making appearances! I hope this event becomes an annual fundraiser for the Jenna Cooper Memorial Scholarship Fund.
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/08/11/huskerextra/doc42fade96a9123552101632.txt ...and an article from the Lincoln paper. Looks like we've found our sleeper rookie in Lauren Isenhower, she fits the Husker mold to a T, power and speed.
Nebraska 3 Louisville 0 Huskers win the Jenna Cooper Memorial Exhibition. Nikki Baker scored 2 goals in the first 4 minutes, one off an assist from Jessie Bruch and Katie Bunkers, the other off an assist from Brittany Timko. Katie Bunkers scored the third girl off a corner in the 43rd minute. Huskers dominate, outshoot the Cardinals 20-5 and outcorner them 8-2. Katie Wright played all 90 minutes in goal and had 2 saves. Nice start, the Huskers open the season on Aug. 26 against Minnesota. Yes, Minnesota, what am I to do?
Red and White tie 1-1 in a scrimmage today. Nikki Baker scored the first goal, early in the contest. The way she's performed this preseason, and from what I've been hearing, Baker could be in for a monster season. She had 14 goals last year, and went on an absolute tear in the NCAAs which hasn't let up since! Freshman Lauren Isenhower scored the other goal. Isenhower, the fastest and strongest player on the team, even as a true freshman, is going to be earning minutes up top, even though the Huskers are stacked at forward with Baker, Timko and Jamani. Season kicks off on Friday against Minnesota. Gophers play in Omaha tonight against Creighton in a exhibition.
Sophomore utility player Sari Raber is likely out for the season with an unknown knee injury. Raber started every game last season before leaving for the U19 world championships. I believe she was playing midfield this preseason, so look for Vern Fitzgerald, a two-year starter, to regain her starting position.
I'm in Lincoln right now, going to be heading to the Nebraska-Minnesota game shortly. I'm a Minnesota graduate and a Minnesota resident, so I'll be cheering for the Gophers, although Nebraska will almost certainly win. Minnesota is still a couple years away from being competitive again. As of right now nobody knows if Klages or Wright is going to start in goal for Nebraska. Sounds like they're neck and neck. It'll also be interested to see how the minutes get allocated now that Raber is out for the season. Minnesota features a _very_ talented freshmen class. From what I've seen Lindsey Schwartz, the Iowa player of the year, and top 100 recruit Kelsey Hood are both big time contributors right away. Minnesota has been a good defensive team the last couple of years, although they've struggled to win games because of an extremely anemic offense. I really think this Nebraska team is one of the best seven teams in the country, and will beat Minnesota 3-0. I expect Minnesota to surprise some teams this season though and finish in the top six of the Big Ten. I'll have a recap of the game later.
Nebraska beat Minnesota 3-1 in front of 1,000 at the new Nebraska Soccer Stadium. The Gophers started 5 freshmen, and looked fantastic for being such a young team. Nebraska was solid, but since I'm so familiar with both teams, I'm unsure whether to be impressed with Minnesota or concerned about Nebraska. Nebraska's first goal was scored after a scramble in the box. Baker found the ball in point blank range and sent it home. The second Nebraska goal came off of a fantastic Timko run, she had a one on one with Gopher keeper Molly Schneider, Schneider stuffed Timko's shot at _almost_ held on, it squibbed out a tiny bit and Husker freshman Lauren Isenhower finished it home. Minnesota came back to 2-1 when freshman Lindsey Schwartz made a fantastic run down the flank. She owned Nebraska senior defender Katie Bunkers to earn a one on one with Husker keeper Katie Wright. Schwartz shot it in at a perfect angle. The Gophers had two chances to tie it up in the second half on sequences by freshmen forwards Lindsey Schwartz and Marti Klinsing. On the first attempt, Klinsing beat the Husker defense and sent a ball to Schwartz who missed a point blank shot. On the second one, Klinsing faked the cross and attempted the shot on goal, which Katie Wright stuffed. The Huskers scored their third goal a few minutes later. Junior defender Tanya Dennis split the defense and sent a beautiful shot into the upper right corner from 25 yards out. Surprisingly, Minnesota was the more physical team and won the majority of the 50-50 balls. Nebraska won the game because of their experience and playmaking. Timko, Dennis and Andrews were all fantastic and carried this team. I was so very impressed with Minnesota after seeing them for the last five years. This is an invigorated youthful team that will be back into the Big Ten scene very shortly. For Nebraska, I was impressed with freshmen Selenia Iachelli and Lauren Isenhower. I was expecting a lot from Aysha Jamani, but she didn't show me a whole lot. She's fairly fast, but was too small and didn't seem to fight for the ball. She'll score some goals this year, but she shouldn't have been a top 10 recruit.
Well, I'm going to be eating my Aysha Jamani words pretty quickly. The freshman forward scored twice today in Nebraska's 4-0 victory over UAB. Jamani scored first in the 36th minute off of an assist from Brittany Timko. Timko scored in the 39th minute. Jamani scored her second goal at the 44 minute mark. Nikki Baker scored the final goal off an assist from Tanya Dennis in the 59th minute.
So since you have seen them twice, what do you think? Biggest strengths, weaknesses? What do you think for the year? thanks for all the coverage for those of us that can't get out there to see them.
Well, I only saw them once. I had obligations to attend to back in Minneapolis on Saturday night so I couldn't stay for the Sunday contest. The strength of the team is at forward. They are talented and deep at the position and every player they bring in at the position has the ability to be a good goalscorer. I wasn't high on Jamani when I saw her, but Minnesota is a physical Big Ten team. She must've danced circles around UAB to get off 5 shots on goal in only 40 something minutes of playing time. Baker is basically scoring a goal a game dating back to last year's postseason. No surprise about Timko, she's just one of the best players in the nation. Lauren Isenhower is a fantastic freshman and will score a number of goals this year. I love Tanya Dennis at midfield, I think Walker finally found the best spot for her after trying her out at forward and defense. Sasha Andrews is probably the best defender in the Big 12. She was just rock solid against Minnesota. Bunkers and Scace had some difficulties against the two Minnesota freshmen forwards, Klinsing and Schwartz. I really didn't like what I saw out of Katie Wright on Friday, but Jamie Klages got the start and the shutout on Sunday. I think Klages will take over the position for good at some point during the season. The Nebraska team is probably top ten, they have talent at every position and finally some good depth, which has been a problem the last few years. I'll need to see Minnesota more to see if they continue their ballwinning prowess displayed against Nebraska. Nebraska has always been among the best at playing physically and winning balls. I doubt that will change, Minnesota just went at them and won.