Game 15 - No.
4 Penn State
Series History - PSU
leads, 1-0-0
When - Friday,
Oct. 12 (4 p.m.)
Where - Nebraska
Soccer Field
Live Stream - BTN.com
Live Stats - Huskers.com
Game 16 - Ohio
State
Series History - NU
leads, 1-0-0
When - Sunday,
Oct. 14 (Noon)
Where - Nebraska
Soccer Field
Live Stream - BTN.com
Live Stats - Huskers.com
Lincoln - A
pair of big games await the Nebraska soccer team (6-7-1, 3-3-0 Big Ten) this
weekend at the Nebraska Soccer Field, as the Huskers host the No. 4 Penn State
Nittany Lions on Friday, Oct. 12, and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday, Oct.
14.
Nebraska enters the weekend tied for fifth in the Big Ten
Conference and with only five games remaining in the regular season, NU is
right in the mix to earn a trip to the Big Ten Tournament. Nebraska needs to
finish no lower than seventh in the conference standings to guarantee a
postseason trip to Bloomington, Ind., at the end of the month.
The No. 4 Nittany Lions enter Friday's game with a
perfect 6-0-0 conference record and a 12-2-0 overall record. PSU's only losses
on the year have come to Stanford, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the
country, and at BYU, who is ranked No. 5 in the latest NSCAA poll.
Friday's game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and will be
the first ever meeting between Nebraska and Penn State in Lincoln. PSU won the
first ever meeting between the two programs last season in Happy Valley, 5-4.
Friday's game will be streamed live on the Big Ten Digital Network at BTN.com
(subscription required) and live stats will be available at Huskers.com
Sunday's game with Ohio State will also be a first, as the
Buckeyes will be making their first ever trip to Lincoln. The Huskers hold a
1-0-0 advantage in the series after posting a 3-2 win in Columbus last season.
Scheduled for a Noon start on Sunday, the game will be streamed live on BTN.com
(subscription required) and live stats will be available on Huskers.com.
Filling it Up
Following her first career hat trick in a 3-2 win over
Wisconsin on Friday, Oct. 5, Mayme Conroy enters the week ranked 10th in the
country with her team-high 11 goals. Three players are tied for the national
lead in goals with 15.
A native of Omaha, Neb., Conroy's 11 goals have come
after she scored just one goal as a true freshman in 2011. She has scored at
least one goal in each of Nebraska's last five games and at least one goal in seven
of NU's last eight games.
Conroy's 11 goals tie her with Penn State's Christine
Nairn and Iowa's Cloe Lacasse for second in the Big Ten, while Minnesota's
Taylor Uhl leads the conference with 13 goals in 14 games. Conroy is also one
of five players in the Big Ten Conference to notch a hat trick this season.
Tough Challenge
When the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions visit the
Nebraska Soccer Field on Friday, it will mark the highest ranked conference
opponent to come to Lincoln since Texas A&M came to Lincoln ranked No. 3 in
the country in 2007 and won 4-1.
Last season, No. 3 North Carolina visited Lincoln for the
season opener and escaped with a 2-1 win.
Young Fire Power
Of the Huskers' 22 goals this season, 20 of the goals have been scored by freshmen or
sophomores, including six from NU's freshmen class.
Senior Jordan Jackson and junior Stacy Bartels are the
only juniors or seniors to score a goal in 2012.
Sophomore Mayme Conroy leads the team with eight goals
after scoring one as a true freshman last season. Freshmen Katie Kraeutner and
Jaylyn Odermann, along with sophomore Hannah Dittmar are tied for second on the
team with two goals each, while freshman Alex Massey, freshman Caroline Flynn
and sophomore Caroline Gray have each scored one goal.
Charting Saves
Junior goalie Emma Stevens entered the 2012 season ranked
eighth on the Huskers all-time saves list with 110 saves.
The Corona, Calif., native enters the weekend in sole possession
of fourth place on the all-time chart with 154 saves, two ahead of Katie Wright
(2003-04), who now sits in fourth place with 152 career saves.
Jamie Klages (2005-06) sits third on the list with 156
career saves.
Earlier this season, Stevens set a personal best with
204:54 minutes of scoreless play in net over a four-game span. The streak
started against Baylor on Friday, Aug. 31 and ended during the Northern
Colorado game on Sunday, Sept. 16.
Tough Road Ahead
If the Huskers want to make the Big Ten Conference
Tournament, they will definitely earn it.
In the Huskers' final five game, four of the opponents
are currently ahead of NU in the Big Ten standings, including Penn State, Ohio
State, Illinois and Iowa.
Nebraska
ends the season against Minnesota and sits one spot ahead of the Gophers.
