Lincoln – The Nebraska soccer team controlled play for the much of the contest and outshot Southeast Missouri State by a 30-3 margin en route to a 4-0 regular season-opening victory on Friday evening at the Nebraska Soccer Field.
The Huskers wasted no time getting some offensive production, taking the lead less than three minutes into the contest. Freshman Jaycie Johnson’s shot from the right side was deflected and landed in the path of a hustling Mayme Conroy who put it into the left side of the goal from close range for the early 1-0 advantage.
NU held possession for much of the first half as the strong Husker defense did not allow the Redhawks to record a shot in the period, while Nebraska notched 14 shots with seven coming on goal.
The Huskers continued to dominate early in the second half with a perfectly executed corner kick off the foot of Sam Areman that was headed in by Conroy for her second goal of the game and 17th of her career at the 48:21 mark for the 2-0 lead.
Nebraska quickly extended the lead to 3-0 when Johnson earned her first career goal as a Husker in the 52nd minute, beating the Southeast Missouri keeper to the far post after a give-and-go pass from Caroline Flynn.
Johnson made it a multi-goal debut with just minutes remaining as she was taken down in the penalty area after she eluded the Redhawks defender. Johnson converted on the ensuing penalty kick as she fooled the keeper to the right side, giving NU the 4-0 victory to open the season.
The 30 shots on offense for the Huskers equaled its season-high from last year. NU also recorded 14 shots on goal, a total that was bested twice in 2012.
Freshman Kelly Schatz made a pair of saves in 17 minutes of action after she came on in relief for starting goalkeeper Emma Stevens, who moved into second place alone on the all-time list of Husker keepers for games played in goal with 49.
Stevens did not have to make a save on the evening as the NU defensive pressure kept the Redhawks at bay until the 74:19 mark of the contest when Southeast Missouri recorded its first shot of the night.
The Huskers will be back in action looking to start a winning streak this Sunday when they host the Cincinnati Bearcats for a Noon contest.