Lincoln – “Big Ten Champs!” – A preseason goal that evolved into a rallying cry for the Nebraska soccer team became a reality on Friday as the Huskers claimed the 2013 Big Ten Conference title, their first regular-season championship since 2000. The Huskers defeated Indiana by a 3-1 decision to cap off Senior Day at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

Finishing with a 10-1 record in league play, NU notches its fourth regular-season title in program history and ninth combined championship, which includes five conference tournament titles. Nebraska’s 15-3-1 regular-season record marks the highest win total since 2000 when the Huskers also compiled 15 victories prior to postseason play. Nebraska extends its current win streak to six games and improves its record to 11-0-1 this season when scoring first.

The Huskers jumped on the scoreboard first at the 33:29 mark when Mayme Conroy struck from 12-yard out for her eighth goal of the year as Nebraska took the 1-0 edge. Jordan Jackson brought the ball down the whole length of the field, crossing the ball toward Conroy who ended up with the ball and shot the ball far side for the goal.

The one-goal advantage stood for the remainder of the first half before the Hoosiers (13-5-1, 6-5 Big Ten) notched the equalizer less than two minutes into the second half. Lisa Nouanesengsy’s penalty beat the NU keeper through the left side and knotted up the match at 1-1.

In a strange moment, with the fans trying to find cover from the intense wind and rain, Nebraska brought the ball down, Courtney Claassen crossed the ball from the near to the far side, and from five feet out, Jaycie Johnson tapped it into the back of the net for the 2-1 lead and momentum. The freshman’s 10^th goal of the year leads the Huskers.

A historic moment occurred in a big moment for the Huskers as the blustery conditions worsened. Emma Stevens, after corralling a loose ball, sent a kick down the field and carried the wind just outside the opposite 18-yard box. The high bouncer evaded the Indiana goalkeeper and found the back of the net for the first score by a goalkeeper in Nebraska soccer history as NU finished off the Hoosiers for a 3-1 final score and conference championship.

The match was very-evenly contested on the stat line as both squads posted 10 shots and four on target. Conroy led NU with three shots, while Katie Kraeutner, Caroline Gray and Johnson each recorded two attempts. Conroy and Jackson along with senior defenders Ari Romero and Maritza Hayes played all 90 minutes for the lockdown Nebraska defense.

Nebraska will make its second Big Ten Tournament appearance starting Wednesday, Nov. 6 as the No. 1 seeded Huskers will take on the to-be-determined No. 8 seed at 10:30 a.m. All games will be contested at the Illinois Soccer Stadium in Champaign, Ill. First round matches will be streamed on the Big Ten’s Digital Network, while the semifinals and championship matches will be shown live on the Big Ten Network and BTN2Go.com.

Lincoln – The Nebraska soccer team debuted at No. 23 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Continental Tire Women’s Division I poll released on Tuesday. This designation marks the team’s first appearance in the Top 25 since 2005.

The Huskers are currently on a six-game win streak for the first time since 2004 en route to an 8-2-1 record, already besting last year’s win total of seven. NU is also 3-0-0 in the Big Ten Conference and tied atop the standings with No. 7 Penn State.

Nebraska will play host to Iowa on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 4 p.m., before welcoming No. 21 Michigan to Lincoln for a Top 25 matchup onSunday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m.

Lincoln – Nebraska soccer freshman forward Jaycie Johnson was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week as announced by the Conference office on Monday. Johnson earned the award after notching the lone tally in the 1-0 conference opener against Michigan State and the go-ahead score in the 79th minute of Sunday’s exciting 2-1 victory over No. 14 Denver.

Johnson, the Lake Winnebago, Mo. native, has currently scored in four straight matches amassing seven goals in nine contests, including three-consecutive game-winners. Johnson leads the Huskers and all freshman in the conference with goals, while sitting tied for third overall in the league.

The freshman becomes the first Husker since Morgan Marlborough in 2009 to win three weekly conference awards in one season. Johnson was named Big Ten Offensive Player and Freshman of the Week earlier this year on Aug. 26 after an impressive opening weekend which saw her accumulate a pair of goals and an assist in her debut match.

Nebraska, winners of four straight, is currently 6-2-1 overall on the year and 1-0-0 in the conference heading into the road portion of its Big Ten schedule on Friday, Sept. 27 at Northwestern and Sunday, Sept. 29 at Illinois.

Fayetteville, Ark. – The Nebraska soccer team showed perseverance in a gutsy, double-overtime effort on the road that ended in a 2-1 Arkansas decision in the 104th minute of action on Sunday. The Huskers, who played in double OT for the second-straight match, fall to 2-2-1 with the defeat, while the Razorbacks improve to 6-0 on the season.

The Huskers continued to display an impressive offensive attack on the afternoon, outshooting UA by a 21-13 margin, including a slim 6-5 shots on goal edge. NU’s Jordan Jackson recorded a team-high five shots, including two shots on net. Nebraska also posted eight corner chances to just four for Arkansas.

Ashleigh Ellenwood gave Arkansas the early 1-0 lead and momentum just 2:26 into the contest when she split the defense, driving left of center and powered the ball passed the NU keeper for her fourth goal of the year.

Although the Huskers outshot the Razorbacks by a 7-5 margin after 45 minutes of action, Arkansas took the 1-0 edge into halftime. NU goalkeeper Emma Stevens, who finished with three saves, made one stop in the first half, a crucial foot save in the 37th minute.

After back-and-forth action took place for much of the second half, the Huskers finally broke through to knot up the contest at the 80:48 mark. NU’s Hannah Dittmar displayed great effort by winning the ball in the box and gaining her own rebound off the post before ripping the goal high into the net for her first goal of the year and third career tally.

Nebraska’s Kylie Greischar and goalkeeper Stevens forced the match into overtime when they combined to get a block on a Arkansas chance in the waning moments of regulation.

Both teams were unable to produce a tally in the first overtime period as the match entered a second extra frame. At the 103:03 mark of the contest, Arkansas’ Evan Palmer one-touched a pass from inside the left goal box to the center from Rachel Riggs for the game-winning goal as the Huskers fell by a 2-1 decision.

Nebraska will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Lawrence for the Kansas Tournament. The Huskers will battle San Francisco onFriday, Sept. 13 at 1:30 p.m. before finishing the road trip against San Diego on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 10:30 a.m.

Lincoln – The Nebraska soccer team looks to continue its impressive play against a pair of 2012 NCAA Tournament qualifiers in Utah over the upcoming Labor Day weekend. The Huskers will battle No. 6 Brigham Young on Saturday night, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. (Central) before traveling to Utah State for a 2 p.m. kickoff with the Aggies on Monday, Sept. 2.

Saturday’s matchup between the Huskers and Cougars, an Elite Eight finisher from a year ago, will be the first meeting since 2001 when NU knocked BYU out of the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers have won all three meetings against the Cougars and will be making their first-ever visit to Provo. BYU defeated Cal State Fullerton 3-1 to open the season on Aug. 23 after a pair of goals from Rachel Manning.

Nebraska will finish out the second week of the season with its first-ever meeting on the pitch against Utah State. The Aggies are off to a 2-0 start with shutout victories against Creighton and Utah Valley. Utah State went 13-3-6 last year en route to an NCAA Tournament bid, before bowing out to BYU in a first round matchup.

Saturday’s contest will be shown live on BYUtv and byutvsports.com, with live stats on BYUCougars.com. Live stats for Monday’s game will available via UtahStateAggies.com.

High-Powered Husker Offense
The Huskers featured a high-octane offense over its season-opening homestand with a pair of victories that had many statistical similarities. Nebraska recorded 30 shots, 14 shots on goal and four goals in each of its first two matches of 2013.

The Huskers have already matched their season-high (30) from a year ago, which happened twice in 2012. The NU offense, aided by a strong defensive unit, outshot their opponents by a 60-14 margin through two matches, including a 28-4 shots on goal advantage. Seven of the Big Red’s eight goals have occurred in the second half.

Climbing the Husker Ranks
Senior Emma Stevens will be moving up the ranks in her fourth season as the Nebraska goalkeeper in a number of categories. Stevens ranks second in career games played in net (50) and third in starts in goal (47), minutes (4,210) and saves (185) amongst all-time Husker keepers. Stevens has also tallied 20 wins in her career, fifth most in NU history.

Lincoln – The Nebraska soccer team, which moved to 2-0 for the first time since 2005, used three goals in a 15-minute span to take control of the match and defeat the Cincinnati Bearcats by a 4-1 margin on a warm Sunday afternoon at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

The Huskers fell behind early, as Cincinnati struck first at the 12:59 mark of the first half when Mackenzie Grause picked up a favorable bounce off a deflection and beat NU goalkeeper Emma Stevens one-on-one from the top of the box. That would be the only goal Stevens allowed, as Nebraska allowed only two shots on goal in posting the victory.

Nebraska fired 14 shots in the first half, including five on goal but were unable to enter the scoring column. The Huskers would continue to put pressure on Cincinnati (0-2) in the second half. NU got its offense rolling in the 54th minute when senior Stacy Bartels received a through ball pass from Caroline Flynn to score from 12 yards out, knotting up the contest at 1-1.

Nine minutes later, freshman Sydney Miramontez earned her first career goal as a Husker after settling a cross from Jaycie Johnson to give NU its first lead of the match with 62:28 on the clock.

Johnson, who had a hand in two of NU’s four second half goals, made it three goals in 15 minutes for the Huskers when she was awarded a penalty shot after a mistimed tackle by the Bearcat defender. Johnson beat Cincinnati goalkeeper Kristina Utley to the left side giving NU a 3-1 advantage with 22 minutes remaining. The goal was Johnson’s third of the year in just her second collegiate match.

In the 86th minute of action, Katie Kraeutner helped finish off the scoring with a nicely-executed deep crossing pass from the left side to Sam Areman, who headed the ball in from close range for the 4-1 lead.

Nebraska recorded 30 shot attempts and 14 shots on goal for the second consecutive match, while the Bearcats had 11 shots, but just two on goal.  Seven different Huskers recorded shots on goal in the contest, including Jordan Jackson who led with six, while Johnson posted three on net.

John Walker’s squad will hit the road starting next weekend with a match-up against BYU, an Elite Eight qualifier from 2012. The Huskers and Cougars will meet at 8 p.m. (Central) on Saturday, Aug. 31 in Provo.

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.