Darren Ivy
Rainy days
show teams'
lack of heart
The Eyes of Texas weren’t shining
down upon Texas Sunday at the Abbott
Sports Complex.
Neither was the sunshine.
And the Longhorns didn’t seem to
know what to do on the windy, rainy,
50-degree afternoon.
I Neither did No. 12 Texas A&M on
Friday night when it was 40 degrees and
drizzling
It just amazes me how these players
can be such babies.
Traditionally, soccer is considered
to be a tough, hard-nosed sport, in
which the players die for chances to
play in the mud
Just look at the cover of the
Nebraska media guide, which has five
playgrs withmwi on their uniforms.
ItheSpi 'W
Numerous times, they slowed down
or totally avoided going through pud
dles of water. They watched as
Nebraska players charged full speed
through the water and won balls, not
worrying if they saturated their uni
forms with water or mud
One time, an A&M player got
tripped and fell in a puddle of water. She
got up and looked around like she was
gqi^g to cry.
. After Die game, A&M Coach G.
GtoKfreri said, “The weather wasn’t
good, but that’s all secondary because
Nebraska did a good iob.”
He may have told the media the
weather wasn’t a factor, but throughout
the game, A&M players were com
plaining to one another about the condi
tions, said Nebraska senior Becky
Hogan. The A&M players on the bench
looked pretty miserable too. They were
all huddled up.
On Sunday, die temperatures were
at least 10 degrees warmer and it didn’t
rain until die last 15 minutes, but Texas
Coach Dang Pibulvech said die weath
er hindered his team.
What is it with these people? Do
you hear Nebraska complaining?
Nebraska hasn’t played or prac
ticed in this weather this season either.
The weather wasn’t die reason both
teams lost to Nebraska. They were out
played
Nebraska hustled more. They slid
into the mud They defeated Texas on
Sunday with 21 shots and 12 corner
kicks to UT’s nine and zero.
NU wanted it more.
If the Aggies and Longhorns felt
they were outplayed because of the
weather, then they probably didn’t
deserve to win anyway.
With the pair of wins, die Huskers
now have the upper hand for die Big 12
Conference regular-season crown. The
last two years, A&M and NU have bat
tled for the title with the winner of the
first meeting winning the champi
onship.
If the Huskers continue to show
heart, and die Texas schools don’t, NU
should be champions again.
Darren Ivy Is a junior news edito
rial major and a Dally Nebraskan
staff writer.
Eddleman clinches win over UT
By Darren Ivy
Staff writer
Lindsey Eddleman knew she bet
ter make the most of her second-half
shot opportunity Sunday if the
Comhuskers were to fulfill their week
end goal.
“We knew we had to redeem our
selves” said Eddleman about the
Huskers wanting to get pay back after
losses to Texas A&M and Texas last
year in Texas. “That’s what we planned
all week in practice.”
The Nebraska women’s soccer
team defeated conference rival Texas
A&M 2-0 Friday night, but a loss to
Texas on Sunday would have put a
damper on the weekend.
On her game-winning shot at 61
minutes, 37 seconds, Eddleman hap
pened to be in the right spot at the right
time. Junior midfielder Amy Walsh
crossed the ball to freshman forward
Kelly Rheem, who attempted to head
the ball. But it went wildly off her head
and then off a Texas defender’s head
right to Eddleman at the top of the
penalty box.
Eddleman took the ball directly in
the air about a foot off the ground and
connected squarely, sending the ball
whizzing past Longhorn goalkeeper
Cami Varnadore for a 2-1 lead.
“I put all my concentration into
that shot,” Eddleman said. “I’ve never
concentrated so hard shooting a shot.
It was a volley. It’s very rare to hit (a
volley) like that”
Even with a one-goal lead, the No.
19 Huskers didn’t have any breathing
room. The game, played before 389
fans at the Abbott Sports Complex,
came down to the last minute. Within
that minute, the Longhorns, 3-5 over
all and 1-1 in the Big 12 Conference,
penetrated into the Huskers’ end and
got off two shots, but neither one was
successful.
Nebraska Coach John Walker said
the Huskers (8-2 and 3-0) could have
made it easier on themselves by finish
ing more scoring opportunities earlier
in the game.
Senior Kim Engesser scored the
Comhuskers’ first goal on a break
away. It was her 14* goal of the sea
son, and it got her back on track after
having her eight-game scoring streak
snapped Friday.
NU had 21 shot attempts and 12
corner kicks - numbers that Walker
said usually produce four or five goals.
But they never could get the “magic
two-goal advantage.”
“If we finish earlier, then it’s not as
dangerous of a situation,” Walker said
“Anything can happen when you’re up
one goal. All it takes is one mistake.”
On Friday night, the Huskers did
n’t make any. They dominated No. 12
A&M from the time the ball was
kicked off.
The cold, damp conditions had
A&M players frustrated before the
game even started, NU senior Becky
Hogan said
/ Dawn Dietrich/DN
HUSKER FORWARD LINDSAY EDDLEMAN battles for the ball during
the Huskers’ Sunday afternoon game against Texas A&M.
“It was rainy, and we wanted to
make them even more miserable,”
Hogan said. “We put a huge emphasis
on jumping on than early.”
NU players came out playing
inspired soccer, knocking down Aggie
players and taking the ball away from
them on numerous occasions. The first
NU goal by Lauren Tatum came
directly off of defensive pressure.
An Aggie defender tried to clear
the ball, but Tatum got in front of ha
and the ball deflected off
Tatum, over the goalie’s head
and into the goal.
Once we got our first
goal,” senior Kristin Gay said, “from
there on out we said, ‘this is going to be
our game, and they will have to adjust
to our style.’”
The Aggies never did.
Time after time NU defenders
cleared the ball away from Aggie play
ers. For the game, they got only one
Nebraska (8-2 2-0) 1 1-2
Texas (3-5 1-1) 1 0-1
Shots on Goal: Nebraska 21
Texas 7
Comer locks: Nebraska 12
Texas 0
shot on goal.
Walker said this weekend was
probably die toughest one the Huskers
would face back-to-back this season in
the Big 12.
“These are two of the top teams in
the conference,” Walker said. “I’m
pleased with the weekend We’re off to
a good start in the conference.”
Nepo breaks assist record, NU now 13-0
By Andrew Strnad
Staff writer
Senior setter Fiona Nepo became
Nebraska’s all-time assist leader by
recording 42 kills in a 15-7,15-4,15
4 victory at Oklahoma Saturday
night.
Nepo passed assistant coach
Nikki Strieker Best’s mark of 3,786
assists and now has 3,794 assists.
However; setting die record was a
secondary accomplishment for Nepo.
“It’s nice, it wasn’t something I
was thinking about every day because
Nebraska (13-0 40) 15 15 15
Oklahoma (5-9 0-4) 7 4 4
the team and how we do is my biggest
priority right now,” Nepo said.
The Cornhuskers (13-0 overall, 4
0 in the Big 12 Conference) were also
aided by the play of senior middle
blocker Megan Korver and sopho
more outside hitter Nancy
Meendering.
The two combined for 28 kills,
while Korver hit .842 for the match.
The team hit .461 for the match,
the fourth consecutive match that the
Huskers hit at least .400, while push
ing their all-time record against OU to
46-3-1.
While the team statistically has
been very strong offensively, Nepo
said the Huskers aren’t at the high
level necessary to win a national
championship quite yet
“These aren’t the strongest teams
in the Big 12 so that has something to
do with it” Nepo said. “We don’t have
any control over the schedule, but it
helps a little to have these matches
earlier.”
The Huskers avenged last sea
son’s loss to the Sooners in Norman,
Okla. OU dropped to 5-9 overall and
0-4 in the Big 12.
On Friday night NU downed
Kansas 15-8,15-5,15-5 in Lawrence,
Kan.
Sophomore outside hitter Angie
Oxley led the team with 13 kills and
14 digs. Meendering added 11 kills.
The loss dropped Kansas to 10-4
overall and 1-2 in die Big 12.
Friday night’s win against the
Jayhawks kept the Huskers’ record
against KU a perfect 63-0.
No. 3 Nebraska will next travel to
the state ofTexas where they will play
Texas Tech and Baylor next weekend.
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