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LeBlanc learned from early mistakes I
By Darren Ivy
Staff writer
hi just her third game as the starting
goalkeeper for Nebraska, sophomore
Karina LeBlanc had already faced a
crossroads.
She had given
up four goals and
been red-carded in
the UCLA game,
which the Corn
huskers lost 5-1.
LeBlanc was in
unfamiliar territo
ry. The 18-year
old Canadian had
never given up that
many goals. She
was frustrated. Her confidence waned
She had two roads she could take.
“After UCLA, I could have packed
it in and slumped down, LeBlanc said.
“But I excelled from there rather than
slumping. I’ve learned from my mis
takes.”
LeBlanc’s whole first season as the
starting goalie has been a learning expe
rience.
The Maple Ridge, British Columbia
native is a fast learner. In the 15 games
since the UCLA game, LeBlanc has
allowed just six goals. On the season,
she has posted 10 shutouts, while com
piling a 15-2-1 record. Her 0.67 goals
against average ranks her 11* national
ly
When a ball does make it into die
net, it eats at her.
“I take it personally each time a ball
goes in the goal,” LeBlanc. “Each time
it does, it just rips at your soul.”
But she has leaned from the UCLA
game that she can’t dwell on a goal once
it has happened
She applied mat knowledge m the
Big 12 Tournament on Nov. 5-8 against
Texas A&M and Missouri.
Against the Aggies, LeBlanc didn’t
let die two goals she gave up faze her.
She played her best when the game was
on the line at the end of regulation and in
overtime. She made a school-record 12
saves.
“She was outstanding this week
end,” Walker said. “She made big saves
that kept us in the (A&M) game.”
LeBlanc on]ty made erne save against
die Tigers, but it came at a critical time,
Walker said.
“We were leading 2-0 and they had a
breakaway” Walker said. “She stopped
it and preserved our two-goal cushion.”
Making saves is just one part of
LeBlanc’s duties.
“I fed I’m a part of die game, even
when I don’t have to make saves,”
LeBlanc said. “The goalkeeper job is
wide. You have a lot of tasks to do.”
One of the hardest adjustments
LeBlanc had to make Was playing away
from the goal. In NU’s scheme, the
goalie often comes to midfield when the
Huskers are cm the attack. Additionally,
the ball is played back to LeBlanc ami
she has to use her feet to pass it
“The teams I’ve played with, I .
stayed inside the 18-yard line,” said
LeBlanc.
Now that it’s NCAA tournament
time, LeBlanc is going to have to con
tinue her hot streak.
Walker said after die past weekend,
LeBlanc’s confidence should be “sky
high.”
That’s important because in the
NCAA tournament the majority of die
games will be one and two-goal games,
Walker said.
“It can come down to how well the
goalie plays.”
Huskers enter new territory with struggles in red zone I
By John Gaskins '
Staff reporter
The red zone. Once an offensive
unit gets in it, the scope of the game
changes.
The red zone is die field inside the
offensive opponent’s 20-yard line. The
offense sees blood and looks to score,
while the defense either toughens up or
awaits their impending doom.
“The noise level picks up down
there, the intensity level rises and the
field becomes more reduced,” NU
Receivers Coach Ron Brown said
Nebraska’s opposing defenses have
suffered their share of doom over the
years. The normally overpowering Big
Red offense has scored an average of 82
percent of the time when in the red zone
over the last five seasons.
However, contributing to the occa
sional periods of sluggish ball move
ment this season has been die seeming
inability for the Huskers to score once
they get near the goal line.
“Overall, it has not been as easy for
us getting the ball in the end zone,”
Head Coach Frank Solich said.
“We’ve had a couple games where
we’ve got it done at a pretty high level,
but we’ve not been as consistent as
what teams have done in the past”
Statistically, this year’s offense is
right on pace with recent years, with 82
percent efficiency in the zone. NU has
not been in die red zone as many times.
Phis, in games and situations where
scoring has been most crucial, the
offense has sputtered.
Brown said the offense has made
different types of mistakes. Aside from
four missed short field goals, the
offense has four turnovers and one loss
on downs inside the 20, not to mention
a plethora of penalties.
“Those are the things that kill you,”
Brown said.
An example of such a situation was
in NU’s 20-16 loss to Texas on Oct 31.
The Huskers had the ball at the
Texas. 8-yard-line, leading 13-10 mid
way through the third quarter. With a
chance to put the game away, the
offense collapsed as quarterback Eric
Crouch fumbled and Texas recovered.
Minutes later, the Longhorns tied die
game.
' “It’s been tough this year for this
offense to really click as a unit,” Crouch
said.
“We’ve had to put in so many dif
ferent players. That’s real hard on the
players... adjusting to speed, adjusting
to different players and how fast they’re
going to run the option with you.”
Another factor has been improved
defense on the Huskers. Brown said
defenses have picked up on formerly
successful goal-to-go plays like
bootlegs or first-and-goal passes to die
end zone. .
“Five or six years ago, those things
were almost automatic,” Brown said.
“Inside the 10-yard-line, we’d often
throw the ball on first down. Now
teams play die pass in that situation.”
“ITie teams are coming up with
blitzes we haven’t seen before to stop
our running game,” split end Kenny
Cheatham said.
It won’t get any easier Saturday
when the Huskers face the nation’s sec
ond-ranked defense - Kansas State. So
how will the Huskers try to avoid the
Wildcats’ blitz and get die ball in the
end zone? .
“Grind it out,” Cheatham said.
“Maybe a field goal here, a field goal
there, a touchdown here, and still come
out with a victory.”
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I Kubik accepts role at point guard
KUBIK from pg. 7
ahead.
“Everyone’s is going to follow my
lead,” she said. “I have to make sure we
are in the right spots at all times.”
Kubik said there is a downside to
being a leader this year. It means she
won’t be playing with her sister Jami.
Anyone who saw the Kubik sisters
play last year would know that gritty, no
nonsense play runs in the family.
. The two grew up competing against
their older brothers and sisters at their
'family’s farm near Cambridge.
Jami Kubik thinks being young in a
big family made Nicole extra competi
tive.
“She hates to lose,” she said. “We
played a lot of basketball on the farm.
We were always smaller (than then
older siblings) aid had to fight”
Jones commits
to NU women
for basketball
By Jay Saunders
Staff writer
Nebraska Women’s Basketball
Coach Paul Sanderford said one
important step in building a good {no
gram is keeping the best in-state play
ers in Nebraska.
Wednesday, Sanderford signed
what could be the biggest name in
Nebraska high school state history
Stephanie Jones, from Omaha
Benson, signed her letter of intent to
play at Nebraska for the next four
years.
“(Signing) was the biggest relief I
have had in a long time,” Jones said. “I
didn’t know until (Tuesday) where I
was going to end up.”
Jones was recruited by Connecti
cut, Duke and Colorado, among others.
But Jones decided to stay close to
home, and Sanderford can thank him
self for that
“(Nebraska) has one of the best
coaches in the country,” Jones said.
“I’m a good player but he is going to
make me a great player.”
Jones, a 6-foot-2 senior, still has
one more year to play at Benson. Last
season, Jones led the Bunnies in scor
ing and was named to the All-State
team.
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