SHAROLTA NONEN may not be as vocal as some of her NU teammates, but her peers, coaches and even opposing coaches notice her anyway. The junior defender is leading the team
in assists and will most likely repeat as an All-American.
Nonen’s quiet stability propels NU soccer
44
It was hard to be here at
first. I was ready to leave.
I was homesick, but I
needed to do this for
myself.
Sharolta Nonen
NU defender
By Shannon Heffelfinger
Senior staff writer
A soccer field stretches anywhere between
100 to 130 yards in length, but when Nebraska
soccer player Sharolta Nonen takes the field,
she feels as if she were play ing on an island.
Nonen and her fellow defenders represent
the last line of defense during each game for the
Cornhuskers. Their job is to repel attacks on
goal by opponents. Every mistake is magnified
and a slight error could mean a goal for the
other team.
Defenders have to be resilient; they have to
have a thick skin.
And NU Coach John Walker said no one is
better for the job than Nonen.
“Sharolta has done a tremendous job with
organization defensively,” Walker said. "She
has great leadership on the field. She really
does a good job getting things across to people.
"She's very solid ali around. She’s very con
sistent."
Nonen's all-around ability and consistency
have been a key to the 13th-ranked Huskers’
success this season. Walker said. And as NU
prepares for battle against No. 4 Notre Dame in
third-round NCAA Tournament play, both qual
ities make the Canadian-born Nonen an asset
off the field as well.
Two thousand miles from home, Nonen val
ues the relationships she has made with her
teammates more than anything else.
“1 have made very good friends on the
team," said ^Jonen, who leads the Huskers with
14 assists. “1 don't want to see anyone hurt or
upset. 1 think each teammate should make an
effort to take care of the others. I try to do that,
but I think anyone else would do it for me.”
Nonen's caring attitude and steadiness on
the field have earned her the respect of every
one on the team, sophomore Karma LeBlanc
said.
“Her composure is an asset for us,” LeBlanc
said. “I know that with her playing in front of
me that there isn't much that will get by her.
And if something does, it's not her fault. It’s so
Please see NONEN on 8
NU seniors want win over ND
■ No one can have an off
day if the Huskers are to beat
the Insh, Coach Walker says.
By Darren Ivy
Staff writer
When the No. 13 Nebraska soccer
team faces No. 4 Notre Dame tonight in
South Bend, Ind., for a third-round
NCAA tournament game, the
Cornhuskers won't play for revenge
from last year’s 6-0 romp.
The Huskers (17-3-1) will be play
ing for a different reason especially for
the five seniors. Heather Brown, Kim
Engesser. Becky Hogan. Sandy Smith
and Kristen Gay.
“Every game we are playing, we are
playing for the right to play together
again.” freshman Kelly Rheem said.
"Everything is for them.”
The seniors have been leaders,
motivators, friends and role models.
Rheem said.
Freshman Meghan Anderson said
Coach John Walker has mentioned the
seniors in his pre-game speech since the
Oct. 25 Oklahoma State game the last
regular-season home game.
“Walker tells the seniors, ‘This
could be your last game; don’t leave
anything out there,”’ said Anderson,
who considered
Nebraska vs. g°,ngto Notre
. n Dame before
Notre uame signing with nu.
“We have to have
the same attitude. We will have to walk
off the field with them, knowing we
won't ever play with them again. 1 don't
want the last game with the seniors to be
a loss. We have a responsibility.”
The seniors also know the impor
tance of this game. Midfielder Becky
Hogan said she is going to line up and
try to play harder than the Fighting Irish
placer across from her.
“I am going to do everything I can to
make sure we win,” Hogan said.
She expects the same from her
teammates.
Walker said the Huskers will face
one of the top two or three teams in the
country in Notre Dame (19-2-1). Of the
Irish’s 11 starters, nine of them have
national team experience.
Notre Dame also is the nation’s top
scoring team and has a 44-game home
w'inmng streak.
“It’s going to be tough,” Walker
said. "We can’t have anyone having an
off day.”
Last year, the Huskers had an off
day and the result was a 6-0 manhan
dling by the Insh.
"We are prepared to take on any
one,” said senior Sandy Smith. "It’s nice
we have another shot at them.”
Walker said the familiarity with the
surroundings and Notre Dame players
should help.
But if the Huskers are to avoid a fate
similar to last year's, they will have to
finish shot opportunities. Walker said.
"You don't get as many shots in the
NCAA tournament,” Walker said. "It's
important to finish chances and get off
to a good start ”
Sanderford doesn’t expect
setback after Arizona win
By Jay Saunders
Staff writer
A 24-point win against then No.
21 Arizona and entering the
Associated Press Top 25 might cause a
letdown this weekend for the
Nebraska womens basketball team.
After all, the No. 23 Comhuskers
are playing the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee, an unranked
team.
The game will be at 7:05 p.m.
Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports
Center, where the Huskers (2-0) have
never lost under Coach Paul
Sanderford.
But it was that same UWM team
that beat the Huskers by 12 points last
year, so Sanderford said not to expect a
letdown.
"If there is going to be a letdown in
November,” Sanderford said "we are
not going to be too good in March."
Wisconsin-Milwaukee started its
season in a hostile environment. The
Panthers dropped the season opener
71-65 at Wisconsin.
UWM returns three starters from
last season, who combined to average
almost 30 points per game last season.
Guard Daryl Schaffield started all
but one game last year and averaged
15.6 points per game for the Panthers.
"Defensively we have to build on
what we did last week,” Sanderford
said. “If we can do that, it will make us
hungry'.”
Sanderford worked the Huskers
into a hunger with three-hour practices
Wednesday and Thursday.
Junior forward Cisco Gilmore said
the team has realized what happened
last year will not happen again this sea
son -especially at the De\anev Center.
“No one comes in here and intimi
dates us.“ Gilmore said, "it's going to
be a dogfight if you think you are
going to u in."