Thursday, November 4,1999___ Page 11
Women’s soccer sets tournament record
■ No. 4-ranked Nebraska
continues to win as coach
gets 100th career win.
By Brock Wendlandt
Staff writer
The No. 4 Nebraska women’s soc
cer team opened its postseason
Wednesday the same way it closed out
its regular season - by scoring at will.
The Cornhuskers (18-1-1 over
all,) set a tournament scoring record
by pummeling Tech 10-1 in the open
ing game of the Big 12 Women’s
Soccer Championships in San
Antonio, Texas. NU, which outscored
conference opponents 50-3 during the
regular season, raised its scoring
average to 4.6 goals per game.
The victory secured Coach John
Walker his 100th career victory in just
six seasons at NU. It also served as a
good measuring stick for the Huskers,
who defeated Tech (8-11-1) 1-0 in
their season opener.
“We’ve played almost 20 games
in between those two games, and
we’re a lot better team now,” said
sophomore midfielder Meghan
Anderson. “We have been getting bet
ter each game as a team. That shows
how much improvement we have
had.”
Anderson, who leads the team
with 19 goals, opened the scoring at
the 18:31 mark. NU put the Red
Raiders away when sophomore mid
fielder Shannon Tanaka scored the
game-winner in the 21st minute.
The Huskers then took'a 4-0 lead
into halftime on a pair of goals from
freshman midfielder Kori Saunders.
\yalker said the big lead was a
good opportunity to rest several play
ers. But when the Huskers emerged
from the locker room for the second
half, there was certainly no pacifism
in their nature.
NU tied a school record by blast
ing Tech for six more goals.
Sophomore Najah Williams
scored twice, while Kelly Rheem,
Lindsay Eddleman, Brooke Jones and
Christine Latham chipped in goals to
finish the onslaught.
The Red Raiders scored their lone
goal at 86:01 when Jenny Alfred beat
NU freshman Leah Lamale. It was the
only goal given up by Lamale this
season.
Tanaka said the Huskers’ scoring
production has not been a coinci
dence.
“We are just finishing chances
that we should have finished earlier in
the year,” Tanaka said. “We have def
initely made a commitment to finish
ing and a commitment to each other.
We’ve grown a lot as a team.
“It is not easy to have a perfect
conference record, but we have made
ourselves accountable to each other
on and off the field.”
That reliability has been notice
able all the way through to the fresh
men, said senior defender Sharolta
Nonen, who was named Big 12 Player
of the Year on Tuesday.
“We can give some of our older
players a break, and freshmen like
Kori Saunders and Christine Latham
Nebraska10
Texas Tech 1
can keep up the pace of the game.”
Nonen said. “It is really reassuring to
know that they can score as many
goals as any of our starters ”
The Tech victory, Nonen said, will
serve as a strong message to future
opponents.
“It was important to show the
teams to come that we don’t have any
weak spots,” she said. “It^was also
important for our confidence, and it
might make some of those other
teams a little worried.”
The Huskers’ next game will be
against Baylor at 7:30 tonight. The
fourth-seeded Bears defeated fifth
seeded Texas 2-0 Wednesday.
Assists aplenty in easy Husker win
By Brandon Schulte
Staff writer
It wasn’t perfect by any means,
but the Nebraska women’s basket
ball team cracked the century mark
in its first performance this year.
The Comhuskers jumped out to
an early lead and easily coasted to a
102-51 victory over Arvi Vemitas
(Lithuania) at the Bob Devaney
Sports-Center on Wednesday night.
The game gave Nebraska a chance
to play in a game environment
against new competition.
Nebraska 102
Lithuania 51
Coach Paul Sanderford wasn’t
overly impressed with his team’s
5erformance, but one area of the
lame did stand out in his mind: the
mproved passing skills from a year
igo. Ten of 12 Huskers contributed
it least one assist Wednesday night.
“I think we’re making
irogress,” Sanderford said. “We
tave to play better defense. But the
tat that I really liked was the 33
issists. We passed the ball really
veil. If we can move the basketball
nd be unselfish, then we’ll be pret
y good.”
The passing led to many good
hooting opportunities as seven
layers had double-figure scoring
otals. Leading the way were
eniors Brooke Schwartz and
licole Kubik, who both had 16
oints On the night.
Jvubik said the fact everyone
fas able to get in the game and
core will help build team chem
itry down the line.
“It’s a lot more fun when you
et everyone scoring,” said Kubik,
rho led Nebraska with seven
ssists. “Whenever you score over
00 points, it means everyone is
Dntributing.”
As a team, Nebraska shot 55.7
arcent from the field (39-70) com
ared to 26.9 (18-67) percent for
ithuania.
While Lithuania may not have
Jen a tight match that will prepare
U for the Big 12 Conference sea
>n, Schwartz said something
►uld be gained from the one-sided
ime.
“It was better for our team to
:t chemistry by playing against
uneone who doesn’t know our
Tense and defense,” Schwartz
id. “It was good to get out there
id play with different players at
fferent times.”
Sanderford said that during the
]VIike Warren/DN
NEBRASKA FRESHMAN Stephanie Janes of Omaha drives to the basket against team Arvi Vernitas
(Lithuania) at the Bob Oevaney Sports Center on Wednesday night.
regular-season fewer players will
see the court. But against Lithuania
everyone got into the mix, includ
ing five freshmen. Three hit double
figures as the five combined to
score 38 points for the
Comhuskers. U?
Freshman Shahidrah Roberts,
who went 5-7 from the field for 11
points, said the adjustment from
being a star player in high school to
a role player with the Huskers has
been difficult.
“It has been a little tough seeing
where you fit in,” Roberts said.
“Everyone has a different variation
of what they can do that they pro
vide to the team.”
Darren Ivy
Saunders pulls
for NFL father
from Lincoln
If you asked freshman soccer player Kori
Saunders who her favorite NFL football team
was, she would tell you the Kansas City Chiefs
But the St. Louis Rams are a close second
place. Unlike the thousands of other people who
have jumped on the Rams bandwagon this sea
son, Saunders said the 6-1 record doesn't matter.
Her connection with the team is her father,
Al, who is in his first year as the Rams’ wide
receivers coach. He used to coach for Kansas
City as recently as last year.
“I cheered for the Chiefs because it was my
dad’s team,” said Kori, who has accumulated a
“plethora” of Rams apparel in just one season.
“Now I am a Rams fan.”
Despite being a Rams fan, Sunday’s game
with the Tennessee Titans was the first game Kori
was able to watch this season. The past six
/ Sundays, the Nebraska women’s soccer team has
had games at the same time.
Prior to this week, NU and St. Louis were
both 6-0 in those Sunday games, but the Rams
lost to the Titans 24-21 this week.
“I guess I jinxed them,” Kori joked.
Despite the loss, the Rams are enjoying their
best season in years. Last year they were 4-12.
Likewise, Kori is enjoying success in her first
season at NU. The Huskers are ranked fourth, the
highest in school history.
But neither father nor daughter has been able
to see the other’s success in person, with the
exception of the first NU soccer game of the sea
son.
“It is killing him,” Kori said.
Football has separated Kori and her father
since the second half of her senior year at St.
Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, Mo.
When A1 became the wide receivers coach,
he had to move to St. Louis.
Being in St. Louis, he had to rely upon his
wife and daughter to tell him about all the
Missouri high school scoring records Kori was
breaking.
In her career, she tallied 281 points on 111
goals and 59 assists and was a Gatorade Circle of
Champions national player of the year finalist. *
Soccer is Kori’s first love, but football has
been a part of her life for as long as she can
Please see NFL on 12
