Nebraska looks to bounce back
Soccer team shooting but not always scoring
■The Huskers have had trouble
converting in several Big 12
conference matchups.
BY JAMIE SUHR
Nebraska is the No. 2 ranked scor
ing team in soccer, but in games
against top conference competition,
the Husker attack has gone dormant.
In games against Texas A&M and
Oklahoma, the Huskers have scored
just three combined goals, going 1-1
in those games.
Yet, the Comhuskers out shot the
Sooners and Aggies by a combined
total of 61-15.
Despite bombarding Oklahoma
with 37 shots, the Huskers only man
aged a single goal.
"It happens sometimes,” NU
Coach John Walker said. “We didn’t do
a good job of finishing against
Oklahoma.”
On the year, the Huskers are aver
aging 4.3 goals-per-game, but are
scoring just three goals per confer
ence match.
But Walker said the decrease in
goal scoring in conference usually
happens.
When Walker evaluates his team’s
performance, he doesn’t necessarily
look at the number of goals scored.
At the end of each game, Walker
picks up the stat sheet to see the num
ber of corner kicks and shot
attempts—where the Huskers are
among the tops in Division I.
In comparison, No. 1 Notre Dame
averages 26.2 shots-per-game while
the Huskers average 29. No. 3 ranked
Washington average just 19 shots.
Though the Huskers continue to
get a large number of shots a game,
teams leave extra players on defense
to suffocate the NU attackers.
“Teams watch the films,” said
Christine Latham, the Huskers lead
ing scorer. "They're constantly stack
ing the middle to stop crosses from
the wingers."
With so many defenders crowding
the box, Walker said the players need
ed to keep focus and composure.
“Don’t be afraid,” Walker said.
"You have to keep shooting.”
Latham said the team ran a num
ber of set plays off corner kicks and
free kicks, but recently, the team had
been unable to capitalize off these
"prime opportunities.”
71 happens sometimes. We
didn’t do a good job of
finishing against
Oklahoma.”
John Walker
NU soccer coach
Midfielder Meghan Anderson said
finishing scoring opportunities was
something the team was trying to iron
out, but it hadn’t become a concern.
“It's something we need to work
on individually and collectively,”
Anderson said.
In the OU game, the Huskers had
17 corner kicks to the Sooners’ two,
but were unable to score off any,
which Walker said was unacceptable.
“I’ll take part of the blame for
that,” Anderson said.
“We weren’t giving (the forwards)
good service balls. There were so
many players in the box. You have to
make a near-perfect pass to get them
the bafi.”
Huskers ready to rebound
vs.TexasTech,Colorado
REBOUND from page 12
Buffaloes and the Red Raiders have 2-5-0 confer
ence records and are tied for 10th place in the Big
12 standings.
Once again, Walker is counting on the leader
ship of sophomore forward Christine Latham and
senior goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc.
Latham leads the conference with 16 goals and
33 points for the season. LeBlanc enters tonight’s
contest with a minuscule 0.42 goals-against aver
age. She has allowed only six goals in 1,287 minutes
of play. Her goals-against average leads the league.
Colorado arrives at the Abbott Sports Complex
tonight with a susceptible goalkeeping crew. The
trio of Danielle Bassett, Whitney Peterson and Sara
Erskine has allowed 25 goals for the season.
Offensively, Colorado is led by midfielder Melissa
Carmel, who has six goals and two assists.
In comparison to the Buffaloes’ trio of goal
keepers, the Red Raiders offer a three-pronged
offensive attack.
Forwards Carrie Graham and Melanie
Bronsahan have each contributed five goals and
two assists to lead Texas Tech offensively. Also,
midfielder Lindsey Wile has scored four goals and
made two assists.
Seniors Jenny Benson, Christine Gluck,
LeBlanc and Lauren Tatum will make their last reg
ular-season appearance tonight at the Abbott
Sports Complex.
— II lliH^_I
DN Hie Photo
Senior Angie Oxley (figs a Mil earlier this season. Nebraska looks to keep its unbeaten
record and No. 1 ranking intact this weekend at the University of Texas.
Huskers ready to dismantle
Texas after upset last year
■ Nebraska is looking to
finish a week of revenge after a
win against KSU on Wednesday.
BY BRIAN CHRtSTOPHERSON
Rarely does the word revenge
enter the vocabulary of volleyball
players in the Nebraska locker
room because rarely does
Nebraska lose.
However, if there were a week
of payback underlined on the
Comhusker schedule, this would
be the week.
No. 1 NU already evened a
score with K-State on Wednesday,
revenging last year's home loss to
the Wildcats.
On Sunday, Nebraska hopes
to up its 18-0 record and 10-0
conference mark when it hooks
up with Texas.
Nebraska already owns a
three-game sweep of the
Longhorns in a Sept 13 match at
the NU Coliseum but would defi
nitely like to avenge last year’s
five-game loss in Austin.
Sunday's match with 5-12,4-6
Texas, also will mark the begin
ning of the second half of the
conference season.
Nebraska Coach John Cook is
hoping this year’s Husker team
will be as successful down the
stretch as former Nebraska
teams.
“I look at last year’s team and
the second half of the Big 12 sea
son, and we only dropped two
games in the second half,” Cook
said. “That team showed some
dominance. Now we have to see if
we can be a strong second half
team, as well.”
It would be hard to argue with
Nebraska’s dominance to this
point in the conference season,
losing only one game to Texas
Tech.
Texas players will take some
hope into Sunday’s match
remembering the 17-15 game
two 45-minute marathon in the
two teams’ first meeting.
Texas was led that day by jun
ior outside hitter Gipy Duarte’s 16
kills. In the rematch, upset hopes
will likely depend on the effec
tiveness of Duarte and junior
outside hitter Kathy Hlson, who
leads the team with 3.61 kills a
game.
Cook said UT would feature a
balanced attack as it tries to fill in
for the loss of last year's All
American senior Erin Aldrich.
Nebraska has spread the
wealth around, as well, this sea
son, but it was sophomore out
side hitter Laura Pilakowski and
sophomore Amber Holmquist
who led the team with 16 kills
apiece in the first meeting this
season.
Cook knows his team will
have to be at its best to sweep the
season series.
“We feel like everyone’s a rival
because everyone has nothing to
lose when they play us right now,"
Cook said. “So it feels like no mat
ter who we're playing, it’s their
biggest match of the year.”
Lord able
QB backup
LORD from page 12
which Lord audibled out of the
original call and called his own
number for the score, have shown
the maturity level his No. 2 man
has gained this fall.
“It obviously shows that he
has been listening in meetings,”
Gill said. “He has been able to
carry it from the meeting rooms
and practice onto the football
field.”
NU Coach Frank Solich said
Lord’s own competitive spirit had
transformed into his teammates'
confidence in him.
“Jammal has made the most
of every opportunity he has had,”
Solich said. "I think he has the
confidence of this football team
should he be under center.”
While Lord has gained confi
dence and matured mentally, his
passing abilities are still in ques
tion. The 6-foot-2,210-pounder
only passed 41 times his entire
senior year in high school and
came to NU with raw throwing
skills.
Crouch and Gill said they had
seen improvement from Lord's
aerial game since he had been at
NU.
"I can’t give him enough cred
it in the world, and I can’t prove to
people how much he has
improved as a throwing quarter
back and as a leader,” Crouch
said.
But Lord admits he has a long
way to go.
“There is always room for
improvement, they say,” Lord
said.
There is no denying Lord is
the future at quarterback for the
Huskers. But there is just one
problem - Crouch is only a junior
Barring an injury to No. 7, Lord
will sit die sidelines again in 2001.
And that is just fine with him
because he realizes his time to
shine will come after Crouch is
gone. For now, he is learning from
one of the best
“Eric has the total package,”
Lord said. "That is where I am try
ing to get now. He is on another
level.”
Lord is just biding his time,
content with whatever time he
sees.
“It always feels good to play,”
Lord said. “It doesn’t matter if I
play one down or a whole series -
as long as I play.”
It is that attitude that has got
ten Lord to where he is and will
continue to help him out in life
and football, Solich said.
“He demands an awful lot of
himself,” Solich said. "He enjoys
life and wants to make sure he
makes the most of every opportu
nity that he has.”
And so for now, Lord will wait
in the wings - and have fun in the
process.
Ex-Huskers
lead Baylor
STEELE from page 12
Brown and Turner Gill told
Frazier he should get back into
football.
“They kind of put the bug in
my ear, saying that I need to
think about getting into coach
ing because I have so much to
give,” Frazier said.
“Three or four months later,
Coach Steele got the job here, so
I guess the timing was perfect.”
It wpnt the first time Steele
tried to recruit Frazier. When
the former Husker signal caller
was a senior in high school,
Steele flew down to Florida to
talk to him about an opportuni
ty at Nebraska.
Instead of recruiting Frazier,
Steele spent his time selling
Nebraska to his mother,
Priscilla.
“When I walked in the door
after basketball practice, he’d
look at me and say ‘Hello, how
are you doing,' and I'd say ‘Fine,’
and he'd say, ‘Well I don’t need
to talk to you,’ and he’d play
cards with my mother,” Frazier
said.
Polk finalist
for Butkus
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Nebraska senior linebacker
Carlos Polk has been selected as
one of 11 semi-finalists for the
Butkus Award, given annually to
the nation’s best linebacker.
Oklahoma’s Rocky Calmus also
made the cut for the award, which
will be given away Dec. 8 in
Orlando, Fla.
Subway Series full of problems
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
George Steinbrenner was
casually strolling through the
locker room at Yankee Stadium
on Thursday afternoon when he
was stopped by a clubhouse boy.
"Mr. Steinbrenner!” he
called out to the Yankees owner.
“Do we get to go to Shea
Stadium?”
The Boss was stumped.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“You'll have to ask someone
else.”
That's how it’s been much of
this week when it comes to the
Subway Series and logistics.
Though the ballparks are
only miles apart, this World
Series is presenting all kinds of
problems.
As in, if Mets star Mike
Piazza wants to drive directly to
Yankee Stadium, will the
Yankees let him park in their lot?
Both teams tried to settle
their off-the-field plans.
The Mets, for example, will
let the Yankees use the weight
room at Shea Stadium. The facil
ity is located inside the Mets’
clubhouse.
This summer, after Roger
Clemens beaned Piazza, the
Mets blocked the Yankees from
using the weight room during
interleague play.
“Tensions have cooled down
to the point where nothing will
happen,” Mets GM Steve
Phillips said.
Torre also hopes calmer
heads will prevail.
“I would like to believe this
World Series is more about com
petition and fun than about get
ting even and inciting riots,” he
said.
The Mets plan to meet at
Shea on Saturday, possibly for
some batting practice, and then
bus over to Yankee Stadium to
dress.
There was a chance, howev
er, that Piazza would head
straight from his New Jersey
home to Yankee Stadium.
During interleague play, the
Yankees let him park in their
lot—this time, he was figuring
on taking a taxi.
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The Yankees also planned on
taking a bus or two to Shea. That
was fine with Game 1 starter
AndyPettitte.
“What I think most about it
is that we don't have to get on
another airplane,” he said.
“Man, we have been doing so
much traveling.”
Of course, players on both
sides have had other things to
deal with this week.
“I've been getting a lot of
calls for tickets, a lot,” said Mets
reliever John Franco, a New York
native.
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