Sept. 12, 2006

Final Stats

Lincoln, Neb. - Playing its third match in five days on a road trip that surpassed 1,000-miles in length, the Western Carolina Catamount women's soccer team battled the 32nd-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers for nearly 105 minutes before falling in double overtime, 1-0, Tuesday evening at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

Western (2-4-0) has played five of its six matches away from the friendly confines of Cullowhee this season, while Nebraska has yet to venture outside of Lincoln, improving to 4-0-2 on the season. The loss Tuesday concluded an otherwise successful road trip for WCU as the Catamounts won two matches at the Border Shootout in El Paso, Texas over the Bobcats of Texas State and the Bearkats of Sam Houston State over the weekend.

The game winner for the Cornhuskers came in the second overtime session by junior Jessie Bruch on a pass from Brittany Timko, who earlier in the day was named the Big XII conference Offensive Player of the Week for last week. Timko dribbled past a Catamount defender and created space for a crossing pass. Bruch made a run into the box and corralled Timko's cross, which had glanced off the outstretched leg of a Western Carolina defender, and put a shot into the back of the net for the game winner.

Bruch and teammate Aysha Jamani each finished the match with five shots apiece as Nebraska out shot Western, 18-to-6 on the day and held a 5-to-3 advantage in corner kicks.

The Huskers controlled play for most of the early portions of the match, holding an 8-0 edge in shots heading into intermission. However, late in the second half, the Cats mounted a serious scoring threat of their own with less than 17 minutes remaining in regulation. Following a long Western throw-in by freshman Nikki Lombardo, NU's Shannon Dickerson and sophomore Lindsay Poehling collided while attempting to clear the ball. With both players down on the ground, sophomore Buki Baruwa launched a shot that was blocked, but freshman Shannon Schmoker found the rebound and fired a shot on goal that Nebraska sophomore goalkeeper Jamie Klages was able to stop for the Huskers and preserve the scoreless deadlock.

In the first overtime, each team nearly found the back of the net for the victory. The Catamounts again pressured the NU backline, and Lombardo launched a shot headed for the top of the net that Klages was able to tip off the post and out of bounds just 3:01 into the overtime period. Lombardo led Western with two shots on the day.

With only 1:02 remaining in the first 10 minutes of extra time, Bruch headed a Timko free kick to the near post that Catamount senior keeper Alesha Row was able to make a diving, fingertip save to preserve the shutout and send the game to a second overtime. After finishing with three shots at the end of regulation - all in the second half - Western equaled the tally with three offerings in the first OT alone.

Row was brilliant in net for Western Carolina, making seven saves, including several outstanding stops that kept the Huskers off the board. Not to be outdone, Klages posted her second shutout of the season by denying two shots.

Western returns home for just the second time this season on Friday, Sept. 15, opening Southern Conference play by hosting the Wofford Terriers at 7:00 pm at the Catamount Athletic Complex as a part of Family Weekend. WCU concludes the special weekend by hosting the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs at 2:00 pm on Sunday afternoon.