By halftime on Sunday, most of the drama for Nebraska soccer wasn’t taking place in its own match.
The No. 25 Huskers had a dominant first half effort on the road against Illinois to close the regular season, taking a 4-0 lead into the break. Four different players scored, with highlights including Eleanor Dale’s 23rd goal of the year and a corner kick goal from Lauryn Anglim.
Despite two second-half scores from the Illini, Nebraska never appeared in danger of blowing the lead, so attention was better focused on other conference matchups. The Huskers entered the day tied for second in the league with Michigan State and a point behind Penn State, meaning the regular season Big Ten title was up for grabs. Halfway through those contests, the Spartans led Iowa 1-0 while the Nittany Lions were tied with a ranked Wisconsin squad.
Michigan State continued to take care of business, with the outcome becoming increasingly obvious after a couple more scores. However, tension only rose between the Badgers and one of the top teams in the nation. Penn State, needing a win to secure the regular season title, only recorded one shot to Wisconsin’s seven in the opening half.
The match remained scoreless through 80 minutes despite plenty of chances from both sides. Finally, one team broke through. Wisconsin’s Aryssa Mahrt successfully took on an opposing defender, enticing the keeper to come up and help stop the chance. Her shot was slowed by the latter, but the ball still found its way to the front of the goal for Ashley Martinez to finish off the score.
With two goals in just over eight minutes being unlikely, this essentially confirmed that Nebraska and Michigan State would sit atop the conference. Upon their respective results being finalized, the Husker and Spartan teams ran onto the field to celebrate, aware of the situation.
Michigan State also claimed the regular season Big Ten title last year. On the other hand, Nebraska did it for the first time in a decade. It was a fitting way to cap off what has been a breakout season for the team and multiple individuals on it. Dale’s nation-leading 23 goals this year are tied with Christine Latham’s 2000 campaign for the third-most in program history. First and second place are held by Kim Engesser, who scored 26 times in 1997 and 27 times the next year.
Sarah Weber has as many goals as she did in a first-team all-conference season last year, along with one more assist. Florence Belzile’s 13 assists rank in the top three nationally. The Division I Women’s Soccer Committee considered Nebraska just outside its first top 16 rankings.
Of course, the games only get more important from here. Tiebreakers make Michigan State the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament, while Nebraska will be No. 2. The Huskers, currently on a six-match winning streak, will host their quarterfinal game against Ohio State next Sunday. They beat the Buckeyes 2-1 earlier this season on the road.
If Nebraska wins, it will travel with three other squads to Columbus, Ohio, where the semifinals and championship take place. Its only conference loss this year is to Penn State, which is the fourth seed and therefore can’t meet Nebraska until the championship. The Huskers tied against both their potential semifinal matchups — Wisconsin and Rutgers.
The time of the Sunday matchup has yet to be announced, but the team is already encouraging high attendance, urging fans to “pack Hibner” in a video posted shortly after the win.
