Story by NU Athletic Communications
The five-seeded Nebraska soccer team (14-3-3, 7-1-2 Big Ten) opens its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history by hosting South Dakota State on Friday at Barbara Hibner Stadium, starting at 7:05 p.m. (CT). It marks the second meeting between the two teams this season, as NU hosted SDSU in an exhibition match to start the season, winning 2-1.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on Huskers.com
Last Time Out: Despite outshooting the Badgers 15-10, the Huskers saw their Big Ten Tournament run come to an end in the semifinals as the Huskers fell to #12 Wisconsin 3-1 at Lower.com Field on Thursday afternoon.
Up Next: The winner of the first-round match between Nebraska and SDSU will face the winner of the match between fourth-seeded Xavier or Tennessee in the second round.
Nebraska’s NCAA Tournament History
- Nebraska is making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, and first since 2016 when the Huskers also hosted SDSU in the first round.
- Nebraska holds a 17-12 record all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- NU has made it to the Sweet 16 on eight occasions and twice advanced to the Elite Eight.
- Nebraska made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1996, which began a span of 10 consecutive appearances through the 2005 season. NU’s 12th appearance was in 2016.
Individual Milestones and Records to Watch
- Dale, a senior from Billingham, England, earned four Big Ten Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors this season (second-most in Big Ten history), and she became the first Nebraska women’s soccer player to claim Big Ten Forward-of-the-Year honors. She leads the country in total goals (25), game-winning goals (8), goals per game (1.25), while also leading the conference in shots (120), shots on goal (61) and points (54). Dale’s total goals and points are the most in the Big Ten since 2001 (Christie Welsh, Penn State, 25 goals, 68 points).
- Dale, who has tallied 10 braces this season, is third on Nebraska’s season goal scored list. She trails only Kim Engesser, who scored 27 goals in 1998 and 26 goals in 1997. Additionally, she is tied for first in the Huskers record books in game-winning goals and her total shots this season place her at the top of the list.
- Gretna’s Sarah Weber joins Dale as a first-team All-Big Ten honoree as Weber captured her second-straight first-team All-Big Ten status. She ranks second in the conference in shots (83), points (31) and shots on goal (33), and third in goals (12). Nationally, Weber is ninth in shots per game (4.37) and tied for 15th in total points.
- This season marks the first time since 2010 that the Huskers have had two players with 12 or more goals on the season.
- Junior midfielder Florence Belzile, a three-time member of the Top Drawer Soccer team, has a team-high 16 assists on the season, good for first in the conference and second nationally. Also, she is ninth in the conference standings with 22 points. In the Husker record books, her assists on the season place her tied for eighth with Husker greats Jenny Benson (1996) and Brittany Timko (2004).