Nebraska Soccer

Sustained Success

Nebraska has made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including nine trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 and three Elite Eight berths. In that time, the Huskers also won a conference-best five Big 12 Tournament titles and had 70 student-athletes earn first-team All-Big 12 honors. The Huskers transitioned to the Big Ten Conference in 2011, claiming both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles in 2013, and the regular-season crown in 2023.

2023 - A Season for the Ages

Huskers By the Numbers

• 3 NCAA Elite Eight Appearances
• 11 Conference Titles
• 9 Sweet 16 Appearances
• 11 World Cup Competitors, including three in 2015
• 13 NCAA Tournament Appearances
• 20 All-America Awards
• 108 All-Conference Selections
• 365 All-Time Victories

Player Development

The Nebraska Soccer program has one of the country’s finest reputation for Player Development.

Nebraska’s detailed and holistic approach to development is unique to college athletics and many current and former Husker players have progressed to competing with their respective National teams and/or continuing their soccer careers at the professional level.

Three former Huskers represented Canada at the 2008 Olympic Games, in the country’s first-ever Olympic appearance, while Brittany Timko and Karina LeBlanc both represented Canada at the 2012 Games in London.

Since the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991, 11 former Nebraska soccer players have participated in the seven World Cup competitions held to date. The most recent World Cup, held in 2015, included former Huskers Ari Romero (Mexico), Karina LeBlanc (Canada) and Selenia Iachelli (Canada)

Since 2016, eight current or former Husker soccer players have been called into USA U19, U20 or U23 National team training camps. Jaycie Johnson, Caroline Flynn, Sydney Miramontez and Haley Hanson are the former Huskers receiving National team invites while Sarah Weber, Sinclaire Miramontez, Aubrei Corder and Meg Brandt are the most recent Huskers receiving National team invites.

In April 2018, Haley Hanson was called into the USA Womens National team and received her 1st cap in a nationally televised game vs Mexico.

Huskers in the NWSL

National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) began its inaugural season in 2013. Former Husker Karina LeBlanc helped lead the Chicago Red Stars as one of the top goalkeepers in the NWSL before her retirement in 2015.

2018 First-Round Pick Haley Hanson

Haley Hanson was taken with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NWSL Draft by the Houston Dash. After her senior season in 2017 Hanson also attended a pair of U.S. Under-23 National Team Training Camps

Ari Romero and Jordan Jackson, who each contributed to Nebraska’s 2013 Big Ten championship team, were drafted by the Houston Dash in 2014.

Sydney Miramontez was signed by FC Kansas City in 2017, played for Utah Royals FC and now currently back playing at FC Kansas City. Jaycie Johnson and Caroline Flynn were each drafted in 2017. Johnson was selected 27th overall by the North Carolina Courage, and Flynn was taken 40th overall by the Portland Thorns FC.

2020 NWSL Draft

Nebraska was one of eight schools to have multiple selections in the 2020 draft, as Sinclaire Miramontez was picked 27th overall by the North Carolina Courage and Meg Brandt was taken 34th overall by Reign FC and has played in Norway and Germany. Miramontez currently plays for the OL Reign.

Additional Huskers Playing Professionally

Brenna Ochoa, a 2019 graduate and All-Big Ten honoree, competed in Denmark in 2020, Germany in 2021 and Sweden in 2022. Also, Savanah Anderson-Baer played for Orlando Pride in 2020 and in Germany. Most recently, Husker alum and forward Eleanor Dale officially signed with Everton to play in the Women’s Super League back on her home soil in February of 2023. 

What the Players Say about Nebraska...

“In my experience, the Nebraska Soccer Program is second-to-none when it comes to player development. During my four years as a Husker I was submerged in an environment where my tactical understanding was challenged, and my technical development was prioritized. I am positive that there is no other program in the country that takes such pride in individual player development. The coaching staff goes above and beyond to instill this culture, and their process-driven philosophy has enriched my game more than I could have ever imagined. Every year, every season, every day I was pushed to refine my game and become the best player I could possibly be, and because of that I was propelled into a professional soccer career. By taking advantage of everything Nebraska Soccer had to offer, I was able to go above and beyond what I thought was possible.” - Haley Hanson (Houston Dash/USA National Team)

"The player development emphasis of the Nebraska soccer program played a pivotal role in my growth as a soccer player. The time and resources invested in my development allowed me to make incredible strides in fitness, technical ability, and overall knowledge of the game. The attention placed on the detail and mastery of these skills by my coaches transformed the way I viewed the game and later gave me the opportunity to achieve my lifelong dream of playing professionally. The Nebraska Soccer program continues to build a strong foundation around the importance of player development, which has proven to give players the confidence and experience to reach their highest potential in anything they do." - Sydney Miramontez (Utah Royals/US U23 National Team)

"Nebraska's player development emphasis has played a huge role in my soccer career. It allowed me to become one of the top forwards in the nation during my time playing under Coach Walker and staff, allowed me to be called into multiple National team camps and gave me the opportunity to continue playing soccer professionally. This program allows you to find your weaknesses and turn them into strengths, to let you understand all the little details and mechanics that go into perfecting the right technique. It gives you the opportunity to fully grow as a well rounded player in all aspects of the game. I would not be half the player I am today if it was not for Nebraska Soccer's player development program and the help from the coaching staff." - Jaycie Johnson (KC Current/US U 23 National Team)

"My time in the US put me in the best position possible to get a professional contract and I can’t thank Husker soccer enough for everything it has given me The program pushed me both as a player and a person, allowing me to work on my weaknesses and get even better at my strengths. Being part of that team was special and something I will be proud of for the rest of my career." - Eleanor Dale (WSL - Everton F.C.)

National-Leading 347 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans

Nebraska Athletics leads the nation with a 353 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, with Stanford ranking second with 335.

Top Ten Award Winners

Nebraska student-athletes have won more NCAA Top Ten Awards than any other school in the country. Regarded as the nation's most prestigious academic award, Nebraska has had 18 recipients - including Anton Stephenson in 2018. The award honors male and female student-athletes throughout the country based upon the criteria of athletic achievement, academic achievement and community involvement.

94% Graduation Success Rate

Nebraska student-athletes continue to be among the nation’s best in the classroom. The NCAA released its Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in November 2020 and Nebraska posted its highest overall GSR for the eighth straight year.

Performance Nutrition

• 1,600 meals served daily to Nebraska student-athletes and staff members
• Individualized Meal Plans/ Menus
• Body Composition Testing
• Competition Fueling
• Supplement Education
• High-Quality, Performance-Based Foods
• The Landing- established in 2005
• Oasis- established in 2011
• Before, During, and After Workout Fueling Plan
• Student nutrition volunteers assist in managing both areas
• Prepare specialized nutritional shakes and recovery drinks for all student-athletes
• Life Skills Kitchen- offers student- athletes to learn and prepare nutritious meals themselves

Refueling at "The Landing"

The Landing, established in 2005, and the Oasis, established in 2011, serve as fueling points for all athletes before, during, and after training. The Landing is located in North Stadium while the Oasis is housed in the Hendricks Training Complex. Both areas provide a number of different options including chocolate milk, recovery shakes, energy bars, bagels, fruits, nuts, and Gatorade for student athletes.

Husker Bucks

Available to all student-athletes on an active roster. App that gives the student-athlete a certain amount of money per day on Saturdays and Sundays to eat at select restaurants in downtown Lincoln.

Student-athletes also have the option to use their Husker Bucks money at one of two grocery stores throughout the month in lieu of restaurants.

Athletic Medicine

Providing expert care to more than 600 Husker student-athletes, Nebraska features one of the most well-trained and highly skilled athletic medicine staffs in the country.

The Nebraska athletic medicine staff consists of five physicians, 14 full-time athletic trainers, eight graduate assistant athletic trainers, four full-time in-house athletic psychologists, one full-time neuropsychologist and sports psychiatry consultants who work directly with student-athletes.

Post-Eligibility Opportunities

Mission Statement: Provide unmatched educational experiences to recent letterwinner graduates, increasing their marketability, personal development and intellectual growth.

Program Summary: PEO provides letterwinner alumni a one-semester scholarship, valued up to $7,500, to apply toward an internship, study abroad experience or graduate school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Eligible letterwinner alumni, who fulfill all program requirements, will have up to three years from the time of graduation or exhaustion of eligibility, whichever occurs latest, to participate in this program.

With an enrollment of over 25,000 students, the University of Nebraska has students from over 135 countries and 149 undergraduate majors. More information can be found here.

UNL National Rankings

• 2018 No. 1 Online MBA in the World for Alumni Salary Increases (Financial Times)
• 2018 Top 30 Colleges that Produce the Most CEOs (Kittleman)
• 2019 No. 9 Best Online Graduate Education Programs (U.S. News & World Report)
• 2021 No. 21 Online Master of Engineering Management Program (U.S. News & World Report)
• 2021 No. 17 Best Online MBA Programs (U.S. News & World Report)
• 2021 Best Value College (The Princeton Review)
• 2021 Ranked Among Top Third of National Universities (U.S. News & World Report)
• 2021 No. 13 Best Online MBA Program (Princeton Review)

An All-American City

One of the nation’s largest 75 cities, Lincoln features many of the benefits of an urban setting and is only minutes away from the scenic beauty and wide open spaces of America’s Heartland. The third-largest city in the Big Ten, Lincoln enables Nebraska student-athletes to enjoy the benefits of city life while residing in a community which is widely regarded as one of the top places to live in the United States.

Pinnacle Bank Arena

Home to Nebraska men's and women's basketball, Pinnacle Bank Arena is Lincoln's downtown arena located in the Railyard. Since opening in 2013 the arena has played host to artists such as...

• Jay-Z
• Katy Perry
• P!nk
• Justin Bieber
• Carrie Underwood
• Eric Church
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Chris Brown
• Florida Georgia Line
• Kenny Chesney
• Paul McCartney
• Blake Shelton
• Zac Brown Band
• Da Baby
• Pearl Jam
• Keith Urban
• Lil' Wayne
• Jason Aldean
• Bon Jovi
• Elton John
• Miranda Lambert & Deirks Bentley
• And many more...