Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney women's soccer team heads North this weekend to face Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference members Wayne State and Augustana.

A rare Thursday/Saturday format, UNK is at Wayne (7:00 p.m.) and then Augie (11:00 a.m.). Check the Loper schedule page for live stat links.

Dating back to last year, Kearney has gone into double overtime in four of its last seven games. Those 110 minute affairs have resulted in three ties and a loss. Wayne also enters Thursday night with a 0-0-2 mark as they tied NW Oklahoma State, 0-0, and MIAA-member NW Missouri State, 1-1. Both contests were at home.

Last fall, the 'Cats went 3-14-1 (2-13 NSIC) with one of their victories coming in Kearney, 1-0. Nine upperclassmen dot the current roster with one of those being forward Josie Brown.
She led Wayne in shots (41), points (eight) and goals (three) in 2014 and started 17 out of 18 games.

This year, Brown has a team-best 14 points, eight being on goal, and an assist. Junior keeper Kylie Comba has played all 220 minutes, posting a 0.41 GAA with 13 saves. As a sophomore, she was 1-3-0 with a 3.54 GAA and 23 saves.

The Augustana Vikings played two MIAA powers, Southwest Baptist and Central Missouri, last weekend at home and beat the Bearcats, 5-1, while falling to the Mules, 2-1.

They are coming off a 14-6 season in which they posted an 8-1 home record and reached the NCAA Tournament. Augie has had to replace its top two scores as well as its starting keeper from that squad.

In the win over SBU, both Stephanie Stevens and Samantha Tymkowicz scored twice with Stevens also having an assist. She ranked third on the team in points last season with 16.
Tymkowicz also scored against UCM with sophomore keeper Taylor Machacek having stopped eight shots through two games.

UNK comes into the week with a deep bench and plenty of newcomers in the starting lineup. One of those is keeper Ali Hirschman (Millard South H.S.), who has made 10 saves to have a 0.45 GAA through 190 minutes of work.

Offensively, senior Montanna Hosterman (Papillion-LaVista South H.S.) has taken a team-high six shots with five others having either two or three. That group includes newcomers Reina Horikawa (Japan), Kelsie Ienn (Papillion-LaVista H.S.) and Shannon Duff (Ft. Collins, Colo.).

UNK hosts Fort Hays State next Friday night in a non-league game before travelling to Washburn on Sunday for another non-conference affair.