Nebraska soccer is young, but the Huskers don’t consider this a building year Soccer

At this time last year, Sarah Weber and Abbey Schwarz were dealing with the stress of starting a college career.

Schwarz and Weber have a year of experience under their belts now. During that time, the two settled in and grew close both as teammates and roommates.

Now, they’re ready to lead a young Nebraska soccer team together.

“Looking back at last season, we had a lot of seniors and COVID seniors, and there was pressure to join the team and try to gain their trust,” Weber said. “But now this year we all have a year under us and we’ve been able to go through everything together.

“And just being able to play together and learn and grow as a group on and off the field, not a lot of teams get that opportunity this early, and it’s been very beneficial. This is our team now and we’re all on the same wavelength.”

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Weber and Schwarz are two of the 18 underclassmen — nine freshmen and nine sophomores — on coach John Walker’s roster, which also has six juniors and one senior.

It’s a group that has already gelled together and is ripe with potential one or two years down the road. But at the same time, nobody on this Nebraska roster wants to let this fall go to waste.

“We know some people are going to say we’re a young team and that this is a building year, but we don’t want to use that as an excuse,” said Schwarz, who led Nebraska with eight assists last season. “We’re going in with the mentality that we know the talent we have and the potential we have now, and that’s maybe an advantage for us.

“Because we have a very fiery group and a lot of good energy. Now it’s about trying to channel that collectively and leaning on the older girls who have been here before.”

After finishing the 2021 season with a 7-9-2 record and posting a 3-5-2 mark in Big Ten play, there’s no denying the Huskers will be searching for more consistency this fall. And with most of the same roster returning, last season can be used as a good learning experience.

It starts with carrying over the momentum from their final three matches of the year — consecutive wins over Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota.

“When you look at those last three games, we weren’t really playing for anything, and you saw how we were able to kind of let loose and just play as a group,” Weber said. “I think we knew we could play like that all season but we were able to finally apply it because there was nothing on the line.

“We all just went out there and played together, and that’s what we need to do from the beginning of this year. That way we’re not too nervous and can play the way we’re capable of playing, because we showed it at the end (of last season).”

From an individual standpoint, Weber wants to carry over her play from last season too. The former Gretna star and two-time Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year started all 18 games and was a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

Weber finished second on the team in goals (6), third in minutes (1,369) and led NU in shots (62) — 31 of them on goal.

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“Coming from high school, college soccer was not only a huge jump physically, but I think mentally even more,” she said. “The speed of play is just that much higher and it really forces you to step outside your comfort zone and step up.

“Now coming into this year with a year of experience, I’m looking at it as I can play with more confidence and I know that I can perform at the college level now.”

Weber said she hopes to improve her defense and shot percentage this season. And a personal goal of hers is to be selected for the US National Camp. But the bigger goal is the same throughout the program — make the Big Ten tournament.

“We want to compete and we want to make a run at winning the Big Ten championship,” Schwarz said. “Even though we’re a young team, we’re not setting our goals low this season. We know what we’re capable of and we want to aim for a lot more than we accomplished last year.”

And this season starts with nine of their first 10 matches at home.

“To get the opportunity to play at Hibner that many times and against that level of competition, we’re really set up for success early on,” Weber said. “And if we can capitalize on that opportunity, it can really make a difference later in the season.”

Nebraska opens its 2022 slate on Aug. 18 against San Diego State — the first of five straight home non-conference games.

For those coming to Hibner Stadium this fall, fans can expect to see that youthful energy. But they’ll also see a team that’s hoping to turn some heads in 2022.

“You’re going to see a team that doesn’t want to lose and is building on each and every game,” Weber said. “You’ll see the competitiveness and the drive from each of us. Because even though we’re young, we have a ton of energy and we’re ready to show the progress we’ve made this offseason.”