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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Southeast Missouri soccer team opens the 2012 season at home with a pair of matches this weekend. The Redhawks host defending Missouri Valley Conference Champion Illinois State and in-state foe Saint Louis at Houck Stadium on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Both matches kick off at 6:30 p.m.
Quick Kicks
•Southeast faced both of these teams in non-conference play last fall. The Redhawks defeated the Redbirds, 3-2, in both team's season openers in Normal, Ill. Southeast played Saint Louis to a 0-0 tie on the road.
•The Redhawks have won three-straight season opening matches and are 10-2-1 all-time in season openers. In fact, Southeast is 10-1 in its last 11 season-openers.
•Friday will be the first time in three all-time meetings that Southeast has hosted Illinois State at Houck Stadium. Sunday's match against Saint Louis will be the first time the Billikens have come to Cape Girardeau since Sept. 2, 2005.
News and Notes
Outlook – Southeast returns six starters from its 2011 squad that won the regular season Ohio Valley Conference title with a 12-6-1 overall record and an 8-1-0 mark in OVC play. The notable returners include 2011 OVC Freshman of the Year
Erin Shulman (9 goals in 2011) and first-team All-OVC selection
Ashton Aubuchon (8 shutouts).
Scouting Illinois State – The Redbirds won their second Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title in three years and their third regular season crown in the past four years in 2011. ISU finished 13-6-0 and ranked third in the country with 2.95 goals per match. Rachel Tejada spearheaded the attack with 21 goals and 51 points while ranking fourth among all Division I players in goals per match (1.105) and points per match (2.68). ISU played three exhibition matches this month, going 1-0-2 against Murray State, No. 14 Memphis and Eastern Michigan.
Scouting Saint Louis – The Billikens are coming off a 5-10-3 campaign in 2011, marking their third-consecutive losing season. SLU tallied only 16 goals in its 18 matches while yielding 30 goals defensively. Saint Louis played Missouri State in an exhibition last Saturday and recorded a 2-0 victory.
We're Number Two…Again – For the second-consecutive season, Southeast was picked second in the OVC Preseason Poll. The Redhawks accrued nine first-place votes and 180 voting points, trailing only defending OVC Tournament champion UT Martin (13 first-place votes, 190 points).
