Southeast Missouri (3-7-1, 1-3-1 OVC) vs Tennessee Tech (6-6, 2-3 OVC)
 
Date: Friday, October 5, 2018
Time: 7 p.m., CT
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Series: SEMO leads, 14-6-2
 
Quick Kicks
Southeast Missouri (3-7-1 ,1-3-1) opens a four-game road trip at Tennessee Tech (6-6, 2-3) Friday. SEMO defeated UT Martin to secure its first Ohio Valley Conference victory of the season. The Redhawks wrap up league play with four of their final five games on the road. Esmie Gonzales is close to cracking SEMO's top five career leaders in shots, shots on goal and points. Gonzales currently has 152 shots, 74 shots on goal and 46 points in her career. She stands tied for fifth in both goals (19) and game-winning goals (8).

Follow the Redhawks
• @SEMOsoccer, the official Twitter page of the Redhawks, will feature live in-game updates all season long. 
• Watch SEMO soccer live on the OVC Digital Network for select home and away events.
• Live stats for Friday's game are available at TTUSports.com.
 
Series History
Southeast leads its all-time series against Tennessee Tech, 14-6-2. The Redhawks are 4-5-1 in Cookeville, Tennessee with their most recent visit resulting in a 1-0 loss in 2016. The winning team has shutout its opponent in each of the last six meetings in this series.

Scouting the Opponents
Tennessee Tech enters Friday's contest with an overall record of 6-6 and 2-3 in OVC play. TTU returns senior goalkeeper Kari Naerdemann who has recorded 32 shutouts in her career. Naerdemann has 308 total saves with 105 coming during her freshman year. Sophomore Kendall Powell leads TTU with six goals so far this season. She has a team-high 23 shots with 14 on goal. The Golden Eagles posted 60 of their 109 shots in the second half alone. Of its 36 corner kicks this season, TTU has scored a goal off three of those tries. 
 
Redden's First Career Start
Bailey Redden made her first career start against UT Martin (Sept. 16). The Belleville, Illinois native has appeared in eight matches and played the full 90 minutes twice. The true freshman has made 37 total saves, including nine against UT Martin. Redden has a .804 save percentage and recorded her first shutout against Morehead State (Sept. 30). 
 
McCourt's Powerful Start
Morgan McCourt has had a great start in her collegiate career with three goals and eight shots. Two of the Burlington, Wisconsin native's goals occurred against Illinois-Springfield (Aug. 24). McCourt has been a constant threat on offense during her 11 games and six starts this season.
 
Let's Recap
The Redhawks had a slow start to the 2018 season as they dropped the home opener 2-1 to Evansville. Southeast then defeated Oral Roberts after a tough trip out west to face Pac 12 members Arizona and Arizona State. The other win on the season came against Illinois-Springfield, where freshman Morgan McCourt scored two goals. SEMO started OVC play at 0-3 before recording a tie and win in its previous two contests. SEMO finished the 2017 season with an 8-8-4 overall record and 4-3-3 mark in OVC play. The Redhawks competed in the OVC Tournament, but came up short against top-seeded Murray State.
 
Looking Ahead
After Friday's visit to Tennessee Tech, SEMO travels to Eastern Illinois (Oct. 11), SIU Edwardsville (Oct. 14) and Belmont (Oct. 18). The Redhawks then wrap up their regular season at home against Austin Peay on Oct. 21. The OVC Tournament is scheduled to begin at the sight of the highest seed on Oct. 27. 
 
OVC Preseason Poll
Southeast was picked to finish tied for fourth in the 2018 OVC Predicted Order of Finish, the league announced. Murray State was picked to win the league with 15 first-place votes. Two other teams also garnered first-place nods, including Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech. 
 
Roster Breakdown
The 2017 roster consists of 24 student-athletes including 17 returners, six of which were regular starters in 2017. Notable players back in 2018 are both 2017 OVC All-Tournament Team senior forward Lauren Kaempfe and junior midfielder Esmie Gonzales.