Southeast Missouri (2-2-0) at Arkansas State (3-2)
 
Date:Sunday, September 15, 2019
Time: 1 p.m., CT
Location: Jonesboro, Ark.
Series: SEMO leads, 14-6-2
  
Quick Kicks
Southeast Missouri (2-2-0) opened its 21st season of women's soccer with a 3-2 win over Southern Mississippi (Aug. 25) and is coming off losses to SEC foes Ole Miss (2-0, Aug. 29) and Arkansas (5-0, Sept. 1). Senior Esmie Gonzales was named to the inaugural Ohio Valley Conference Player Watch List. The Redhawks continue their four-game road stretch at Arkansas State Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., CT. Live stats will be available at GoSoutheast.com. 

Arkansas State will play fellow OVC foe Murray State Friday before facing the Redhawks.
 
Follow the Redhawks
• @SEMOsoccer, the official Twitter page of the Redhawks, will feature live in-game updates.
• Watch SEMO soccer live on ESPN+ for all home games. 
• Live stats for every game are available on gosoutheast.com
 
Series History
The Redhawks lead their all-time series against Arkansas State, 8-0-1. SEMO is 4-0 against ASU in Jonesboro. The lone tie with the Red Wolves came on Sept 6, 2013 in Cape Girardeau. The Redhawks have outshot the Red Wolves 21-0.  
 
Scouting Arkansas State
Arkansas State is currently 3-2 this season and will play one more game against Murray State before the Redhawks come to town. SEMO will be the third OVC team that the Red Wolves square off against this season after opening the 2019 campaign at UT Martin (L, 3-1). ASU defeated Kansas State (2-1), Central Arkansas (3-1) and Jackson State (6-1), before falling to Texas Tech (0-1).  Sophomore Sarah Sodoma scored three goals and had one assist against Jackson State. Sodoma was the leading scorer for ASU a year ago, earning her All-Sun Belt Conference Honors. 
 
Record Year
Esmie Gonzales is expected to reprise her role as attacking center-mid this season as she did in years past.  During her rookie campaign, Gonzales earned Second-Team All-OVC and All-Newcomer honors. She has since been named to the All-OVC First-Team in back-to-back years. In her career at SEMO, Gonzales has already broken into SEMO's top five career leaders in goals (4th, 25), game-winning goals (2nd, 11), shots (1st, 191) and shots on goal (3rd, 91). The Fort Worth, Texas native is barely in the top five in points (56). She is a senior this season.
 
Heisserer Hot Start
Freshman Megan Heisserer is off to a hot start in a Redhawks uniform. In exhibition play, the Scott City, Missouri native had a goal and an assist. So far this season, Heisserer had a pair of goals and an assist on nine shots. She is currently leading the team with five points. 
 
Let's Recap
The Redhawks are currently 2-2 with wins over Southern Mississippi (3-2) and Evansville (2-1). SEMO dropped matches to SEC opponents Ole Miss (2-0) and Arkansas (5-0). The Redhawks went 3-0 in exhibition play with wins over Memphis (1-0), Missouri State (3-0) and Southern Illinois (2-1). Senior Esmie Gonzales was named to the OVC Preseason Player Watch List. 

Looking Ahead
After Sunday's visit to Arkansas State, SEMO will begin Ohio Valley Conference play when it hosts Belmont (Sept. 20) and Eastern Illinois (Sept. 22). The Redhawks then travel to Austin Peay (Sept. 27) and Murray State (Sept. 29). A rematch with Southern Illinois falls during conference play on Oct. 6.

2018 Recap
The Redhawks finished 2018 with a 5-8-5 record. SEMO made the OVC Tournament for the 17th time, advancing to the Quarterfinals before falling to Eastern Illinois on PKs. The trio of Esmie Gonzales, Morgan McCourt and Bailey Redden earned All-OVC honors at the conclusion of the season. Gonzales was named First-Team All-OVC for the second-straight season while Redden and McCourt were both named All-Newcomer. 
 
OVC Preseason Poll
SEMO was picked to finish tied for seventh in the 2019 OVC Predicted Order of Finish. Murray State was voted to win the league with 18 first-place votes. Two other teams also garnered first-place nods, including UT Martin and Eastern Kentucky. 
 
Roster Breakdown
The 2019 roster consists of 24 student-athletes including 16 returners, nine of which were regular starters a year ago. Notable players back this season are both 2018 OVC All-Newcomer Team sophomores midfielder Morgan McCourt and goalkeeper Bailey Redden. Senior Esmie Gonzales also returns after being named All-OVC Team at the conclusion of the 2018 season. There are eight freshmen on this year's roster, including SEMO native Megan Heisserer.