Southeast Missouri (5-4-0, 3-1-0) vs. SIU Edwardsville (3-4-3, 1-1-2)
 
Date: Thursday, October 3, 2019
Time: 6:30 p.m., CT
Location: Houck Field
Series: SEMO leads, 7-3-2
 
Southeast Missouri (5-4-0) vs. Southern Illinois (4-7-1)
 
Date: Sunday, October 6, 2019
Time: 2 p.m., CT
Location: Houck Field
Series: First Meeting
  
Quick Kicks
Southeast Missouri opened Ohio Valley Conference play with a 3-1 record and is tied with Murray State at the top of the league standings. The Redhawks continue conference action when they host SIUE (Oct. 3). SEMO will then welcome rival Southern Illinois (Oct.6). Watch the Redhawks live on ESPN+. Live stats will be available for both games at GoSoutheast.com. 

No OVC school had a winning record entering the start of conference play. SEMO won its first three league contests to get nine points. The Redhawks are first in the OVC standings, tied with Murray State. The Redhawks improved to 8-8-5 all-time in OVC openers and were off to a 3-0 start in conference play for the first time in eight years.  
 
Follow the Redhawks
• @SEMOsoccer, the official Twitter page of the Redhawks, will feature live in-game updates.
• Watch SEMOsoccer live on ESPN+ for all home games and select away games. 
• Live stats for every game are available at GoSoutheast.com
 
Series History vs. SIUE
The Redhawks lead their all-time series against SIUE, 7-3-2. The last meeting between these teams was in Edwardsville, Illinois on Oct. 14, 2018. The Redhawks and Cougars tied, 1-1. SEMO is 5-1-1 at home against the Cougars, with its last win at Houck Field coming on October 15, 2017 (4-1).

Scouting SIUE
SIUE is 3-4-3 this season with a 1-1-2 mark in conference play. MacKenzie Litzsinger leads the Cougars with six goals, an assist and 26 shots. Goalkeeper Bella Henderson has allowed 16 goals, made 28 saves and has a .636 save percentage. SIUE's only conference win was a 6-1 victory over Jacksonville State (Sept. 29). The Cougars also  fell to Murray State (5-0) on Sept. 26 and tied both Austin Peay (Sept. 19) and Tennessee Tech (Sept. 26), 2-2, in double overtime contests.

Series History vs. Southern Illinois
This is the inaugural season for Southern Illinois Women's Soccer. The Salukis played their first game, an exhibition match involving SEMO, on Aug. 17. SEMO defeated SIU,  2-1, in front of a crowd over 2,000 in Carbondale. This will be the first countable match between the two regional rivals. 

Scouting Southern Illinois
The Salukis are 4-7-1 overall this year. There are 19 freshmen on the squad along with four sophomores, two seniors and a pair of  juniors. The Salukis have lost their last three matches and were outscored 12-1 in that span. Goalie Dariana Mihalache has allowed 23 goals, faced 169 shots and made 68 saves. She has a .747 save percentage entering this weekend. Freshman Liz Brechtel leads the team with three goals, 18 shots and seven shots on goal. 
 
Record Year
Esmie Gonzales earned First-Team All-OVC honors in back-to-back seasons. Gonzales ranks among Southeast Missouri's top five career leaders in goals (4th, 26), points (5th, 58), and shots on goal (3rd, 97). The Fort Worth, Texas native holds the record for shots (202) and is tied for first in game-winning goals (12). The 2019 campaign marks the final season for Gonzales.
 
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 three goals and an assist on 17 shots. She leads the team with seven points along with Gonzales. 
 
Let's Recap
The Redhawks are 5-4 with wins over Southern Mississippi (3-2), Evansville (2-1), Belmont (2-1), Eastern Illinois (1-0) and Austin Peay (2-1). SEMO dropped matches to SEC opponents Ole Miss (2-0) and Arkansas (5-0), and fell to Arkansas State (1-0). 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 this weekend's contests, the Redhawks continue OVC play when they travel to Eastern Kentucky (Oct. 11) and Morehead State (Oct. 13).