2020-21 OVC Soccer Championship Semifinals
#4 Southeast Missouri (6-3-1)
vs. #1 Murray State (9-1)
Match Information
Date: Thursday, April 15, 2021
Location: Murray, Ky.
Venue: Cutchin Field
First Kick: 11 a.m., CT
All-Time Series: Murray State leads SEMO, 13-11-1, 1-0 in 2020-21
Last Meeting: 3-1 Murray State Win | April 2, 2021 | Houck Field | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Bracket
Championship Program
 
#4 Redhawks Face Top-Seeded Murray State in 2020-21 OVC Soccer Championship Semifinals Thursday
No. 4-seeded Southeast Missouri women's soccer (6-3-1) will take on top seed Murray State (9-1), the 2020-21 Ohio Valley Conference Regular-Season Champions, in the 2020-21 OVC Soccer Championship Semifinals Thursday morning at Cutchin Field in Murray, Kentucky. Kickoff for the first of two semifinals is set for 11 a.m., CT.
 
Follow the Redhawks
• Stats will be available for Thursday's game on GoSoutheast.com.
• Thursday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
• @SEMOSoccer, the official Twitter page of Redhawks soccer, will feature live in-game updates all season long.
 
Series History
Murray State leads the all-time series with SEMO, 13-11-1. The Racers have won or tied each of the last eight matchups. Murray State won the most recent meeting, 3-1, on April 2, 2021 at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
 
SEMO last beat Murray State on Oct. 5, 2014, 2-1, at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
 
Scouting the Racers
Murray State captured the 2020-21 OVC Regular-Season Championship and will host the 2020-21 OVC Championship Tournament this week. For the Racers, the OVC title is their fifth (2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020-21) regular-season crown.
 
The Racers wrapped up the regular season on April 6 with a 4-0 victory over Eastern Illinois at Cutchin Field. Freshman Chloe Barnthouse recorded the first Murray State hat trick since 2014. Lilly Strader chipped in a goal of her own. The win also marked the tenth-straight home OVC victory for the Racers as they have gone perfect in OVC regular-season matches at Cutchin Field in back-to-back seasons. Goalkeeper Jenna Villacres recorded her third clean sheet of the season.
 
Izzy Heckman and Barnthouse were recognized as the OVC Defensive and Offensive Players of the week, respectively on Sunday, and then named to the 2020-21 All-OVC First Team on Wednesday. Saraya Young and Lauren Payne were each selected to the 2020-21 All-OVC Second Team. Audrey Henry and Villacres joined Barnthouse on the All-Newcomer Team. 
 
Heckman was named the 2020-21 OVC Defender of the Year while the Racers Matt Lodge earned Coach of the Year honors.
 
OVC Championship Tournament History
SEMO is 12-13-7 at the OVC Championship Tournament and will make its 19th all-time appearance at the Tournament this week.
 
The Redhawks have qualified for the OVC Championship Tournament each of the past four seasons.
 
The Redhawks last competed at the Tournament in Murray, Kentucky, in 2017. As the fifth seed, SEMO went 2-0-1 in the OVC postseason that season. In Murray, Kentucky, SEMO advanced on penalty kicks over #4 Belmont (0-0, 2OT) before falling to the host Racers, 1-0, in the semifinals.
 
In Murray, Kentucky, SEMO is 4-1-1 at the OVC Championship Tournament having also competed there in 2015 (2-1-0).
 
SEMO is also 1-3-0 against Murray State at the OVC Championship Tournament, most recently facing the Racers in the semifinals in 2017 (1-0 loss). In both of those OVC Championship Tournaments held in Murray, Kentucky, SEMO has lost to the host Racers twice.
 
The Redhawks have won the OVC Championship Tournament twice in 2006 and 2007.
 
SEMO hosted the 2019 OVC Championship Tournament and fell to #4 SIUE, 2-1, in the Semifinals on Nov. 8. Natalie Jackson and Esmie Gonzales were named to the 2019 OVC All-Tournament Team.
 
All-OVC Honorees
Midfielders Lauren Welker and Emma Brune were named to 2020-21 All-Ohio Valley Conference Soccer Teams, the league announced Wednesday. Welker earned her first career All-OVC First Team nod while Brune was selected to both the All-OVC Second Team and All-Newcomer Team.

Welker leads SEMO in 2020-21 with five goals (0.50 goals/game) and four assists for 14 points (1.40 points/game). She ranks third in the OVC for assists per game (0.40) and total assists (4). She has netted a pair of game-winning goals this season, good for fifth in the league. Welker has started in all 10 regular-season games this campaign, appearing in 794 minutes on the pitch. She leads the team in 2020-21 with 15 shots and 10 on net.
 
Brune has started in all 10 regular-season games in 2020-21 and appeared in all 920 minutes of regulation, shoring up the Redhawks midfield in her inaugural collegiate season. Brune was named the OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on March 21 after she notched her first career goal on March 16 to provide the Redhawks a 1-0 win over Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Illinois. Brune has compiled 11 shots including eight on goal in 2020-21.
 
Redhawks Against the Rest of the Field in 2020-21
1. Murray State (0-1-0): SEMO fell to Murray State, 3-1, on April 2 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, at Houck Field.
 
2. SIUE (0-0-1): The Redhawks and the Cougars drew, 3-3, in their regular-season matchup on March 23 at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. SEMO and SIUE finished tied after 110 minutes of action.
 
3. UT Martin (0-1-0): SEMO dropped a 4-2 decision at UT Martin in the regular-season finale on April 6 in Martin, Tennessee.
 
About Last Week
SEMO most recently dropped a 4-2 decision to UT Martin (6-3-1) to conclude the 2020-21 regular season April 6 at the Skyhawk Soccer Field.
 
Nadiia Ivanchenko and Abby Tremain scored for the Redhawks in the regular-season finale. Lauren Welker compiled assists on both tallies and now has a team-high 14 points this season.
 
Ivanchenko cut the Skyhawks lead to 3-1 with a strike in the 72nd minute of play. The freshman from Lviv, Ukraine, put the Redhawks on the scoreboard with her first career goal. Ivanchenko paced SEMO with two shots on goal.
 
SEMO halved the UT Martin lead with a goal from Tremain in the 85th minute of play. Tremain, a Bridgeton, Missouri, native, celebrated her birthday with her second career goal as a Redhawk.
 
SEMO registered two or more goals for the third time in the 2020-21 campaign in the game.
 
Midfielder Taylor Nelson made her first career start as a Redhawk in the regular-season finale.
 
Bailey Redden finished with eight saves.
 
Emma Brune, Lexie Hacker and Natalie Jackson all played in the full 90 minutes of regulation.
 
Yeah Abby T!! 
Abby Tremain registered her first career goal as a Redhawk in the 79th minute of regulation March 29 at Morehead State. The junior from Bridgeton, Missouri, competed in 46 minutes against the Eagles, while registering the game-winner.
 
She most recently notched her second career goal to halve the UT Martin lead, 4-2, with a goal in the 85th minute of play of the regular-season finale on April 6. Tremain started the game and played in 56 minutes of action.
 
Tremain has started in six of the 10 games in 2020-21, with two goals on eight shots in 626 minutes. She is second on the team with four points this season.
 
First Career Goal for Ivanchenko
Freshman Nadiia Ivanchenko netted her first career goal as a Redhawk in the regular-season finale against UT Martin on April 6. Ivanchenko cut the Skyhawks lead to 3-1 with a strike in the 72nd minute of play.
 
Ivanchenko has appeared in nine games in her inaugural collegiate season with a pair of starts in 276 minutes of action. She has posted three points with a goal and an assist to accompany 10 shots (six on goal).
 
I'm Welking (Welker) on Sunshine
Lauren Welker leads the Redhawks in 2020-21 with 14 points, good for sixth in the OVC. In 10 games this season, Welker has compiled five goals and four assists. She ranks sixth in the league with 1.40 points per game, third for assists and fourth for goals. 
 
Welker posted her fifth goal of the season on April 2 against Murray State.
 
She also added her third and fourth assists of the season in the regular-season finale against UT Martin on April 6.
 
Welker notched her first three career goals as a Redhawk in the first three SEMO victories and games in the 2020-21 season.
  
Welker, a junior midfielder from Jackson, Missouri, has played in 794 minutes this season, and leads the team with 14 points and 15 shots (10 on goal). She has notched a team-high two game-winning goals, which is fifth in the conference. Welker averages 0.50 goals per game for fourth in the OVC and 0.40 assists per game (third in the OVC).
 
Compernolle the Facilitator
Hannah Compernolle is second on the Redhawks in 2020-21 with three assists. She most recently registered a helper on Kayla Byrd's first career goal on March 23 against SIUE.
 
Compernolle has also posted 10 shots this season including seven on goal. Compernolle, a senior from Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, will return for the 2021 fall season. 
 
Redden is a Keeper
Junior goalkeeper Bailey Redden has started in all 10 games this season. The Belleville, Illinois native, has played in all 920 minutes in 2020-21, allowing 13 goals with a 1.27 goals against average. Redden has compiled 52 saves on a .800 clip, fashioning a record of 6-3-1. Her five shutouts lead the conference and Redden is third in the league for saves.
 
She is fourth in the OVC with goalie minutes played, save percentage, saves per game (5.20).
 
Redden made a season-high nine saves against SIUE on March 23 and has registered eight saves in the past three games

Total 90
Midfielder Emma Brune and defenders Lexie Hacker and Natalie Jackson have all played in the full 920 minutes over SEMO's 10 contests this season. 
 
Brune has compiled a goal on 11 shots (eight on target).
 
Jackson is third on the team this season with a pair of assists including most recently on Faith Liljegren's tally against SIUE on March 23.
 
Emily Holten played in all 90 minutes of March 16's game at EIU, posting an assist with Jackson on Emma Brune's goal.
 
Hacker tallied an assist in SEMO's home opener on March 5.
 
SEMO Debuts
Taylor Nelson, a sophomore transfer from Lindenwood, made her Redhawks debut on March 12 against Austin Peay. She finished with a shot on goal in 16 minutes on the pitch.
 
Nelson made her first career start in the regular-season finale on April 6 at UT Martin.
 
Gabby Gscheidmeier, a redshirt freshman from Germantown, Wisconsin, made her SEMO debut at Belmont on March 9.
 
Maddie Paulson and Faith Liljegren also both made their Redhawk debuts in the win over Jacksonville State on March 5.
 
Freshmen Nadiia Ivanchenko (twice, March 5 & 9) and Kiana Khedoo (three times, March 9, 19 & 23) have also appeared in the SEMO starting lineup. Ivanchenko has played in nine games and Khedoo has competed in all 10. 
 
OVC Preseason Poll
SEMO, the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Regular-Season Champions, were picked to finish the 2020-21 season second in the OVC. Forward Megan Heisserer was named to the 2020-21 OVC Players Watch List.
 
The Redhawks received seven first-place votes and 172 points in the projected order of finish for second behind Murray State (181 points, five first-place votes).
 
Heisserer, a sophomore from Scott City, Missouri, was named to her first career OVC preseason team. The Notre Dame High School alum played in all 17 games during her inaugural collegiate season, starting in eight. Heisserer tallied four goals and two assists for 10 points last season including a pair of game-winning goals. She was third on the team with 30 shots.
 
2019 OVC Regular-Season Champs Recap
The 2019 Redhawks fashioned an 11-5-1 mark, tallying a record of 8-1-1 in conference play to win their sixth OVC regular-season crown in program history and first outright title since 2011.
 
SEMO was undefeated at home with a 7-0 record at Houck Field in 2019 and entered the 2019 OVC Tournament with a mark of 6-0-1. Head Coach Heather Nelson was awarded her fifth OVC Coach of the Year honor in 2019.
 
Roster Breakdown
The 2020-21 roster features 22 student-athletes including 15 players from the 2019 OVC Regular-Season Championship team. Emily Holten, Lexi Grote, Hannah Compernolle, Lexie Hacker and Kayla Byrd return for their senior seasons. Compernolle will return for the 2021 fall season. 
 
Junior Bailey Redden returns in net and started 16 games in 2019. Redden made 90 saves and posted four shutouts, compiling a 9-0-1 mark.
 
Megan Heisserer was the fourth leading scorer in 2019 with four goals. Kennedy Jones chipped in a pair last season. Grote and Morgan McCourt each had one.
 
Freshmen Emma Brune, Nadiia Ivanchenko, Kiana Khedoo, Maddie Paulson, Laura Galindo Mejia, Faith Liljegren and sophomore transfer Taylor Nelson are the newcomers on the squad. Nelson is the daughter of head coach Heather Nelson and associate head coach Paul Nelson.
 
Looking Ahead
With a victory Thursday over #1 Murray State, SEMO will take on the winner of #2 SIUE (6-2-2) will and #3 UT Martin (6-3-1) in the Championship final on Saturday at 1 p.m.