MURRAY, Ky. – No. 4 Southeast Missouri women's soccer (7-3-1) edged top-seeded Murray State (9-2-0), 1-0, Thursday afternoon at Cutchin Field to advance to the 2020-21 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament Final on Saturday.
SEMO will face #2 SIUE (7-2-2) in the Championship Final on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Redhawks will compete in their first OVC Championship Tournament Final since 2015. The Cougars beat #3 UT Martin (6-4-1), 2-0, in the second semifinal Thursday.
The win over Murray State was the Redhawks first since Oct. 5, 2014 (2-1 Win in Cape Girardeau, Missouri). It was also the first victory over the Racers in Murray, Kentucky, since 2013 (1-0 Win on Sept. 27).
Emma Brune, a 2020-21 All-OVC Second Team and All-Newcomer Team honoree, provided the game-winner in the 12th minute of regulation.
Brune registered her second career goal off a feed from
Morgan McCourt.
Brune, a Cape Girardeau, Missouri native, blasted a shot through traffic that deflected off a Racers defender before finding the back of the net.
She paced the Redhawks with two shots on goal Thursday.
Murray State outshot SEMO 13-5 in the opening half and concluded the game with a differential of 20-10. Shots on goal finished tied at seven apiece.
Goalkeeper
Bailey Redden made seven saves for her sixth shutout in 2020-21 and seventh victory of the campaign.
Lauren Welker,
Hannah Compernolle,
Abby Tremain, McCourt and
Nadiia Ivanchenko each tallied a shot on goal in the victory.
Brune,
Emily Holten,
Kiana Khedoo,
Lexie Hacker and
Natalie Jackson all competed in the full 90 minutes of regulation.
For Holten, it was her third time in 2020-21 playing the full 90 minutes. Khedoo made her fourth career start, and appeared in the full 90 minutes for the first time as a Redhawk.
Brune, Hacker and Jackson have all played in every minute (1,010) of action on the pitch this campaign.
Izzy Heckman, Lilly Strader and Symone Cooper each tallied four shots. Heckman, the 2020-21 OVC Defensive Player of the Year, and Strader both had two shots on target.
Chloe Barnthouse, a 2020-21 All-OVC First Team and All-Newcomer Team, added three shots while Lauren Payne and Rebecca Kubin each had two.
Jenna Villacres made six saves in the loss.
Murray State's coaching staff was assessed a pair of yellow cards during the game.
SEMO is 2-3-0 in OVC Championship Tournament Finals. The Redhawks last competed in the Championship Final in 2015, which was also in Murray, Kentucky. The then #6 Redhawks fell to #1 Murray State, 1-0, in overtime.
The Redhawks have won the OVC Championship Tournament twice in 2006 and 2007.
SEMO will face #2 SIUE (7-2-2) in the Championship Final on Saturday at 1 p.m.