Game #9 | OVC #1
Belmont (3-4-1, 0-0-0 OVC)
vs. Southeast Missouri (3-5-0, 0-0-0 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Sept. 26, 2021
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Venue: Houck Field
First Kick: 1 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: SEMO leads 8-2-5
Last Meeting: 1-0 | March 9, 2021 | Nashville, Tennessee
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
Tickets
 
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri
 
Redhawks Host Belmont to Open 2021 OVC Slate Sunday
Southeast Missouri women's soccer (3-5-0, 0-0-0 OVC) begins its 2021 Ohio Valley Conference schedule Sunday when the Redhawks host Belmont (3-4-1, 0-0-0 OVC). First kick is set for 1 p.m., CT at Houck Field.
 
SEMO was pegged to finish third in the OVC in 2021 while Belmont was slotted at tied for fifth.
 
Follow the Redhawks
• Stats will be available for Sunday's game on SEMORedhawks.com
• Sunday's game will be streamed on ESPN+
• @SEMOSoccer, the official Twitter page of Redhawks soccer, will feature live in-game updates all season long.
•  The 2021 Southeast Missouri women's soccer media guide is a source of information for the news media covering the Redhawks. 
 
Series History
SEMO leads the all-time series with Belmont, 8-2-5. The Redhawks have won the last two game against Belmont and are unbeaten in the last three meetings (2-0-1) with the Bruins.
 
The Redhawks last faced the Bruins on March 9, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee, winning 1-0. Lauren Welker scored her second goal of the spring to push the Redhawks to 2-0-0 on the season. Bailey Redden recorded a shutout for her second win of the 2020-21 campaign.
 
The last time that SEMO played Belmont in Cape Girardeau came on September 20, 2019 in the annual Meg Herndon Memorial Green Up Game. The Redhawks emerged victorious in the contest, 2-1. Jennifer Brien and Cassidi Tomsu each had a goal for the Redhawks.

Scouting the Bruins
Belmont heads in to the match with an overall record of 3-4-1. The Bruins most recently tied former OVC member, Jacksonville State, 1-1, on Sept. 16 in Jacksonville, Alabama.
 
The Bruins have tallied seven total goals in eight games on the campaign for a 0.88 goals per game percentage. Junior defender Loren House leads Belmont with two goals. Goalkeeper Sarah Doyle has compiled 32 saves in 514:46 minutes of action in 2021.
 
Senior defender Rachel Vernon was named to the 2021 OVC Players to Watch List.
 
Redden Awarded OVC Goalkeeper of the Week Tuesday
Senior Bailey Redden was named the Ohio Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
 
Redden matched a season-best eight saves for her second shutout in 2021 to help SEMO edge Missouri State, 1-0, Sept. 19 in the Redhawks non-conference finale. The Belleville, Illinois, native, played in all 90 minutes of regulation and faced 12 shots in the contest. Redden finished with a goals against average of 1.33 and a save percentage of .795.

Missouri State Recap
The Redhawks were victorious, 1-0, against in-state opponent Missouri State, Sept. 19 in SEMO's annual Meg Herndon Memorial Green Up Game. Emma Brune scored the game-winner in the 35th minute. Goalkeeper Bailey Redden recorded a season-best eight saves, five coming in the second half.
 
With the win, SEMO concluded its losing streak and goal drought at four matches.
 
Meg Herndon Memorial Green Up Game
SEMO held its annual Meg Herndon Memorial Green Up Game presented by Mid-America Transplant Sept. 19. The Redhawks honored former Redhawk Meg Herndon who was tragically involved in a truck-scooter accident in 2012. SEMO wore specialty green and blue uniforms to support organ and tissue donation.
 
Cindy Silvey, Meg Herndon's mother, presented a check to the Meg Herndon Scholarship Fund prior to the game. Abby Tremain, a senior nursing major like Herndon, was named the recipient of the Meg Herndon Scholarship for the third-straight season.

Non-Conference Recap
SEMO wrapped up the non-conference slate with an overall record of 3-5-0. The Redhawks dropped road tests at Memphis (4-0, Aug. 19), Mississippi State (1-0, Aug. 29) of the Southeastern Conference, Evansville (1-0, Sept. 2) and the Big Ten's Indiana (6-0, Sept. 5) and Iowa (2-0, Sept. 12). SEMO was perfect at home during non-conference play with victories over Maryville (4-1, Aug. 22), Missouri-St. Louis (1-0, Aug. 26) and Missouri State (1-0, Sept. 19).
 
Anne-Clara Couturier (2), Kiana Khedoo, Elizabeth Rater, Emma Brune and Zoey Memmel all scored during the slate.
 
Brune Ball
Emma Brune converted her third career goal on a header off a corner kick in the 35th minute Sept. 19 against Missouri State. Kate Daus provided the service for the game-winner. Brune paced all field players with four shots including two shots on goal, competing in all 90 minutes. She started at forward and moved to midfield midway through the first half.
 
Iron Lady
Brune has now played in all 720 minutes this season for SEMO and is the only Redhawk to play in every minute of regulation in 2021. The sophomore from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, extended her streak of playing every minute of regulation to 20-straight games dating back to this past spring's 2020-21 season.
 
Total 90
Besides, Brune, four Redhawk field players have played in all 90 minutes of regulation in 2021.
 
Kate Daus appeared in the full 90 in consecutive games at Mississippi State (8/29) and at Evansville (9/2). Natalie Jackson most recently played in the full 90 at Iowa (9/12) and against Missouri State on Sept. 19. Lauren Welker played three-straight 90 minute games against Maryville (8/22), Missouri-St. Louis (8/26) and at Mississippi State (8/29) and most recently against Missouri State (9/19). Lexi Grote also played in the full 90 against Missouri State.
 
Redden Moving Up the SEMO Rankings for Shutouts
Bailey Redden notched her second shutout of the 2021 campaign against Missouri State Sept. 19. Redden now has 16 shutouts in her career and sits tied for fourth in the SEMO record books. She also ranks second for saves (258) and fifth for wins (24), minutes played (4,405) and save percentage (.810).
 
Redden plays for the Fire & Ice soccer team during the summers and was recently named the Women's Premier Soccer League Central Region Midwestern Conference Goalkeeper of the Year. 
 
Hey Abby
Senior goalkeeper Abby Rollet made her first two starts in net for the Redhawks this season in Indiana Sept. 2-5. The Perryville, Missouri native, made her first start in net since the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament on Nov. 8, 2019 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Rollet tallied five saves against Evansville on Sept. 2. Rollet finished the weekend with a career-best 12 saves against the Hoosiers on Sept. 5.
 
Welcome Back Natalie Jackson 
Natalie Jackson, a junior defender from O'Fallon, Missouri, made her 2021 season debut on Sept. 2 against Evansville. She finished with 65 minutes on the pitch, registering a shot. Jackson then made her first start of the campaign at Indiana on Sept. 5, tallying 60 minutes of action. 
 
Welker Doing Welker Things
Lauren Welker registered a pair of assists in Aug. 22's victory over Maryville. Welker finished with three shots (two on goal) to complement her two assists. 
 
Welker has played in all 90 minutes of regulation against Maryville, UMSL, Mississippi State and Missouri State.
 
What a Debut for Couturier
Sophomore Anne-Clara Couturier, a Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada native, netted a pair including the game-winner in her Redhawks debut Aug. 22 against Maryville. Couturier, a sophomore transfer from Southeastern (NAIA in Florida), finished with a pair of goals on two shots on net in 45 minutes of action as a second-half substitution.
 
Redhawks Debut
Zoey Memmel, Grace Crowden, Emma Tucker, Elizabeth Rater, Katelyn Miller and Natalie Miller all made their SEMO debuts at Memphis on Aug. 19. Memmel appeared in the starting 11 and played in 46 minutes. Crowden led the newcomers with 68 minutes on the pitch. Gabby Gscheidmeier also made her first career start as a Redhawk in the contest.
 
Anne-Clara Couturier made her SEMO debut against Maryville on Aug. 22. Katelyn Miller and Crowden both made their first career starts as Redhawks in the win.
 
Couturier made her first career start against UMSL on Aug. 26. Rater tallied her first start on Aug. 29 at Mississippi State.
 
Tucker also made her first career start at Indiana on Sept. 5.
 
2021 OVC Preseason Poll
SEMO was selected to finish the 2021 season third in the Ohio Valley Conference. Senior midfielder Lauren Welker was tabbed to the 2021 OVC Players to Watch List.
 
The Redhawks received two first-place votes and 99 points in the projected order of finish for third. SIUE, the 2020-21 OVC Tournament Champions, was picked first with 12 first-place votes and 121 points. Murray State, the 2020-21 OVC Regular Season Champions, was pegged second with four first-place votes and 116 points.
 
Welker, a senior from Jackson, Missouri, was named to her first career OVC preseason team.
  
SEMO Schedule
The Redhawks will play 19 games including a trio of exhibitions during the 2021 campaign, its 23rd season under head coach Heather Nelson. The slate features nine non-conference contests and eight home games (one exhibition). The 2021 schedule also includes eight OVC games beginning with Belmont on Sunday at Houck Field.
 
2020-21 Season Recap
SEMO fashioned a 7-4-1 overall mark in 2020-21 including a 6-3-1 record during conference play, which tied for third in the OVC. The Redhawks qualified for their fourth-straight OVC Championship Tournament and 19th all-time appearance this past spring.
 
SEMO finished as the 2020-21 OVC Championship Tournament runners-up, downing top-seeded Murray State, 1-0, in the Semifinals as the fourth seed before falling to SIUE, the 2020-21 Champions, 2-1, in overtime of the Championship Finals.
 
The Redhawks opened the campaign with five-straight victories and a tie for a six-game (5-0-1) unbeaten streak to start 2020-21.
 
Roster Breakdown
The Redhawks return 18 letterwinners and all but two starters from the 2020-21 squad. Lexi Grote and Hannah Compernolle return for their fifth-year senior seasons along with true seniors, Bailey Redden, Lauren Welker, Abby Tremain, Kate Daus and Abby Rollet.
 
Welker led the Redhawks offensively in 2020-21 with six goals and four assists for 16 points. The Jackson, Missouri, midfielder, also registered a team-best 18 shots including 12 on goal and tallied a pair of game-winning goals. Welker was named to the 2020-21 All-OVC First Team and selected to the 2020-21 All-OVC Tournament team.
 
Redden returns in net and started and played in all 1,103 minutes of regulation over 12 games in 2020-21, tallying a record of 7-4-1. She posted five or more saves in nine games and notched a career best six shutouts (first in the OVC) in 2020-21. Redden finished the campaign with a league-best 68 saves.
 
Sophomore midfielder Emma Brune played in all 1,103 minutes during 2020-21, registering two goals for four points on 14 shots in her freshman campaign. The Cape Girardeau native, was selected to the All-OVC Second Team, All-Newcomer Team and All-OVC Tournament Team in 2020-21.
 
Junior defender Natalie Jackson dished out a pair of assists while also never leaving the pitch in 2020-21, competing in all 1,103 minutes.
 
Redshirt-junior forward/midfielder Morgan McCourt also returns after earning 2020-21 All-OVC Tournament team honors. She was second on the Redhawks with four points (1g-2a) and 14 shots (11 on goal).
 
Newcomers
The 2021 Redhawks roster features seven newcomers with freshmen Katelyn Miller, Elizabeth Rater, Grace Crowden and Emma Tucker, sophomores Anne-Clara Couturier and Zoey Memmel along with junior Natalie Miller.
 
The Jackson 5
SEMO has five players from Jackson, Missouri, on their 2021 roster with newcomers Grace Crowden, Katelyn Miller, and Natalie Miller, along with returners Lauren Welker and Taylor Nelson.
 
Home Grown from the Southeast Region of Missouri
The 2021 Redhawks roster features eight players from the Southeast region of Missouri. In addition to the five Jackson student-athletes in Grace Crowden, Katelyn Miller, Natalie Miller, Lauren Welker and Taylor Nelson, the group of locals also includes Abby Rollet (Perryville, Notre Dame HS), Emma Brune (Cape Girardeau, Saxony Lutheran HS) and Megan Heisserer (Scott City, Notre Dame HS).

Uniform Changes
Megan Heisserer and Faith Liljegren have both changed their uniform numbers for the 2021 season. Heisserer will switch to #14 after wearing #16 her first two seasons. Liljegren will wear #10 after sporting #23 during her freshman campaign. 
 
Academic Excellence
Redhawks Soccer led the SEMO Athletics Department with 10 selections to the Ohio Valley Conference Academic Medals of Honor for the 2020-21 academic year. Kayla Byrd, Hannah Compernolle, Kate Daus, Emily Holten, Kiana Khedoo, Faith Liljegren, Morgan McCourt, Taylor Nelson, Maddie Paulson and Bailey Redden earned perfect 4.0 GPAs during the 2020-21 academic year.
 
SEMO also had 18 student-athletes listed on the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2020-21 academic year. Emma Brune, Kayla Byrd, Hannah Compernolle, Kate Daus, Lexi Grote, Gabby Gscheidmeier, Megan Heisserer, Emily Holten, Nadiia Ivanchenko, Mariah Johnson, Kiana Khedoo, Faith Liljegren, Morgan McCourt, Taylor Nelson, Maddie Paulson, Bailey Redden, Abby Tremain and Lauren Welker all notched at least a 3.25 grade point average in 2020-21.
 
Looking Ahead
SEMO will next head to league rival, Murray State on Thursday, Sept. 30. First kick for the mid-week game is set for 3 p.m., CT at Cutchin Field in Murray, Kentucky. The Redhawks close out the week with a Sunday afternoon meeting with UT Martin on Oct. 3. Initial kick is slated for 1 p.m. at Houck Field.