Game #9
SIUE (1-4-2, 0-0-0 OVC)
vs. Southeast Missouri (4-4-0, 0-0-0 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo. 
Venue: Houck Field
First Kick: 1 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: SEMO leads the All-Time Series, 8-7-3
Last Meeting: 3-0 SIUE Win | Martin, Tenn. | Nov. 5, 2021 | 2021 OVC Tournament Semifinals
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets
 
Media Guide: Southeast Missouri
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri
 
Redhawks Host SIUE Sunday to Open OVC Play in Meg Herndon Donate Life Game
Southeast Missouri women's soccer (4-4-0, 0-0-0 OVC) commences its 2022 Ohio Valley Conference slate Sunday when it hosts SIUE (1-4-2, 0-0-0 OVC) at Houck Field. First kick is scheduled for 1 p.m., CT at Houck Field.
 
Sunday is SEMO's Meg Herndon Donate Life Game Presented by Mid-America Transplant. The game will be played in honor of former Redhawk Meg Herndon who was tragically involved in a truck-scooter accident in 2012. SEMO will wear special green and blue uniforms to support organ and tissue donation.
 
Cindy Silvey, Meg Herndon's mother, will present a check to the Meg Herndon Scholarship Fund at halftime Sunday. SEMO will also open the game with 10 players and a moment of silence to honor Meg Herndon.
 
Abby Tremain, who majored in nursing like Herndon, has been the recipient of the Meg Herndon Scholarship each of the past three seasons.  
 
Follow the Redhawks
• Stats will be available for Sunday's game on SEMORedhawks.com
• Due to the ongoing construction at Houck Field and for the health and safety of our players, the rest of the 2022 home schedule will not be broadcasted on ESPN+ 
• @SEMOSoccer, the official Twitter page of Redhawks soccer, will feature live in-game updates all season long.
 
Promotions
• Meg Herndon Donate Life Game Presented by Mid-America Transplant – Organ donors receive free admission to Sunday's game with proof of identification. 
• One organ donor can save up to eight lives.
• SEMO will wear special green and blue uniforms to support organ and tissue donation.
 
Series History
SEMO leads the all-time series with SIUE, 8-7-3.
 
The last time these two conferences foes squared off came in the 2021 OVC Conference Tournament. The #7 Redhawks fell to the #2 Cougars, the 2021 OVC Tournament and Regular-Season Champions, 3-0. 
 
In the regular season, SIUE took the match between the schools by a final score of 3-1 in Edwardsville, Illinois. 
 
The Cougars are currently on a five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) in the all-time series with SEMO. The Redhawks last edged SIUE Oct. 3, 2019 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri (2-1, 2OT).
 
Scouting the Opponent
SIUE comes into the match versus the Redhawks on the back of a 3-0 defeat to #15 ranked Saint Louis on Sept. 11.
 
SIUE registered two shots and Cougars goalkeeper Taylor Spiller registered eight saves for the contest. 
 
Spiller has started and played in all seven games for the Cougars compiling 25 saves for an overall save percentage of .625 facing 75 shots on the entire season (15 goals allowed). 
 
Sidney Christopher (1g-2a-4pts), Grace Cobb, Savannah DeFini, and Lily Schnieders lead SIUE offensively with one goal apiece. 

The Cougars lone non-conference win came in their season opener against Missouri Valley Conference member Indiana State (Aug. 18). SIUE won the match by a final score of 2-1. 
 
SIUE has also faced IUPUI (3-2 loss, Aug. 21), Northwestern (5-0 loss, Aug. 25), Loyola Chicago (2-0 loss, Aug. 28), Evansville (0-0 tie, Sept. 1) and Southern Illinois (1-1 tie, Sept. 8) in non-conference play. 
 
SIUE, the 2021 OVC Regular-Season and Tournament Champions, was picked first in the 2022 preseason poll with 11 first-place votes and 123 points.
 
Paulson Named OVC Defensive Player of the Week
Maddie Paulson was named the OVC Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
 
Paulson competed in all 180 minutes over the final two SEMO non-conference games. Paulson, a junior from Jackson, Wisconsin, helped the Redhawk defense limit their opponents to just one goal (0-1 loss to Southern Illinois, Sept. 11) and register a shutout (1-0 win over Evansville, Sept. 8).
 
Offensively, she paced the Redhawks with a career-best three shots against Southern Illinois on Sept. 11.
 
For Paulson, the OVC weekly honor is the first in her career.
 
Non-Conference Recap
SEMO fashioned a 4-4-0 non-conference mark with wins over Illinois-Springfield (2-0, Aug. 21), Columbia College (1-0, Aug. 28), Colorado College (2-1, Sept. 1) and Evansville (1-0, Sept. 8).
 
The Redhawks opened the 2022 campaign with a loss at Missouri (0-1, Aug. 18) and also fell at Missouri State (0-2, Aug. 25), at Colorado State (0-2, Sept. 4) and against Southern Illinois (0-1, Sept. 11).
 
Megan Heisserer leads the SEMO offense with two goals (both game winners) and an assist (five points, 10 shots, 4 SOG) in her return from a season-ending injury suffered in the 2020-21 season opener (March 5, 2021).
 
Faith Liljegren (1g-1a-3pts), Alayna Jakul (1g-1a-3pts), Cayla Koerner, and Zoey Memmel have all notched a goal in non-conference play. Koerner has registered a team-high 12 shots (6 SOG). Liljegren has posted 10 shots (4 SOG) while Memmel has nine shots (6 SOG).
 
Freshman goalkeeper Sophia Elfrink has started and competed in all eight games (720 minutes), tallying 50 saves (.877 save percentage) for a 4-4-0 mark (7 goals allowed, 0.88 GAA) including a trio of shutouts. 
 
Defender Natalie Jackson is the lone Redhawks field player to compete in the full 720 minutes of regulation of non-conference play. 
 
Last Time Out
SEMO dropped their non-conference finale to local rival Southern Illinois, 1-0, Sept. 11. 
 
SEMO led the Salukis, 7-2 (5-1 SOG) in shots through the opening 45 minutes and ramped up its opportunities in the second half, finishing with a 17-6 (11-4) advantage. Emma Spotak registered the game winner for Southern Illinois with a goal in the 30th minute.
 
Faith Liljegren and Maddie Paulson led the way for the Redhawks with three shots a piece while Zoey Memmel registered two shots (both on frame). 
 
Sophia Elfrink made three saves for the Redhawks.
 
Alayna Jakul registered her first career goal to push SEMO past Evansville, 1-0, Sept. 8 at Houck Field. Jakul, a freshman midfielder from St. Charles, Missouri, headed home her first career goal off an initial shot from Faith Liljegren. Jakul competed in 59 minutes on the pitch.
 
Liljegren (1 SOG), Megan Heisserer, and Elizabeth Rater both notched three shots. 
 
Sophia Elfrink made six saves for her third shutout in 2022.
 
Redhawks Debuts
Five freshmen made their SEMO debuts Aug. 18 against Missouri in Cayla Koerner, Sophia Elfrink, Alayna Jakul, Zoe Houston, and Ella Baldwin. Koerner, Elfrink, Jakul, and Houston were all featured in the Redhawks starting XI.
 
Navi Washington and Macie Hockett both made their Redhawk debuts Aug. 21 against Illinois Springfield. Baldwin made her first career start on defense, tallying a shot in 63 minutes against UIS.
 
Total 90 Tracker
Through the first eight games, defender Natalie Jackson, along with goalkeeper Sophia Elfrink have played in all 720 minutes of regulation.
 
Emma Brune has played in the full 90 in each of the last six games (seven in 2022). Maddie Paulson has played in the total 90 in each of the last two games. 
 
Mariah Mannino played in the full regulation in each of the first four contests in 2022. 
  
Full Regulation Games
Natalie Jackson (Missouri, UIS, Missouri State, Columbia College, Colorado College, Colorado State, Evansville, Southern Illinois)
Sophia Elfrink (Missouri, UIS, Missouri State, Columbia College, Colorado College, Colorado State, Evansville, Southern Illinois)
Emma Brune (Missouri, Missouri State, Columbia College, Colorado College, Colorado State, Evansville, Southern Illinois)
Mariah Mannino (Missouri, UIS, Missouri State, Columbia College)
Maddie Paulson (Evansville, Southern Illinois)
Faith Liljegren (Missouri)
Alayna Jakul (Missouri)
 
2022 OVC Preseason Poll
Southeast Missouri women's soccer was selected to finish the 2022 season fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference, the league announced Aug. 11. Sophomore midfielder Elizabeth Rater was tabbed to the 2022 OVC Soccer Preseason Players to Watch List.
 
SIUE, the 2021 OVC Regular-Season and Tournament Champions, was picked first with 11 first-place votes and 123 points. UT Martin, the 2021 OVC Regular Season Champions, was pegged second with seven first-place votes and 119 points.
 
Rater, a Mequon, Wisconsin, native, was named to her first career OVC preseason team Thursday. She led SEMO offensively in 2021 with three goals and was second on the team with six points (3g). In conference play, Rater paced the Redhawks with two goals and four points in eight games and was selected to the 2021 OVC Second-Team and All-Newcomer Team. She appeared in all 19 games, making nine starts during her freshman campaign in 2021. 
 
SEMO Schedule
The Redhawks will play 16 regular-season games during the 2022 campaign. The slate features eight non-conference contests and eight home games at Houck Field.
 
The 2022 schedule also includes eight Ohio Valley Conference games beginning with SIUE, the 2021 OVC Tournament Champions and Regular-Season Champions, on Sept. 18 at Houck Field. SEMO will also host OVC foes Lindenwood (Oct. 2), Morehead State (Oct. 9) and Southern Indiana (Oct. 20) in 2022.
 
The 2022 OVC Tournament Championship will be contested Oct. 28 through Nov. 6. The first two rounds will be hosted on campus sites (with the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds hosting) while the semifinals and championship will be played on campus at the No. 1 seed and regular-season champion. 
  
Roster Breakdown
The Redhawks return five All-OVC players this season in midfielders Kiana Khedoo (2021 Second-Team) and Elizabeth Rater (2021 Second-Team and All-Newcomer Team), redshirt senior forward Morgan McCourt (2020-21 Tournament, 2018 All-Newcomer), senior defender Natalie Jackson (2019 All-Tournament) and Cape Girardeau midfielder/defender Emma Brune (2020-21 Second Team, All-Newcomer and Tournament).
 
The 2022 team features 25 student-athletes including 16 returners and nine newcomers. 
 
Head coach Heather Nelson will lead the Redhawks in her 24th season at SEMO in 2022. 
 
Newcomers
The 2022 squad also features nine freshmen in goalkeepers Sophia Elfrink and Sarah Pattillo, defenders Ella Baldwin, Macie Hockett and Alayna Jakul, midfielders Josetiarainnah Olaco and Zoe Houston, and forwards Cayla Koerner and Navi Washington.

The Jackson 4 
SEMO has four players from Jackson, Missouri, on their 2022 roster with sophomores Grace Crowden and Katelyn Miller, along with seniors Natalie Miller and Taylor Nelson.
 
Home Grown from the Southeast Region of Missouri 
The 2022 Redhawks roster features six players from the Southeast region of Missouri. In addition to the four Jackson student-athletes in Grace Crowden, Katelyn Miller, Natalie Miller, and Taylor Nelson, the group of locals also includes Emma Brune (Cape Girardeau, Saxony Lutheran HS) and Megan Heisserer (Scott City, Notre Dame HS).

Academic Excellence
Redhawks Soccer led the Southeast Missouri Athletics Department with eight Ohio Valley Conference Academic Medals of Honor for the 2021-22 academic year. Emma Brune, Kate Daus, Lexi Grote, Katelyn Miller, Taylor Nelson, Maddie Paulson, Elizabeth Rater, and Bailey Redden all carried a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
 
SEMO also had 21 student-athletes named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2021-22 academic year. Emma Brune, Anne-Clara Couturier, Grace Crowden, Kate Daus, Lexi Grote, Gabby Gscheidmeier, Megan Heisserer, Natalie Jackson, Kiana Khedoo, Faith Liljegren, Mariah Mannino, Zoey Memmel, Katelyn Miller, Natalie Miller, Taylor Nelson, Maddie Paulson, Elizabeth Rater, Bailey Redden, Abby Rollet, Emma Tucker, and Lauren Welker achieved a 3.25 GPA or higher for the honor. 

SEMO earned the United Soccer Coaches College Team Academic Award as recognition for their exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2021-22 academic year. The Redhawks posted a 3.76 GPA for their third-straight distinction from United Soccer Coaches and 11th overall in program history. 
 
2021 Season Recap
SEMO finished 2021 as an OVC Tournament Semifinalist, going on a Cinderella run as the #7-seed. The Redhawks edged #6 Morehead State, 1-0, in the First Round before eliminating Quarterfinals host, #3 Belmont, 2-1, in overtime. The Redhawks then fell to #2 SIUE, the 2021 OVC Tournament Champions, in the Semifinals. 
 
SEMO finished the 2021 campaign with a 7-10-2 overall record (2-4-2 in the OVC). 
 
Kiana Khedoo and Elizabeth Rater earned 2021 Second-Team All-OVC honors. Rater was also named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team. Seniors Lauren Welker and Bailey Redden were also both named to the 2021 All-OVC Championship Tournament team.
 
Next Time Out
Following the game against SIUE, SEMO will hit the road to continue OVC play when they take on Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Illinois, Thursday, Sept. 22. First kick is slated for 3 p.m., CT at Lakeside Field. The Redhawks then host Lindenwood Sunday, Oct. 2 at Houck Field.