Game #14
Southeast Missouri State (6-4-3, 2-2-2 OVC)
vs Tennessee Tech (6-4-4, 5-0-1 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo. 
Venue: Houck Field
First Kick: 1:00 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: SEMO leads the series 16-7-4
Last Meeting: 0-3 Loss | Cookeville, Tenn. | Oct. 16, 2022 
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
 
Redhawks Host League-Leading Tennessee Tech Sunday
Southeast Missouri (6-4-3, 2-2-2 OVC) will be back in action on Sunday, Oct. 15, when they welcome in Tennessee Tech (6-4-4, 5-0-1 OVC) to Cape Girardeau, Mo. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m., CT. at Houck Field. 
 
Series History
The Redhawks and Golden Eagles will meet for the 28^th time on the pitch Sunday afternoon as OVC play begins its final stretch. 
 
The last time these two met was in Cookeville, Tenn. on Oct. 16, 2022 resulting in a 3-0 TTU win. 
 
OVC Standings
Heading into Sunday, SEMO currently sits at fifth place in the OVC table with eight points overall, trailing fourth place SIUE by just a single point. 
 
Tennessee Tech are the current league leaders with 16 points, followed by Morehead State (11), Southern Indiana (11), and SIUE. 
 
SEMO will conclude the season with a road matchup at Southern Indiana (Oct. 19) and a final home match with UT Martin (Oct. 23). 
 
OVC Stats
Here is how the Redahwks stand statistically in the conference: 

• Sophomore Cayla Koerner is currently ninth in shots (24) and fifth in goals (4). 
• Senior Midfielder Emma Brune is third in the conference with game-winning goals (2).
• Koerner is fifth in the conference in the assists category (3)
• Goalkeeper Sophia Elfrink is first in the conference in goals-against-average at just .927. 
• Elfrink is fourth in the conference in saves (11) for a .814 save percentage. 
• Elfrink is first in the conference in shutouts per game with six on the season (.462).

 
Last Time Out
The Redhawks were last in action on Sunday, Oct. 8, when they took on Morehead State in Morehead, Ky. 
 
SEMO fell by a final score of 1-0 despite outshooting MSU by a 13-11 advantage. 
 
Justi Nelson and Faith Liljegren were the only Redhawks with shots on goal. Nelson had two shots on goal and four shots total. Liljegren fired off one shot on target. 
 
Defender Natalie Jackson showed up on the stat sheet with three shots. 
 
Freshman forward Emily Baker and sophomore midfielder Zoe Houston both notched two shots a piece in today's contest.  
 
Sophomore Goalkeeper Sofia Elfrink played all 90 minutes against the Eagles. Elfrink denied three shots, two coming in the second half.
 
MSU's goal came early in the game at the 7:27 mark by Nicole Fiantaco. Kate Larbes gave it to Erin Fite and she sent it to Fiantaco for the left footed shot.
 
Erin Gibbs, Morehead State's goalie recorded three saves on the day. 
 
A season high nine Redhawks played the full 90 minutes. Emma Brune, Elfrink, Cayla Koerner, Nelson, Baker, Alayna Jakul, Maddie Paulson, Houston, Jackson never left the pitch. Faith Liljegren played 89 minutes.
 
Scouting the Opponent
Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles come into Houck Field in first place with a conference record of 5-0-1. Most recently TTU beat UT Martin 3-2 at home.
 
Senior Forward Yao Giada Zhou led the team on offense, scoring two of their three goals. Zhou scored both goals in the second half while notching five shots with three on goal. 
 
Zhou now leads the OVC in goals with six and the other goal scorer, Bailey Taylor is in second with five.
 
Taylor's goal also came in the second half at the 88:00 mark. Neve Renwick provided the assist, making it her fourth on the year.
 
Renwick notched a game high ten shots with four shots on target against Skyhawks. The freshman leads the league in shots with 56.
 
Sami Cullum and Melina Hamm provided the other assist, bringing their total to two and three on the campaign.
 
Katie Toney also peppered the goal during the game, notching six shots. The sophomore ranks third in the OVC with 33 shots, 12 being on target.
 
Maggie Conrad played the full 90 minutes at goalie making six saves bringing her total to a league leading 72.
 
Head Coach Steve Springthorpe is in his 10th season with the Golden Eagles. The reigning coach of the year guided TTU to their second ever OVC regular-season championship and first conference crown since 1998 last year.
 
Looking Ahead
Southeast Missouri will be back in action on Thursday, Oct. 19, when they travel to Evansville, Ind. to take on Southern Indiana. First kick is slated for 7 p.m., CT.