Game #19
#7 Southeast Missouri State (7-5-6, 2-3-4 OVC)
vs #2 Morehead State (7-5-5, 6-1-2 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Venue: Tennessee Tech Soccer Field
First Kick: 7:00 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: SEMO leads the series 15-7-7.
Last Meeting: 0-1 Loss | Morehead, Ky. | Oct. 8, 2023
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
 
Game Notes (PDF)
 
#7 Redhawks Set for OVC Semifinal Matchup with #2 Morehead State Thursday Night
No. 7-seeded Southeast Missouri Soccer (7-5-6, 4-3-4 OVC) will play in the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Semifinal round on Thursday, Nov. 2, when they take on No. 2-seeded Morehead State (7-5-5, 6-1-2 OVC) in Cookeville, Tenn. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m., CT. at Tennessee Tech Soccer Field. 
 
What's at Stake
SEMO versus Morehead State will be the second match of the semifinal round as the winner of the match will face the winner of either No. 8-seeded Little Rock or the No. 1-seeded Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 5 in the OVC Championship match. The first semifinal will take place at 4 p.m., CT. on Thursday before SEMO's match. 
 
Series History
The Redhawks and Eagles will meet for the 30th time over the history of the programs on Thursday and the second time in 2023. Earlier this season, Morehead State defeated SEMO by a final score of 1-0 in Morehead, Ky. on Oct. 15.
 
SEMO holds a 3-2-0 tournament advantage over MSU having last faced the Eagles in the 2021 OVC Tournament's first round. SEMO won that match by a final score of 1-0 in Martin, Tenn.
 
Last Time Out
The Redhawks advanced to the semifinals on Sunday, Oct. 29, and defeated #3 SIUE in the
OVC Quarterfinals in another thrilling performance, winning 5-4 in PKs, after tying the game in the 88th minute. 
 
Trailing for 87 minutes, SEMO found the equalizer in the 88th minute off the foot of defender Alayna Jakul. Sophomore forward Cayla Koerner won the ball back in SEMO's attacking third in a cold, rainy match to setup the game- tying goal. 
 
Koerner slid the ball to Jakul who was cutting towards the net, as she slotted the ball past SIUE goalkeeper Taylor Spiller to tie the match at a goal apiece. 
 
SEMO finished the full 110-minute match with nine shots, including six on-target. Koerner and Jakul led the Redhawks with two shots, both on target. 
 
Faith Liljegren, Emma Brune, Justi Nelson, Natalie Jackson, and Megan Heisserer all registered a shot in the match. 
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Elfrink played the entire 110-minute match, registering
two saves in the contest as SIUE finished with 10 shots, with just three on target. 
 
Neither team was able to get much going in the match's overtime period as the game went to penalty kicks. SIUE's Macie Begley started the penalty shootout and was denied by Elfrink to start the shootout in SEMO's favor. 
 
Zoe Houston got the Redhawks on the board first with a perfect ball into the bottom of the net, beating Spiller, to give SEMO a 1-0 advantage. 
 
SIUE would tie it on their next attempt, bringing in Cayla Koerner for the second SEMO attempt. Koerner's attempt sailed just wide and high. 
 
The next three attempts would go back-and-forth as SIUE took a 3-2 advantage with a chance to win the match with the next kick. SIUE's Sidney Christopher missed it wide to the left to give SEMO another chance. 
 
Natalie Jackson stepped to the spot and calmly scored in the bottom right of the net to tie it. Sophia Elfrink made her final save on SIUE's Kaitlyn Nichols bringing in Emma Tucker, who had not registered a minute of game time in the match. 
 
Tucker slotted it into the bottom left of the net to give SEMO the 5-4 victory in penalty kicks and advanced to the next round. 
 
SEMO won 5-4 in penalty kicks, capped off by a winning penalty shot by defender Emma Tucker to put the Redhawks in the tournament's semifinal round. 
 
Scouting the Opponent
The Eagles last played on October 22, against SIUE, winning 2-0 against the Cougars registering six shots (four on goal). 
 
Kate Larbes scored both goals for MSU while tallying three shots with all of them being on goal. The fifth-year midfielder leads the team in shots and goals with 37 and four.
 
The only other player to record a shot was Nicole Fiantaco. During the match she put up one shot and registered the only assist, bringing her total to a team leading four.
 
Goalkeeper Erin Gibbs played all 90 minutes stopping six shots. The sophomore recorded her sixth shutout and now has 69 total saves, fifth best in the OVC.
 
Hedda Ornberg and Colleen Swift have both scored four goals for the Eagles this season. Ornberg is second in the league in shots on goal with 20.
 
Swift has put up 20 shots, 11 being on target and tallied two assist on the campaign.
 
The Eagles are third in the conference in goals with 21 and fourth in the league in shots, with 202 on the year.
 
Last Season MSU lost in the semifinals against SIUE in an 0-2 loss to the Cougars.
 
First Round
SEMO women's soccer began their 2023 OVC Tournament run with a thrilling 1-0 victory over Eastern Illinois on Friday, Oct. 27, in double overtime to advance to the quarterfinal round. 
 
Freshman Emily Baker scored the Redhawks' lone goal in overtime during the 94th minute off a pass from Kiana Khedoo. Baker also had three shots with two of them being on target. 
 
The Redhawks outshot the Panthers 14 to 11 in shots and six to five in shots on goal. The Redhawks defense held Eastern Illinois to zero shots in the first half. 
 
Cayla Koerner also had three shots with one coming in the first half and the other two coming in the second half. 
 
On the defensive side, Sophia Elfrink had five saves with all of them coming in the second half. EIU's goalkeeper Ella Kratochvil also had five saves on the night. 
 
The Panthers leader in shots was Alex Tetteh who took four shots during the contest. Carys Grieve had the most shots on goal for EIU with two. Six Redhawks played the full 110 minutes of the game. 
 
All three starting defenders in Natalie Jackson, Alayna Jakul, and Maddie Paulson, plus midfielders Emma Brune, Zoe Houston, and goalkeeper Sophia Elfrink. 
 
SEMO had three substitutes enter the game and record minutes, Cayla Koerner, Emily Baker, and Melissa Kubin. 
 
Penalty Kicks
The Redhawks improved to 5-5 all-time in penalty kicks with Sunday's win, avenging a penalty kick loss in the 2022 Tournament's quarterfinals against Lindenwood. 

Looking Ahead
Southeast Missouri women's soccer, with a win, will advance to the Ohio Valley Conference Championship match on Sunday, Nov. 5, in Cookeville, Tenn. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m., CT. at Tennessee Tech Soccer Field.