Game #9
Southeast Missouri State (4-2-2, 0-0-1 OVC)
vs Western Illinois (1-5-2, 0-1 OVC)
Match Information
Date: Sunday, September 24, 2023
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Venue: Houck Field
First Kick: 1:00 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: SEMO Leads All-Time series 15-10-4.
Last Meeting: 2-1 Win | Charleston, IL | Sept. 22, 2022
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
 
Redhawks Return Home to Host Eastern Illinois Sunday Afternoon
Southeast Missouri women's soccer (4-2-2, 0-0-1 OVC) will be back in Cape Girardeau on Sunday, Sept. 24, when they host Eastern Illinois (1-5-2, 0-1-0 OVC) to continue Ohio Valley Conference play. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m., CT. at Houck Field. 
 
Meg Herndon Donate Life Game
Sunday's match will be the annual 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.
 
Cindi 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.
 
Free admission will be provided to all registered organ donors on Sunday, and the first fans in attendance will receive a free t-shirt courtesy of Mid-America Transplant. 
 
Series History
The Redhawks and Panthers will meet for the 30^th time on the pitch Sunday afternoon with SEMO holding a 15-10-4 advantage over EIU. 
 
The last time these two squared off came on Sept. 22, 2022, which saw the Redhawks pick up a 2-1 win in Charleston, Ill. 
 
Last Time Out
SEMO and Western Illinois played to a 0-0 draw on Thursday afternoon in the first match of the Ohio Valley Conference season for either side. 
 
Sophia Elfrink registered three saves in the match, recording her fifth clean sheet of the season while facing four WIU shots, including three on target. 
 
The match started out as a defensive slugfest as both teams were held to just a combined four shots in the first 45-minutes with WIU holding a 3-1 shot advantage. 
 
Redshirt senior Megan Heisserer recorded the only shot of the first half for SEMO, late in the period. 
 
A tale of two halves, SEMO started out the second half on fire beginning with a shot on target by senior midfielder Emma Brune. 
 
The Redhawks continued to fire shots at the WIU goal to the tune of 11 second half shots, led by Brune and Cayla Koerner who each finished with two shots-on-goal. 
 
Freshman Justi Nelson finished the match with two shots including one on-target as WIU's Isabel Navas Rodriguez finished the match with seven saves to keep the score level. 
 
Forwards Kiana Khedoo and Katelyn Miller each registered a shot from the front of the Redhawks' formation. Defender Maddie Paulson also registered a shot as the Redhawks were kept off the board for the first time in three matches.
 
Four Redhawks played the full 90-minutes this afternoon including Emma Brune, Maddie Paulson, Natalie Jackson, and Sophia Elfrink.
 
 
Scouting Eastern Illinois
The Panthers enter the game 1-5-2 (0-1 OVC) coming off a 2-1 loss to OVC opponent SIUE.
 
EIU scored its only goal at 15:30 by fifth year player Zenaya Barnes with the assist coming from Carys Grieve. Barnes led Panthers in shots on the night with three, two being on target.  
 
The Panthers only mustered up five shots against SIUE, the other two coming from Serra Pizano and Grieve.
 
Barnes now leads EIU in scoring with freshman Abby Reinl at two goals apiece. Barnes and Reinl also lead the team in shots on target, both with four.
 
Freshman Goalkeeper Ella Kratochvil played all 90 minutes and notched a game high ten saves in the loss, putting her at 17 saves on the season with a .773 save rate.
 
Pizano leads the team in shots with seven, three being on goal.
 
Looking Ahead
Following Sunday's contest, SEMO women's soccer will be back in action on the road when they head to St. Charles, Mo. to take on Lindenwood on Thursday, Sept. 28. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m., CT.