Aug. 8, 2007

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri State soccer was selected to finish third in the 2007 Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, released today by the conference office. The Redhawks earned 133 points and four first-place votes in the annual poll that was voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.

In 2006, Southeast produced a 10-8-2 overall record, which included a 4-3-2 ledger in conference play, and captured its first OVC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. Ninth-year head coach Heather Nelson returns 12 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's team. Among the returnees are senior goalkeeper Lindsay Pickering (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles West) and sophomore forward Courtney Alexander (Liberty, Mo./Liberty). Pickering captured Second Team All-OVC and OVC All-Tournament team honors after posting 89 saves and a 0.95 goals against average, while Alexander tallied an OVC-leading nine goals in her first NCAA season en route to claiming OVC All-Newcomer accolades. Other key returning players are junior forward/defender Casey Kraft (St. Louis, MO/Nerinx Hall), senior forward Alaina Lacopo (Troy, IL/Triad) and senior midfielder Margie Schaeffler (St. Louis, MO/Incarnate Word).

Defending OVC regular-season champion Samford was picked to win the conference crown with 155 points and 12 first-place votes. Morehead State edged the Redhawks for second place with two first-place votes and 134 points. Following Southeast was Eastern Illinois, who placed fourth with 129 points and a pair of first-place votes, while Tennessee-Martin was selected fifth with 71 points. Austin Peay (70 points - sixth), Jacksonville State and Murray State (68 points - tied for seventh), Eastern Kentucky (50 points - ninth) and Tennessee Tech (22 points - 10th) rounded out the poll.

The Redhawks kick off the 2007 campaign with an Aug. 31 non-conference contest against Northwestern State at Houck Stadium with a start time of 7 p.m.

2007 OVC Soccer Predicted Team Order of Finish
(As selected by OVC Head Soccer Coaches
and Sports Information Directors)
1. Samford (12 first-place votes)		   		155 pts
2. Morehead State (Two first-place votes)			134 pts
3. Southeast Missouri (Four first-place votes)		133 pts
4. Eastern Illinois (Two first-place votes)			129 pts
5. Austin Peay					         71 pts
6. Tennessee-Martin					70 pts
T-7. Jacksonville State					68 pts
T-7. Murray State						68 pts
9. Eastern Kentucky					50 pts
10. Tennessee Tech				   		22 pts