Oct. 22, 2009

By Brett Maikowski, Southeast Missouri State Sports Information

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks soccer team will travel to Kentucky this weekend for two crucial conference matches against the Morehead State Eagles and the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. Friday's matchup against MSU will have a kick off time at 6 p.m. while Sunday's match is slated to start at 1 p.m.

Live stats for Friday's match against Morehead State can be found by logging on to http://www.sidearmstats.com/morehead/wsoc/. For Sunday's match against Eastern Kentucky, live stats can be followed by logging on to http://www.sidearmstats.com/eku/wsoc/.

Scouting the Redhawks

Southeast (7-5-2, 2-1-2 OVC) is currently in sixth place in the Ohio Valley Conference after posting two 1-0 victories this past weekend over Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech. Only three matches remain for the Redhawks and they'll need as many points as possible, as they hold the final spot in the conference eligible for the OVC Tournament.

Last weekend, Ashley Runion and Bobbi Jo Schlick each scored a goal to give the Redhawks a pair of 1-0 shutout wins, which boosted the team into postseason contention. Schlick's goal against Tennessee Tech on Sunday was the fastest goal scored by a Redhawk this season, as she blasted it into the back of the nets just 2:16 into the match. The goal was her fifth of the year, which leads the team.

Goalkeeper Kristen Starkey had a solid weekend in goal as well as she tacked on two more shutouts to bring her total to six overall, which leads the conference. Starkey also leads the conference in goals against average at 0.84. For her accomplishments this past weekend, Starkey received her second OVC Goalkeeper of the Week honors of the season.

After this weekend, Southeast will close out the regular season with Murray State on October 29 at 3 p.m. The match was originally scheduled to be played on October 9 in Murray, Ky. but inclement weather forced the match to be rescheduled for the end of the month.

Scouting the Eagles

Morehead State (7-6-3, 4-0-2 OVC) holds the top spot in the conference and will be looking to crown themselves as the regular season champion this weekend after they finish up with two home matches. Although two wins would seal the championship for the Eagles, a win and a tie would ensure at least a tie with UT Martin if the Skyhawks were to win the rest of their matches.

Last weekend, MSU picked up a pair of wins over Murray State and UT Martin, both on the road. Offensively, Devan Jordan and Jillian Birchmeier lead the Eagles with five goals and an assist to give them 11 points apiece. In goal, Lily Meisner posts a 7-6-2 record with four shutouts and .711 save percentage.

Southeast currently holds the series history edge by an 8-2-2 margin. Last season, the two teams battled to a scoreless tie back on October 10 at Houck Stadium. Goalkeeper Lily Meisner recorded five saves in the match.

Scouting the Colonels

Eastern Kentucky (4-9-3, 1-2-3 OVC) trails Southeast by two points in the conference standings and will be looking to get back into the picture for postseason play this weekend. Before hosting Southeast on Sunday, EKU will take on Eastern Illinois, who currently sits one spot ahead of SEMO.

The Colonels haven't seen a victory since taking down Jacksonville State by a 1-0 score back on October 4. Since then, EKU has racked up two ties and two losses. They will need to break into the win column at least once this weekend or they will end up just shy of earning a spot in the OVC Tournament.

Lauren Imsande has generated the most offense for the Colonels this season so far as she has three goals and an assist for seven points on the year. In goal, Stephanie Lynch has a 3-6-3 record with five shut outs, one shy of Starkey. This past weekend, she gave up two goals in the first match but bounced back with a nine save shut out to keep the Colonels tied with the Racers. For her accolades, Lynch also received the OVC Co-Goalkeeper of the Week award.

Southeast is 3-1 overall against Eastern Kentucky with their only loss coming last season in a 1-0 defeat at home on October 12. The Redhawks have outscored the Colonels by a 12-1 margin though and will look to add to that on Sunday.