SEMO Soccer draws in thrilling match vs Little Rock

SEMO soccer tied against the Little Rock Trojans by a score of 1-1 on October 5.

The redhawks entered the game with a perfect all-time record of 5-0-0 against the trojans, including a 2-1 victory to them last season.

The game opened up as a tense midfield battle, with both teams trying to control possession, and tackling well to win back the ball.

The Redhawks controlled the midfield well using a team press which won them back the ball in both offensive and defensive positions, creating chances for themselves, and high pressure for the other teams.

This pressure from the Redhawks paid off, as sophomore forward Cayla Koerner pressed high, won the ball from a Trojan center back, dribbled into the 18 yard box and scored to put the Redhawks up 1-0.

“Throughout this whole week we have been working on that team press, and it really showed tonight up in the final third of the field and it was such a team effort from all the way to the back to the front line,” Koerner said.

Their team press helped them control the rest of the first half and into the second half as well, as the Redhawks opened with the same high intensity press, keeping possession and disrupting the Trojans play.

“I think the press was what made us super successful today in going forward,” senior midfielder Emma Brune said.

The Redhawks were presented with a few more opportunities to score, including a free kick that bounced off of the crossbar. They also had a shot into an open net after both the center backs had been dribbled past, but failed to capitalize on these situations, keeping the score at 1-0.

The Trojans took advantage of this, as late in the game they scored a goal bringing the game to 1-1, and defended well to close out the game with this score.

“I think we put together a fantastic 90 minutes tonight, if we would have had a post or crossbar on our side we could have walked away here with a very hard fought result, but still happy with the performance that we had. We are getting better every game,” head coach Heather Nelson said.

The Redhawks currently sit at second in OVC standings, and are currently tied with Morehead State, their next opponent.

“It's gonna be big, so going into their home turf looking to come out with a result will be really important to keep us in the hunt,” Nelson said.

The Redhawks will travel to on the road to face Morehead State on October 8 at 12 pm.