Women's soccer season comes to an end

The Southeast Missouri State women's soccer team finished the season with an overall record of 11-6, a conference record of 8-2 and earned a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title before eventually falling to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in the OVC Soccer Championships semifinals on Nov. 7.

The Redhawks have been steadily improving in each of their last three seasons, going from an overall record of 7-10-4 in 2012 to an 8-7-3 record in 2013, before their 11-win season this year.

This year's campaign started off slow, however, when the team was 2-3 through their first five games. The Redhawks finished strong, going 9-3 the rest of the way.

"I think it was just continuously practicing with each other," sophomore midfielder/forward Natasha Minor said of her team's run to finish the year. "We just started to learn how each other like to play, the styles of each other, and we just found the game and just clicked, and kept clicking."

Minor believes that it was the team's chemistry that made it a successful year for the Redhawks.

"Team comradery, we just came together and clicked, and everyone gets along really well," Minor said. "I think that really helps out a team a lot when there isn't any separate divisions of classes or anything. We push each other day in and day out to the hardest of our abilities, and at the end of the day we're all friends."

Senior forward Breana Beine credits coach Heather Nelson for building the team's chemistry.

"She makes it feel like a family," Beine said. "Honestly, our team is a family. She really helps us with that."

Minor and Beine worked together as forwards this season and combined for 15 of the team's 25 goals, including a combined six game-winning goals for Southeast.

While Minor and Beine enjoyed good statistic numbers this season, the defense also contributed heavily to the success of the team. Southeast led the OVC in goals allowed, goals against average and shutouts.

"[Sophomore defender/midfielder Christina Rohde] has been really good back there in the back, and then having [junior defender/midfielder Valeria Jaramillo] come in was a big difference maker as well," Beine said. "And then the outside backs have done really well in getting up into the attack and playing defense really well. As a whole, our midfield and our forwards also did a lot of defending, and I think defending as a whole team really helped us out this year."

The Redhawks were a young team this year, with almost half of their roster made up of sophomores and freshmen. This youth provides for hope of a bright future for the team.

"Personally, I'm excited, I think this freshman class came in and there's a lot of talent," Minor said. "I know personally for me, having a year under your belt helps out a lot. You just learn different things and you excel your play, and I think with the freshmen class that we had this year, having them get that year under their belt, next year is going to be amazing."

This season, however, did not end the way the Redhawks were hoping for. They hosted the OVC Soccer Tournament at Houck Stadium and held the No.1 seed in the tournament.

Southeast was upset by No. 5 seed Jacksonville State (11-9-1, 6-4) and its season came to an end after the 1-0 loss.

Minor suffered a high ankle sprain in the game leading into the semifinal match against Jacksonville State, which played a factor in the outcome of the game against the Gamecocks, according to Beine.

"For me personally, I love playing with Tash up top, so knowing that she was injured really made us nervous at first, but we had to just play through it," Beine said. "We have other great players up top as well, but it's definitely a huge difference without Tash up there for me personally because we've connected so well this season. ... We wish we could have had Tash 100 percent, definitely."

Nonetheless, it was a successful season that came with it accolades to show off the team's talent.

Freshman goalkeeper Kindra Lierz became the first student athlete in OVC history to be named Freshman of the Year as well Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.

Lierz also was named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team and earned first-team All-OVC honors, an accomplishment shared with Minor. Beine and Rohde also received recognition receiving second-team All-OVC honors.