Injury may spoil Hartmann reunion

Southeast's Erin Hartmann was looking forward to facing her sister, Molly, in Friday's home opener against St. Louis University.

One of the primary reasons Erin Hartmann was looking forward to Southeast Missouri State's home soccer opener probably won't come to fruition.

But Hartmann is still plenty excited about Friday night, when the Redhawks (1-0) take on St. Louis University (1-1) at 7 p.m. at Houck Stadium in the first regular-season meeting between the squads.

"A lot the players on both teams know each other, and they're supposed to be one of the best teams on our schedule, so it's a really big game for us," Hartmann said.

Hartmann, a senior defender from Jackson High School, was anticipating going up against her younger sister, Molly, who is a highly regarded freshman for the Billikens. Molly scored 135 career goals at Jackson to rank third in state history.

But Molly, selected to the preseason Atlantic 10 Conference all-rookie team, missed the Billikens' first two games with an injury, and SLU officials said she is not likely to play Friday.

"It would have been exciting to play against her," Hartmann said.

Erin, like Molly an all-stater at Jackson, had plenty of excitement Sunday during the Redhawks' 2-0, season-opening win over IUPUI in the Austin Peay Invitational. She scored her first career goal -- and recorded her first career points -- on a rebound shot.

"It was amazing to finally score a goal," Hartmann said. "I really didn't think I would ever score a goal, but I was in the right place at the right time and just put the ball in the net. I was really excited."

Hartmann hopes her entire season goes as well as Sunday's contest, which she started. After seeing considerable playing time as a freshman and starting most of her sophomore campaign, she saw only limited action last year as she was behind all-Ohio Valley Conference performer Heather Reding.

But Southeast coach Heather Nelson is looking for Hartmann to step up as a senior.

"We expect Erin to play a major roll for us, looking to fill Reding's position," Nelson said.

Hartmann, a Southeast Scholar Athlete who is scheduled to graduate in May with a degree in dietetics, has no complaints regarding her career with the Redhawks.

"It's been up and down, but I'm glad I chose to come here," she said. "It's been nice, being close to home, and I like all the girls on the team. And I think we can have a really good season this year."

So does Nelson, who knows a victory over a strong SLU squad could really boost the Redhawks. The Billikens went 15-6-1 last year and set a school record for wins.

"They're always an NCAA [tournament] contender, and so many of the players know each other," Nelson said. "It's big for us. It will really be a battle."