OTAHK SOCCER READY TO PLAY EXHIBITION

Southeast Missouri State University's second season of women's soccer won't officially begin for a couple more weeks.

But area fans will get a chance to see the Otahkians in action Saturday night when they play an exhibition game against the Busch Soccer Club from St. Louis. The contest, set for a 7 o'clock start, will be held on the new FieldTurf surface at Houck Stadium.

The Otahkians had a relatively successful inaugural season of play in 1999, tying for third place in the six-team Ohio Valley Conference and winning a game in the OVC Tournament. Southeast had a 4-8-1 overall record and a 2-2-1 OVC mark.

Heather Nelson was named 1999 OVC coach of the Year and she returns all 11 starters for this season, including four first-team all-OVC selections: senior goalkeeper Beth Guccione, senior forward Nichole Thiele, sophomore defender Stephanie Bleau and sophomore midfielder Jenny Hamilton.

Guccione, who had offseason shoulder surgery, won't be in the lineup tonight, but she should be ready to go by September.

Thiele, a former Cape Girardeau Central High School star, led the Otahkians in scoring last season, recording eight goals and three assists. Hamilton added three goals and two assists.

The Busch Soccer Club, which finished third last year at nationals, figures to have plenty of talent and provide the Otahkians with a rugged test as they continue to prepare for the regular season.

"Exhibitions are meant to help a team prepare for the regular season and the first home contest," said Nelson. "I view them as 'preseason' development. We (the coaching staff) use the game to view players' strengths and weaknesses."

Southeast's next game will also be an exhibition, Aug. 19 on the road against highly-regarded St. Louis University.

The Otahkians open the regular season Aug. 25 at home against Northern Iowa.