Redhawks fail to capitalize on chances in front of net

The Southeast Missouri State soccer team began a two-match Ohio Valley Conference weekend road swing with Friday's 1-0 loss at SIU Edwardsville.

Chelsea Smith's goal in the 28th minute put the Cougars ahead for good. Michelle Auer's shot was blocked by the Redhawks' defense, but Smith was there to put the rebound into the net.

Southeast outshot the SIUE 9-4 in the second half and had a 4-0 edge in corner kicks. The Redhawks took nine of the game's final 10 shots.

"I give credit to SIUE, they outworked us in the first half and put us behind. I felt we dominated play in the second half," Southeast coach Heather Nelson said in a release. "We created some strong scoring chances in front of the goal, but SIUE was able to deflect or redirect most of our attempts."

Southeast finished with a 14-9 advantage in shots and a 6-2 edge in corner kicks. Senior keeper Renee Kertz was credited with three saves for the Redhawks.

SIUE keeper Jennifer Pelley made four saves to record the shutout.

Southeast fell to 2-8-3 overall and 1-2-1 in OVC play. SIUE is 5-5-1 and 2-2.

Southeast concludes its road trip today with a 1 p.m. game at Eastern Illinois.