Redhawks season again ends against Panthers

~ Southeast fell 1-0 in the semifinals.

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Southeast Missouri State's soccer season came to an end Friday at the hands of a team gunning for its fifth straight Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title.

Second-seeded Eastern Illinois made a first-half goal stand up as the host Panthers defeated the third-seeded Redhawks 1-0 in the tournament semifinals.

The Panthers, who have captured the past four tournament championships, will face top-seeded Samford in Sunday's final.

Sharyne Connell scored on a header from the left side of the box with about 10 minutes left in the first half for Eastern Illinois (9-9-2), and Southeast (13-6-1) could not counter in the tightly contested game.

Southeast had only three shots, with Eastern Illinois goalkeeper Tiffany Groene forced to make just one save.

Eastern Illinois had seven shots, with Southeast keeper Lindsay Pickering -- the OVC's defensive player of the year -- also making one save.

Friday's other semifinal saw Samford (15-3-2) slip past fourth-seeded Murray State (8-11-2) in a 4-3 penalty-kick shootout, after neither squad scored during 110 minutes of action.

Sunday's noon title match, which will be nationally televised by ESPNU and carried on Cape Girardeau station UPN The Beat (Channel 33), will be a rematch of the past two tournament finals.