Redhawks slip two goals past assistant coach

Beth Guccione didn't like giving up two goals, but she does like the idea of an annual Southeast Missouri State alumni soccer game.

Guccione will do her best to make sure Saturday night's affair at Houck Stadium, won by the current Southeast squad 2-0 and witnessed by about 75 fans, happens on a yearly basis.

"We definitely want to keep doing it," said Guccione, a former all-conference goalkeeper at Southeast who is now an assistant coach for the Redhawks. "This will generate more interest in the program and let the former players stay involved."

Southeast fielded its first women's soccer team in 1999, and Guccione said the program is just now getting to the point where there are plenty of available alumni in order to have a game like Saturday's.

"This is about the right time to start doing a game like this, and I think as the years go on we'll have a lot more players involved," said Guccione, who organized Saturday's match. "We had an alumni game in the spring [indoors at the Savvis Center in St. Louis], and some of the alumni said they wanted to do one outdoors.

"I thought it went pretty well. And I thought the alumni played well."

Guccione played for Southeast's inaugural women's soccer team in 1999 and completed her eligibility in 2001. She holds many of the school's goalkeeping records and was in the nets Saturday for the contest that featured 25-minute halves instead of the normal 45-minute periods.

Besides Guccione, the alumni squad had just nine available field players -- 10 is the norm per side -- so the current Redhawks also went one player down.

"We thought we'd have a couple more players, but they had some stuff going on this weekend," Guccione said.

The first half was fairly even, but the Redhawks finally broke through with about four minutes left as sophomore Alaina Locopo drilled a shot from about 20 yards that beat Guccione. Junior Jessi Wuellner had an assist.

Early in the second half, Wuellner blasted a shot from about 20 yards past Guccione, with Locopo getting the assist this time. The Redhawks also had two goals wiped out by offsides calls. Lindsay Pickering recorded the shutout.

"There were a lot of former all-conference players out there, and it was good to see them," Southeast coach Heather Nelson said. "I thought they held their own. They still have the competitive spirit, that's for sure."

Also playing for the alumni were Michelle Frossard (2001 through 2004), Marla Gianino (2001 through 2004), Laura Hauskins (2001 through 2004), Diana Poovey (2001 through 2004), Heather Reding (2001 through 2004), Jackson High School product Julie Wunderlich (2000 through 2003), Valerie Henderson (2000 through 2003), Jenny Hamilton (1999 through 2002) and Dee Mayer (2003).

Now the Redhawks, who went 2-1 during their three-game exhibition schedule, will turn their attention to Friday's season opener against Gardner-Webb in the Austin Peay Tournament.

Nelson rested several regulars who have minor ailments Saturday in an attempt to be as healthy and fresh as possible for the opener.

"We haven't had any serious injuries. We just want to make sure we're healthy for Friday," Nelson said. "Overall, I'm very pleased with the way the preseason has gone. I think it's the best preseason we've had. The standard of training has been the highest."