Redhawks soccer team will stay close to home in NCAA tournament

Southeast Missouri State's first experience in the NCAA women's soccer tournament is off to a rousing start.

First, the Redhawks were greeted by an enthusiastic gathering of more than 100 supporters Monday afternoon to watch the NCAA selection show at Buffalo Wild Wings.

And it wasn't long before ESPNEWS flashed the part of the 64-team bracket that had the Redhawks erupting.

Southeast will get to play the initial NCAA tournament game in program history in St. Louis -- the general area where exactly half of the Redhawks grew up and just a two-hour drive from Cape Girardeau.

"I think somebody is watching over us," said Southeast coach Heather Nelson, whose squad is fresh off Sunday's Ohio Valley Conference tournament title that qualified the Redhawks for the NCAA tournament.

Southeast (10-7-2) will play 17th-ranked Illinois (14-7) at 5 p.m. Friday at Hermann Stadium on the campus of St. Louis University.

St. Louis (14-3-2) and Drake (12-5-2) will meet in the other first-round game of the sub-regional at 7:30 p.m.

Friday's opening-round winners square off at 1 p.m. Sunday for the right to advance in the tournament.

"Oh my gosh, when I saw we were going to play in St. Louis ... I could not be more excited," said sophomore Casey Kraft, a St. Louis native who was the MVP of the OVC tournament. "Our whole team absolutely erupted. Half our team is from St. Louis.

"I'm going to invite everybody I know."

Ten members of the Redhawks' 20-player roster are from the St. Louis area, including Caitlin Huber, one of just two Southeast seniors.

"When we saw we were going to play in St. Louis, it got us so pumped," Huber said. "It would never have crossed my mind that we would play there. We should have so many fans."

Said junior goalkeeper Lindsay Pickering, yet another St. Louis-area native: "It's exciting. So many people can come watch us, friends, family. And a lot of people from Cape can make it."

Not only will the NCAA tournament be a homecoming of sorts for many of the Redhawks, Southeast has already played at Hermann Stadium this year, dropping a 2-1 decision to St. Louis on Sept. 18.

"We're completely comfortable in that environment," Nelson said. "Not only did we get a chance to play on the field, but the families of our athletes will be going crazy."

Getting to play in St. Louis was just part of what had the Redhawks excited Monday.

A fired-up group of supporters -- from fellow Southeast athletes to coaches of other Southeast sports to university administrators to general fans -- greeted the Redhawks in the party room at Buffalo Wild Wings.

"It's wonderful to have this many people here. I hope my team is eating this up," Nelson said.

The players were.

"This is awesome. So many people showed up," said Jessi Wuellner, the Redhawks' other senior, who is from the Chicago area. "We never expected this but we really appreciate it."

Added Kraft: "I don't think anybody realized that so many people would be here. It's awesome that we have so much support. It's a great feeling."

Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson was even part of the gathering and he addressed the Redhawks as they settled into their seats for the selection show.

"To all of you, on behalf of the city of Cape Girardeau, we're all pulling for you," Knudtson said.

While the Redhawks were able to spend Monday basking in the glory of making program history, they're ready to begin focusing on the task at hand.

And that is to not be satisfied with simply qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

"It's great that we made it this far, but we want to do well now that we're here," Kraft said.

Southeast certainly faces a daunting task against Illinois, which is one of 16 teams seeded for the 64-team event.

The Illini are a No. 3 seed, meaning they were among the top 12 squads nationally according to the selection committee.

But last year Samford became the first OVC team to win an NCAA tournament game when they upset Vanderbilt. Nelson doesn't see why the Redhawks can't follow suit.

"This team has played its best under pressure," Nelson said. "I feel like we certainly have an opportunity to have a good result."