Redhawks take their game indoors at Savvis, fall to SIUE

ST. LOUIS -- It's been more than a year since Casey Kraft touched toe to turf on an indoor soccer surface. And the Southeast Missouri State sophomore would like to keep it that way.

Kraft and her Southeast teammates faced Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in an exhibition match Saturday night at Savvis Center. Though it took the midfielder the majority of the first 30-minute half to get reacquainted with the turf and the boards, as well as the SIUE double teams, Craft turned it on late.

After clearing a would-be SIUE goal out of the crease on the defensive end, Kraft, a Nerinx Hall graduate, joined the rush and scored in the 55th minute to cut the Cougars' lead to 5-4. Just a minute later, she setup Alaina Lacopo for a surefire goal, but SIUE goalkeeper Christina Purdy made a diving save. SIUE was able to hold on for a 5-4 victory.

"It's a fun event and it's a good thing for our program," said the 5-foot-11 Kraft, who had 17 points (7 goals, 3 assists) last season, of the homecoming. "It's good to come home and play here at Savvis. Indoor is definitely a different game. Things can get crowded out there. There's really not a lot of space to make your moves, especially when the defenders are in so close to you."

Said Southeast coach Heather Nelson with a laugh: "For sure, she likes having some space."

After going down 2-0 in the opening minutes on a wall ball goal by Southeast's Molli Beard and a blast from Jessi Wuellner, SIUE spread the court. The squad took the ball to the wings, an effective strategy in indoor soccer where you can utilize the boards to dust defenders. The Cougars scored three goals in the final 15 minutes of the first half and twice in the opening minutes of the second to take a commanding 5-2 lead.

"It took us a while to figure out that we needed to dump the ball in long and create more chances by playing off the walls," Nelson said. "Sure we should have made some adjustments, but this is really more about enjoying our experience up here together and being in the St. Louis area."

Southeast was playing without the services of goalkeeper Lindsay Pickering due to her softball responsibilities. Gianna Logston saved nine of 14 shots on the night.

With Kraft, Pickering and nine other players, more than half of the Southeast roster is made up of St. Louis-area natives.

"It's a real novelty to be able to come up here and do this because most of our girls haven't played much indoor soccer at all," Nelson said.

It's the second straight trip to Savvis for the program and third overall. However, it was the first time Southeast got to face another squad and the first chance for an alumni game. Nelson credited Brian Roth, a 2000 Southeast graduate and a St. Louis Steamers account executive, for connecting Southeast and the Steamers.

"The game is so fast and everything is so flawless that it's action packed," Nelson said. "We've always liked showcasing our talent here because we recruit so many kids from the area. I think this can turn into a nice little reunion event for our program."

In the night's first game, Southeast alumni tied SIUE alumni 1-1. Jennifer Cross, a 2005 graduate, got the Redhawks' lone goal.