SEMO soccer gets first win

The Redhawks women’s soccer team defeated the Grambling State Tigers 4-1 on Sunday at Houck Stadium. This game was the first time SEMO got to play a game in the new Houck facility and they started off hot with a big win.

The first half of the match was a neck-and-neck battle with both teams getting multiple shots on goal. Both teams had a goal erased from the board due to an offside call before SEMO managed to strike first in the 39th minute with a goal by sophomore forward Cayla Koerner.

Koerner said she thought the home-field advantage really helped her as well as her teammates.

“I think our team was really into it,” Koerner said. “We had a lot of energy on our home field, and we took it in full swing.”

The second half was all Redhawks as they scored three more times and held the Tigers to just one goal. The first came in the 47th minute when senior forward Kiana Khedoo beat two defenders and buried a shot in the back of the net.

“I was going to run through the ball and the keeper if I had to,” Khedoo said. “I just looked for the open space and was able to slow poke it in.”

The next goal came in the 69th minute after sophomore forward Melissa Kubin was fouled in the goal box which led to a SEMO penalty kick. Freshman forward Emily Baker was Redhawk chosen to take the penalty kick and she was able to get the ball past the Grambling State goalkeeper.

“Obviously I was nervous but I just took my time with the shot and put it in,” Baker said. “I just sent it and hoped I didn’t miss.”

Redshirt senior forward Megan Heisserer was the fourth Redhawk to get on the board in the 90th minute. Heisserer had a goal taken away due to her being offside just moments earlier and she said that mistake was what she was thinking about.

“I mean anytime there's a goal taken back the one thing on your mind is to get it back,” Heisserer said. “Because of a mistake that I made being offside and you never want that for your team. So just getting it back is the next thing on our minds.”

The weather played a major role in the contest, with a temperature of 95 degrees and a heat index of 107 degrees. Redhawks head coach Heather Nelson said they had to use every active player today which actually was very good for them.

“It affected the game in that we had to be really strategic in our subs today. So we had to use every active player on our roster,” Nelson said. “I think people got a lot of important minutes and shared the heat and the exhaustion that came with the temperature on the field.”

The Redhawks are back in action on Thursday when they take on the Purple Aces from the University of Evansville at 6 p.m. at Houck Stadium.