Southeast Missouri State soccer team wins 1-0 over JSU

~ The Redhawks concluded their regular-season schedule

The Southeast Missouri State women's soccer team ended its regular season Sunday with a 1-0 win at Jacksonville State.

Southeast finished fourth in the 11-team Ohio Valley Conference. The Redhawks began the day having already clinched a berth in the six-team OVC tournament.

The Redhawks (6-9-4, 5-3-2) will enter the tournament with momentum as they are 4-0-1 in their last five games.

Freshman Amy Harrington scored Southeast's lone goal Sunday, her second of the season. It was unassisted and came with a little more than one minute remaining in the first half.

"We made it a priority to put together a good performance as we get ready for the OVC tournament," Southeast coach Heather Nelson said in a release. "As a team we did a very good job moving the ball today. Amy made a great attacking run out of the back line and finished it strong."

Senior keeper Renee Kertz made nine saves to record her fifth shutout of the season. Each team had 14 shots.

Kertz has a 0.50 goals against average, three shutouts and a .924 save percentage in her past 10 appearances (nine starts), She posted a 0.59 goals against average, three shutouts and a .917 save percentage in OVC play.

"We were under a lot more pressure in the second half. Renee was very solid in goal and our back four did a great job of covering for her," Nelson said. "Paige Luehmann cleared the best chance they had off the line with her head in the second half. Our two freshman outside backs, Amy and Paige, showed they were very complete players today."

The fourth-seeded Redhawks open play in the OVC tournament at 4 p.m. Thursday against fifth-seeded Belmont in Martin, Tenn.

Thursday's other first-round game pits third-seeded Eastern Kentucky against sixth-seeded SIU Edwardsville at 7 p.m.

Host and top-seed Tennessee-Martin and second-seeded Austin Peay earned byes into Friday's semifinals.