Southeast soccer squad tips Murray State

The Southeast Missouri State soccer team got its Ohio Valley Conference schedule off to a strong start Friday.

Southeast scored with just six seconds left in the first half and that goal held up during a 1-0 victory at Murray State.

The Redhawks, winning their second straight game, improved to 2-4-1 overall. The Racers fell to 3-4-1.

Southeast came out firing in the first half, attempting 10 shots and holding MSU to only four attempts. The Redhawks' aggressive play forced the Racers to commit eight fouls.

Despite the possession advantage, it appeared Southeast and MSU would enter halftime deadlocked, but the Racers' eighth foul of the half was costly. The whistle came in the final minute of play and gave Southeast a late free kick.

Freshman Christina Rohde played the ball into the box and found the head of senior Amy Ward, who redirected it past keeper Savannah Haberman six seconds before the halftime buzzer.

Ward's goal was her first of the year while Rohde notched her team-leading second assist.

"We spent the last couple days playing balls into the penalty area and scrambling to finish plays," Southeast coach Heather Nelson said in a release. "Christina dropped the ball in to a good spot in traffic and Amy had a nice finish."

The Racers put some pressure on the Redhawks in the game's closing minutes when they got a pair of corner kicks.

On the first set piece, Shauna Wicker corralled a loose ball in the box and blasted a shot by senior keeper Ashton Aubuchon. But sophomore Amy Harrington was well positioned as the last line of defense and blocked the attempt before clearing it away.

"I was pleased with our effort helping each other out today," Nelson said. "We reacted well defensively and were quick to double when we needed to."

Aubuchon recorded six saves for her second shutout of the season. She has 17 career shutouts, the second-most in school history.

Southeast had a 16-10 advantage in shots and the squads both attempted seven corner kicks.

The Redhawks close out their two-game weekend road swing today with a 2 p.m. contest at Austin Peay in a battle of two expected OVC contenders.

Austin Peay, last year's OVC regular-season runner-up, was picked to repeat that spot in the league's preseason poll. Southeast was tabbed to finish third.

The Governors (6-1-1) opened conference play Friday with a 2-1 home win over preseason favorite Tennessee-Martin, the defending OVC regular-season and tournament champion.