THREE LOCAL ATHLETES TO PLAY FOR SE SOCCER

Southeast Missouri State University's first women's soccer team will feature three local players and have five home games.

The roster and schedule for the Otahkians were announced earlier this week.

Among the 15 players listed on the roster are Nicole Thiele of Cape Girardeau Central High School; Dana Eakins from Jackson; and Becky Naeger from Perryville.

Southeast will play 12 regular-season games plus two exhibition. The first exhibition contest will be Aug. 17 when the Otahkians host the Busch Soccer Club from St. Louis at the Sprigg Street Intramural Field.

The regular season kicks off Aug. 27 at Drury, the first of three straight road games. The Otahkians will then have another home exhibition contest Sept. 11 at Houck Stadium against a Cape Area Youth Soccer Association select squad.

There will be three regular-season home games: Oct. 3 vs. Morehead State at the Sprigg Street Field; Oct. 10 vs. Tennessee Tech at Houck Stadium; and Oct. 19 vs. Tennessee-Martin at Houck Stadium.

Heather Nelson, head coach at Florida State the past four seasons and a former staff coach with the Canadian National Team, was hired as the first Southeast women's soccer coach in March. She has a blend of freshmen, junior-college transfers and four-year transfers on the Otahkian squad that will compete in the Ohio Valley Conference.

"I feel we have recruited a team that can challenge in the OVC," said Nelson. "How well we do will be determined by how well and how soon we come together as a team."

Nelson's top recruit is goal keeper Beth Guccione, who was a first-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American the past two seasons at Lewis & Clark Community College. Guccione recorded 26 shutouts in two seasons and had a goals-against average of 0.7 per game.

"You have to have a good goal keeper to be successful and Guccione is a strong goalie who should make us very competitive," Nelson said. "Guccione has good size (5-feet-10) and she is an excellent kicker."

Thiele joins the team after playing basketball the past two seasons at John A. Logan Community College. A former soccer, basketball and track standout at Cape Central, Thiele will bring speed to the Southeast offense.

Jenny Hamilton, a four-year starter for St. Dominic High School in O'Fallon, Mo., should be a top midfielder for Southeast.

The Martinez sisters from Washington, Mo., will bring talent and experience to Southeast. Nichole Martinez played at Illinois State last season after being the top scorer for four years at St. Francis Borgia High School. Her younger sister Angela has been the top assister for Borgia the past three years.

Two Canadian players will also join the team. Stephanie Bleau and Melissa Vallera from the Montreal area will both be freshmen at Southeast.