SEMO women’s soccer begins 26th season

Southeast Missouri State's Emma Brune, a Saxony Lutheran alum, celebrates scoring a goal on her birthday with her teammates in a 1-0 win over Columbia College on Sept. 14, 2023, at Houck Stadium.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

In the 25 years under head coach and program founder Heather Nelson's guidance, the Southeast Missouri State women’s soccer team has posted 19 winning seasons, won six Ohio Valley Conference regular season championships, and two OVC Tournament championships.

Last year’s campaign ended in the conference tournament semifinals, a 1-0 loss to Morehead State, the eventual OVC champions. The young Redhawks finished with a 7-6-6 record and three players on the All-OVC Postseason list.

The Redhawks have been mainstays in the OVC Tournament, appearing in 22 out of their 25 years in existence. Their journey back begins on Thursday, August 15, when they host Missouri-St. Louis at Houck Field.

The Redhawks are picked to finish 7th in the OVC this fall but return 19 players including Cayla Koerner, who led the Redhawks in scoring for the second consecutive season.

Still, the best is yet to come for the junior, whom Nelson describes as, "without a doubt one of the most athletic threats from a distance."

"I don't think Cayla knows how athletic she is," Nelson said, "and we're going to make sure we help her find that out."

Goalkeeper Sophia Elfrink returns to the Redhawks for a junior campaign after making 76 saves and allowing just 14 goals for a .844 save percentage last season.

Zoey Memmel, a graduate student, returns for a fifth year after missing 2023 with an injury. She joins midfielder Elizabeth Rater, defender Grace Crowden, and Emma Tucker to make up the 2024 senior class.

"That says a lot about resilience and determination in our sport because it's relentless with injuries," Nelson said.

Nelson’s daughter, sophomore Justi Nelson, started in 17-of-19 games as a freshman and was the first Redhawk since 2021 to earn OVC All-Newcomer honors.

Nelson has long been active in local recruiting, bringing in plenty of players from schools like Saxony Lutheran, Notre Dame, and Jackson, where her daughter played. A total of four Jackson alumni currently play for the Redhawks.

"The fact that we've been able to be hands-on in this community and help grow students from a young age to fall in love with this sport has really been a big difference maker for us," Nelson said.

The Redhawks will be at home for nine games this season, with matchups including renewing old rivalries with Murray State and Southern Illinois.