SEMO soccer drew against the Evansville Purple Aces, 0-0 on August 24.
The Redhawks came into the game hot off of a four to one win against Grambling State, carrying energy with them.
The momentum showed early on as freshman forward Emily Baker took a shot from outside the 18 yard box, forcing a save out of the Purple Aces keeper.
From that moment the game was largely battled in the midfield, with the Redhawks controlling most of the possession and in turn the pace of the game.
The pressure from the Purple Aces mounted towards the end of the second half as a crossed ball found its way to a Purple Ace who’s shot was blocked by sophomore goalie Sofia Elfrink.
The Redhawks opened up the second half with a high amount of pressure in the form of two shots on goal in five minutes.
The Redhawks’s closest chance of scoring during the game came soon after as sophomore forward Melissa Kubin crossed the ball into the 18 yard box which was turned on and shot at the goal, only to be cleared off the goal line by a Purple Aces defender.
Although the game was competitive throughout, the game ultimately ended with neither team scoring, resulting in a 0-0 draw.
“We weren’t quite as sharp as we were last game, I think we came out flying in the first ten or so minutes of the game, and I think the heat and humidity were a little bit draining,” Head Coach Heather Nelson said.
The game was originally scheduled for 6 p.m. however due to the excessive heat it was moved to 8 p.m.
“I think in the first half it definitely affected us a little more because the sun was just going down, but we did a lot of preparing before the game, having a lot of electrolytes and focusing on our eating and resting, and I think that really benefited us,” sophomore defender Ella Baldwin said.
Graduate student defender Natalie Jackson was named player of the game, helping the defense win tackles in the back and keep the clean sheet.
“I feel like we [the defense] were pretty solid, we gave up a few balls down the field, but ultimately we played pretty well,” Jackson said.
The Redhawks next matchup will put them on the road against Southern Illinois University on August 27.
“I think it’ll be a very competitive match, there's a lot of an emotional rivalry between the two schools so that usually amps things up. It’s typically a one goal game. I know we don’t have a long history but it's been a very tight game,” Coach Nelson said.
