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Redhawk Notes: SEMO soccer players honored by OVC

Southeast Missouri State freshman Cayla Koerner and junior Faith Liljegren were both named 2022 All-Ohio Valley Conference Soccer players on Thursday.

Koerner was named the 2022 OVC Forward and Freshman of the Year, while also being selected to the All-OVC First Team and All-Newcomer Team.

Liljegren was tabbed to the 2022 All-OVC Second Team.

Koerner is the first Redhawk to earn Forward of the Year (the award began in 2020-21) and the fifth Southeast Missouri women's soccer student-athlete to be awarded Freshman of the Year. She is the first-ever OVC player to be selected for both awards in a season.

The Mahomet, Illinois native led the Redhawks and the conference with six goals, 12 points, and two game-winners in OVC games this season.

She registered a team-high 21 shots, which ranked fourth in the league.

Overall, Koerner competed in all 17 games (12 starts) in 2022, totaling seven goals and an assist for 15 points. She also compiled 38 shots (20 SOG) in her freshman campaign.

Koerner was named the OVC Offensive Player of the Week twice in 2022.

She scored six goals over the last eight games for SEMO and three goals in the final three contests.

Koerner also registered 13 points (6g-1a) over the last eight games.

Liljegren, a junior midfielder from Collinsville, Illinois, was named to her first career All-OVC Team.

She led the league in 2022 with three assists in OVC play.

Overall, Liljegren totaled one goal with a career-best four assists for six points in 2022.

She tallied 18 shots this season and started in every game.

Lions get past 'Hawks

The No. 4-seed Redhawks fell to No. 5-seed Lindenwood recently in the Ohio Valley Conference women's soccer tournament at Houck Field.

SEMO (8-6-3, 4-2-2 OVC) drew with Lindenwood (6-7-6, 2-2-4 OVC), 1-1, in the quarterfinals Sunday, and after a pair of overtime periods, the visiting Lions edged SEMO, 2-0, in penalty kicks.

The Redhawks outshot the Lions, 29-2 (15-1 SOG) before heading to a penalty shootout. SEMO's 29 shots were a season-best.

In the shootout, SEMO missed all four of its attempts, while Lindenwood made its second and third tries.

SEMO's eight wins are the most in the past three seasons. The Redhawks have now won seven or more games each of the past four campaigns.

Redhawk runners recognized

Three SEMO cross country runners earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors recently at the 2022 OVC Championships.

Hannah Eastman and Katie Wegmann both earned All-OVC First Team honors as the Redhawk women finished fourth overall in the 6K race, while Noah Little took 10th in the 8K for All-OVC laurels, as the men placed sixth as a team.

The SEMO women finished fourth with 91 points, and the Redhawk men completed the 8K with 144 points for sixth.

Eastman, a senior from Belleville, Illinois, paced the Redhawks women, crossing the finish in a personal-best 22:11.5 for fifth and her first career All-OVC Cross Country laurels.

Wegmann, a Mequon, Wisconsin, native, added a time of 22:26.5 for seventh and her second career All-OVC Cross Country honors.

Taylor Fox was 24th (23:31.7) followed by Madelyn Gray (23:42.9, 27th) and Mackenzie Pugh (23:46.3, 28th) to wrap SEMO's top five.

Layla Fliege (23:47.9, 30th), Lexie Dockstader (24:10.8, 45th, PR), Haley Smith (24:12.2, 46th), and Sarah Russom (24:38.3) also ran in the 6K for the Redhawk women.

On the men's side, Little garnered his first career All-OVC Cross Country Second Team honor with a time of 25:37.3 to place 10th overall.

Little, a junior from Washington, Missouri, is the first Southeast Missouri man to receive All-OVC Cross Country honors since Craig Munie in 2013.

Aaron Modrow was the second fastest Redhawk, completing the 8K in 26:15.5 (24th) followed by Nick Cimmarusti (34th, 26:36.2), Terrico Garrett (26:49.3, 39th) and Justin Splitt (26:53.7, 40th) to complete the SEMO top-five scorers.

Garrett Dumke (26:54.9, 43rd), Clayton Eftink (27:38.3, 61st), and Jacob Blassingame (27:43.5, 63rd) also represented the Redhawks.

The Redhawks will now head to Columbia for the 2022 NCAA Midwest Regionals on Nov. 11.

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