It had been a decade since the Morehead State soccer team last defeated Southeast Missouri. But, thanks to an early first-half goal and another shutout by the defense, that fact was erased Sunday as the Eagles topped the Redhawks 1-0 at the MSU Soccer Field.
MSU (4-5-5, 3-1-2 OVC) soared to 11 points in the Ohio Valley Conference table, staying in second place behind only Tennessee Tech (13 points). The Eagles had been 0-6-4 against SEMO since 2013.
"It was a really gritty performance today," said Head Coach Chris Fox. "SEMO is a good team, and they certainly made it difficult. We've had a number of matches recently where we dominated possession but didn't get a result. Today, there was a little more determination from the team. We were tied for second place with SEMO, so obviously winning these types of matches is important."
The Eagles dotted the scoreboard in the eighth minute when fifth-year forward Nicole Fiantaco finished off her second goal of the season and eighth of her career, following assists from Erin Fite and Kate Larbes. Fite's first pass found Larbes, who crossed it to Fiantaco for a nifty score beating SEMO (6-4-3, 2-2-2OVC) goalkeeper Sophia Elfrink. Fite's helper was her team-high fourth of the year and fifth of her career, while Larbes was credited with her first career assist.
Despite being outshot in the end, 13-11 (MSU outshot SEMO 4-3 in the first half), goalkeeper Erin Gibbs and the defense held strong. Gibbs made three saves on all three SEMO shots on goal and earned her 10th career shutout. That ranks third in program history on the career list.
Of the Eagles' 11 total attempts, five players recorded multiple shots. Justine Nelson, daughter of SEMO's head coach Heather Nelson, led the Redhawks with four shots.
Morehead State is off again this week before hosting Lindenwood next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
By Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations