Racers & Redhawks Play To 2-2 Draw

Friday, September 30

Cape Girardeau, Mo.

7 p.m.

Murray State

2-4-2, 1-0-1OVC

Southeast Missouri

7-3-2, 1-1-1OVC

Team	1	2	OT 3	OT 4	Final F
Murray State	1	1	0	0	2
Southeast Missouri	0	2	0	0	2

Photo by: Morgan Harding

9/30/2016 10:24:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score MSU Overall Stats MSU OVC Stats Box Score (PDF)

The Murray State Racers' women's soccer team began a weekend road trip where they fought for 108 minutes and finished with a 2-2 draw against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

The Racers saw their 13-game Ohio Valley Conference winning streak end with the tie, but their unbeaten streak is now 13 games. Murray State hasn't lost a conference game since Oct. 26, 2014 when they were defeated at home by Belmont.

The Racers (2-4-2, 1-0-1 OVC) face their next league challenge in Martin, Tennessee, Sunday in a 2 p.m. game at UT Martin.

SEMO is 7-3-2 overall and 1-1-1 in the OVC.

Trailing 2-1 in the final minute of regulation play, the Racers snatched the game from the jaws of defeat when Taylor Richerson scored off a rebound from a shot by Harriet Withers. The game clock showed 34 seconds remaining when Richerson's equalizer hit the back of the net.

Sending the game to overtime, the Racers again faced defeat when SEMO was awarded a penalty kick only 1:36 into the first extra frame. Starting in goal for the first time since the Kentucky game (Sept. 11), Alex Steigerwald stopped the shot from SEMO's Esmeralda Gonzales. Stiegerwald had 11 saves in the game.

In the first half, Harriet Withers put MSU in front 1-0 with a goal that was assisted by Aaron Lankster at the 15 minute mark. Withers was 20 yards out when she took a shot to mid-goal. It was her fifth goal of the season and 22nd in her career with the Racers.

The match stayed 1-0 Racers into the second half.

Southeast Missouri scored in the 72^nd minute and then tied it in the 76^th minute as both were scored by Gonzales.

Game Notes
Harriet Withers ended the game with five shots, four of which were on goal.

Alex Steigerwald's 11 saves was one off her career high of 12 that she had (Aug. 26) at home when the Racers defeated Chattanooga 2-0.

Aaron Lankster's assist on the Withers goal was her second at Murray State. The first came (Aug. 21) at Alabama, also on a Withers goal.

Since coming back from injury, Richerson has scored in back-to-back games.

This is the 20^th time the Racers have faced the Redhawks. The Racers have won the last two, but SEMO leads the series 11-8-1. This was the first tie the two have played.

SEMO and MSU have in common the fact that each faced three Southeastern Conference opponents this season. Both teams played Kentucky and Vanderbilt. SEMO also played Tennessee. Evansville was also a common opponent.

Tonight's match was their first meeting since the Racers beat SEMO last November in the OVC Tournament title game in Murray.

The Racers travel to UT Martin Sunday to take on the Skyhawks. The Racers lead the all-time series 11-4-3 and they've won the last two including in 2015, a 4-3 win at home. MSU beat the Skyhawks at UTM in 2014 by a 1-0 score.