Freshmen already making impact for Southeast Missouri State women's soccer

It's kind of a thing for Cassidi Tomsu, hitting the crossbar to get a season going, so it was business as usual for Southeast Missouri State's freshman striker when she found woodwork in the Redhawks' season opener Friday at Tennessee.

Of course, scoring goals is also kind of her thing -- the reason why Southeast wanted her in its uniform after a standout career with Jackson High School and the St. Louis Scott Gallagher ECNL club -- and with the crossbar out of the way in Game 1, she opened her collegiate goal-scoring account in Game 2, finding the back of the net in a 3-1 win over Illinois Springfield on Sunday in her team's home opener.

"No. 1 is definitely crossed off the list and I'm glad I got to do it here in front of all the most important people in the stands," Tomsu said. "Right now I'm trying to stay humble and hungry, and whatever happens next is going to happen."

Whatever happens next is likely to include Tomsu and the rest of her talented freshman group in a major way.

When Southeast women's soccer coach Heather Nelson calls her haul of eight freshmen the best recruiting class in her 17 years leading the program, it's not just lip service. In Sunday's game, five of those eight played, and three got their names on the scoresheet -- Tomsu with a goal and Alexis Hacker and Katie Lever with assists. Hacker and Jasmin Hilliard started.

Another freshman, Esmeralda Gonzales, started at Tennessee and scored her team's lone goal in a 1-0 victory. The only reason she didn't see any minutes against Illinois Springfield is the eight stitches in her right leg after taking a tough tackle in Knoxville.

Welcome to Division I soccer.

"We have a lot of versatility in this freshmen class," Nelson said. "Almost all of them are competing for at least two positions and some for up to as many as four because we're figuring out where they best combine with our returning players and where they can make the biggest difference on the field. I even told them [Sunday] before the game, 'You've got to trust in this process.'"

So far, the process has been good to the newcomers, who have made their impact felt already, with the season just a week old. That's had as much to do with their work behind the scenes as what they've done on the field. Their presence can already be measured just by taking the temperature of the locker room.

"They just stepped in and have been working their butts off," senior forward Natasha Minor said. "All credit to them because they came in hard, and they have been pushing returners. And every single person on this field wants to go harder and prove themselves every day. It's hard as a freshman coming in, you get a little scared, but they came in mentally strong and physically strong and ready to play. And that's wonderful for us upperclassmen to see.

"In the locker room, they're not afraid to talk; during halftime they're not afraid to speak up and say, 'Hey, this is what's going on. We need to fix this.' That, to me, is one of the most amazing things. A lot of times freshmen play a kind of reserved role, but that's definitely not what we want. ... If a junior or senior isn't working hard enough, they'll go up and say 'Let's work harder. Let's do this together.' I think that really boosts the morale of the team."

Minor reaped the benefits on the field Sunday, as it was a perfect ball in from one of those freshman -- Hacker -- that she put into the back of the net for the game-tying goal and Minor's first strike of the season.

Hacker and Jasmin Hilliard both started in the back line, and when the former pushed to right back after beginning the night in the center of defense, it was that young pair that bombed up and down the flanks all game. Hacker never came off the field -- the only Redhawk other than goalkeeper Kindra Lierz to play all 90 minutes.

Maria Salm played 18 minutes off the bench as defensive support, and Lever saw 47 minutes of substitute action. It was her shot from the right side that caused enough problems to spill loose for a rebound that Tomsu punched into the top of the net.

Tomsu notched 43 minutes on the field Sunday night, never looking out of place and often getting in dangerous positions in front of goal.

"She's earned it. What you saw tonight, getting to the right place at the right time, she's a very hungry athlete in front of goal," Nelson said. "She just outworks people, and she's courageous. And she goes for it. I think what we saw in that finish tonight, I can't teach that. That's something special that she has. Some of the things she hasn't quite sharpened yet, we can do that here. But some of those particular gifts, I think you either have them or you don't, and she's got them.

"We're always really excited when there's a local player that's talented enough to impact a Division I roster. We feel very blessed, and we also think the institution and our program is meant for those players. When they put in all the dedication and time -- it's crazy what you have to do to get to this level -- if they want to stay home, we want to keep them here."

There will surely be a learning curve for the newcomers, but for now, they're off to a promising start. If nothing else, as Gonzales, Tomsu and the rest see tangible returns -- like goals -- confidence should be high. Minor, a veteran, can attest to that.

"It's a huge confidence booster, for sure, for sure. Especially as a freshman, to get your first one out of the way is a huge thing," Minor said. "It's definitely worth a smile or two."

Tomsu said task at hand for her and her fellow newcomers is to keep the smiles coming in a very simple way -- helping the Redhawks continue to win.

"I think our role is to work hard and whatever opportunities we're given, we need to capitalize on [them]," Tomsu said. "Don't take anything for granted because it can be taken away quickly. We're here to gel together and make a good ol' victory like we just did."