Seniors help Southeast get established in the OVC

The seniors on Southeast Missouri State University's women's soccer team have helped the squad accomplish plenty during their star-studded careers --and they don't believe they're done just yet.

Heading into Sunday's final regular-season game, a noon non-league contest against Alabama A&M at home, the upper classmen have their sights set on going out with a bang -- which would mean winning next week's Ohio Valley Conference tournament and earning an automatic NCAA berth.

"That's about the only thing we haven't done here yet and we really want it, to get to the NCAA tournament," midfielder Marla Gianino said.

Southeast (10-5-2, 3-3-2 OVC) finished in a fifth-place conference tie. The team will play at Murray State Tuesday in a first-round tournament game leading up to next weekend's semifinals and finals hosted by Samford in Birmingham, Ala.

Even though Southeast is clearly not the tourney favorite, goalkeeper Amanda Wrzos said: "I think we have a real good chance, because the conference games all season were so close. We've never won the tournament before and that would be the ideal way for us to finish our careers."

Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, however, Southeast coach Heather Nelson has nothing but praise for the eight seniors who have all been in the program for at least three years (a ninth senior, former Southeast basketball standout Carina Souza, joined the squad this year as backup goalkeeper).

Most of those eight helped lead the then third-year program to its first OVC regular-season title in 2001, and followed up with another crown in 2002, although Southeast was upset in the league tournament title game both times to fall just short of the NCAA playoffs.

Overall, the seniors -- seven of the eight came in as freshmen, and virtually all of them have been starters throughout their careers -- have helped Southeast compile a 50-16-9 record the past four years.

"I just can't say enough about what they've done for the program," Nelson said. "Most of them came in and started right away. They helped us win two conference championships and they've helped give us a great reputation around the state and in the region."

Six of the eight -- Gianino, forward Erin Slattery, midfielder Michelle Frossard, and defenders Heather Reding, Laura Hauskins and Jen Cross -- are from the St. Louis area, while Wrzos is from the Chicago area and forward Diana Poovey hails from Colorado.

"I love them all," Slattery said. "We've gotten close and it's been a great senior class."

Most of the eight show up on many of the school's career and single-season record lists, led by Gianino. She is the career and single-season leader in assists with 23 and nine, respectively. The three-time all-OVC selection also ranks second in career points with 62, and she has scored 13 career goals.

"The program was just starting when we got here and it's great we've helped it grow like this," Gianino said.

Wrzos, the only one of the eight who was not around for Southeast's first OVC title in 2001 -- she joined the program in 2002 after transferring from Eastern Michigan and has been in the nets ever since -- holds many of the goalkeeping records, including career wins with 32.

Slattery has 17 goals and six assists during her career, including a team-leading 10 goals as a freshman when Southeast captured its initial OVC crown. Gianino led the squad in points that year with 18, on nine goals and nine assists.

"One of the highlights was winning those two championships and really getting the program going," Slattery said.

Poovey has career totals of 17 goals and three assists; Reding, a two-time all-OVC performer, has seven goals and four assists, and she has played in a school-record 74 games; Frossard has one goal and seven assists; Cross has two goals and two assists; and Hauskins has one goal and two assists.

"The four years have gone by really fast," Frossard said. "But it's been a great experience. And hopefully we'll finally win the tournament and get to the NCAAs."

Nelson hopes a big crowd turns out for Sunday's final home game to honor the players who have helped shape the program and will be making their last Houck Stadium appearance.

"It would be wonderful to have them recognized by a lot of fans," she said. "They deserve it."