Aubuchon named OVC defensive player of the year

Four Southeast Missouri State soccer players were recognized Wednesday by being named to all-Ohio Valley Conference teams.

Headlining the group was senior goalkeeper Ashton Aubuchon, who received OVC defensive player of the year honors.

Voting, done by the league's coaches and sports information directors, was announced on the eve of the OVC tournament in Martin, Tenn.

Aubuchon earned her second first-team all-OVC accolade after also making the squad during her sophomore season in 2011.

Aubuchon is tied for first in the OVC with seven shutouts. She is second on Southeast's career list for shutouts and broke the school's career saves record this season.

Freshman forward Natasha Minor was voted to the all-OVC second team and she also made the league's all-newcomer squad.

Minor ended the regular season as Southeast's top scorer with 12 points on four goals and four assists. She is tied for the team lead in goals while pacing the Redhawks in assists.

Minor ranks seventh in the OVC in points per game, fourth in assists per game and ninth in goals per game.

Joining Minor on the all-OVC newcomer team are junior forward Breana Beine and freshman defender Christina Rohde.

Beine, a transfer from Evansville, is third on the squad with seven points. She is tied for third with two goals and tied for second with three assists.

Rohde, in addition to being an anchor of Southeast's defense, is tied for second on the team with three assists.

Morehead State's Jade Flory was named OVC offensive player of the year; Morehead State's Angela Black is the conference's freshman of the year; and Morehead State's Warren Lipka and Eastern Illinois' Jason Cherry were named the league's co-coaches of the year.

Tournament time

The third-seeded Redhawks (8-6-3, 6-2-2 OVC) will set their sights on the six-team conference tournament. They open today at 7 p.m. against sixth-seeded Austin Peay (10-5-2, 5-4-1). The regular-season meeting between the squads ended in a 1-1 tie in Clarksville, Tenn.

Today's other first-round matchup pits fourth-seeded SIU Edwardsville (12-4-3, 6-3-1) against fifth-seeded Eastern Illinois (6-13, 6-4) at 4 p.m.

Friday's semifinals will feature top-seeded, host Tennessee-Martin (10-8-1, 8-2) taking on the SIUE-Eastern Illinois winner at 4 p.m. and second-seeded Morehead State (8-10-1, 7-3) facing the Southeast-Austin Peay winner at 7 p.m.

Sunday's championship match is set for 1 p.m., with the winner earning the OVC's automatic NCAA tournament berth.

Tennessee-Martin captured its second straight OVC regular-season title this year. The Skyhawks have also won the past two OVC tournaments.