CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Jacksonville State soccer team closed out its two-game Ohio Valley Conference road trip with a scoreless tie against Southeast Missouri State Sunday afternoon.

JSU goalkeeper Amanda Stephens kept the Gamecocks in the game by recording 10 saves, including five in the two overtime periods. Jax State was outshot 14-7 in the match.

Stephens, a sophomore from Humble, Texas, finished the two-game trip with 17 saves in 220 minutes of play. Against Eastern Illinois, she stopped four shots in the first overtime to preserve a 1-1 tie.

Gamecocks head coach Lisa Howe said overall, her team played well against some tough competition. "I am happy that we held our own and tied against the top two teams in the conference," said Howe. "We showed a lot of heart and desire."

Southeast Missouri is the defending OVC regular season champion while Eastern Illinois is the two-time defending conference tournament champs. This season, the two teams have a combined conference record of 5-1-2 with EIU clinging to first place in the OVC with a 3-0-1 mark.

Against Southeast, JSU had its best scoring opportunity when a shot by Tiffanie Stewart hit the cross bar just under two minutes into the second half. Stewart and Ashley Smith each recorded three shots for the Gamecocks.

The 0-0 draw gives the Gamecocks a 6-3-4 overall record with a 1-0-3 mark in the OVC. JSU went 0-0-2 on the two-game trip, which also included the stop at Eastern Illinois for the 1-1 draw.

Howe said the team's defense has been playing well over the past five games. "Amanda (Stephens) has been making some great saves and the defense has been playing excellent," Howe said.

JSU has a 2-0-3 record over the previous five games. That total includes four shutouts with Stephens picking up 24 saves. The Gamecocks have eight shutouts on the year with three goalkeepers splitting time in front of the net.

The Gamecocks will be back home on Friday, October 17th, for another OVC showdown against Tennessee Tech. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.