SEMO women’s soccer hosts annual Donate Life Game, remembers former player Meg Herndon

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – The Southeast Missouri State women’s soccer team hosted Eastern Illinois during its annual Donate Life Game on Sunday, remembering former player Meg Herndon and raising awareness about organ and tissue donation.

Herndon played soccer at SEMO from 2009 to 2012. She was tragically involved in a truck-scooter incident at 21 years old. 

She was an organ donor, and SEMO head coach Heather Nelson said Herndon’s giving spirit and her mantra “Impossible is nothing” have been stitched into the very fabric of SEMO soccer.

“The way Meg lived her life and her impacting 70 peoples’ lives and the ripple effects of her being an organ donor is really something for us to strive to live for as a program every day, so our ideals have been based on ‘Impossible is nothing,’ and to try to live up to her mantra,” Nelson said.

At halftime, SEMO graduate student and former soccer player Mariah Mannino received the Meg Herndon Memorial Scholarship. 

Mannino described what it meant to her to have received this scholarship. 

“Meg’s life has definitely impacted our team, and so has her family definitely has impacted my life,” she said. “It helps as much outside of soccer as it does on the field, so it’s very important to me and my family.” 

As has become tradition on this day, SEMO began the game with 10 players, Herndon’s position of left back left vacant in an act of remembrance. 

That position now belongs to sophomore Alayna Jakul, who said it means a great deal to her to occupy the same position as Herndon once did. 

“Everybody gets chills, and I just love being able to be in that position that she played in,” she said. “It’s a real honor.” 

In a tight, defensive battle, Eastern Illinois scored two late goals to defeat the Redhawks, 2-0. 

Nelson was sure that Herndon was watching this game from up above. 

“She is looking down, and she’s telling me, ‘Get your butt into gear here. We’ve got work to do on Tuesday.’ That would be Meg,” Nelson said. “She’d let today go by, but we’d be getting after it.”