Aug. 17, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - After a week of practice, the Samford soccer team finally got the opportunity to play against an opponent Wednesday night. The opponent was a local 18-under club team, but that was not as important as the fact, it was an opponent.

Samford won the scrimmage 2-0 with second half goals by seniors Jackie Foster and Rebecca Kent but that was just a bonus for head coach Barry Spitzer, "I am pleased with the way we looked tonight. This was a good evaluation, we got everyone into the game, and that was the purpose of playing."

The first half of play was exactly what you would expect from the first scrimmage, it was filled with nervousness, poor execution, and no goals. The second half was a calmer and more organized session. "We made some poor decisions in the first half. It was the first time the team has played as one unit and it showed. We made some adjustments at halftime and we played much more composed in the second half. I feel really good about where we were after seven days of practice," said Spitzer.

Kent opened the scoring in the second half, as she took a pass from Foster and beat the goalkeeper high. Foster's goal came later in the half, as she blasted a shot from 25-yards away. "Jackie (Foster) had a very good match. I though Kelly Carmichael and Graham Holt each played well, and Carrie Ollom had a good match in goal," said Spitzer. Ollom played the entire match and recorded the shutout by making five saves on the evening.

While it was the seniors who scored the goals it was the freshmen that impressed the coaching staff. Kelly Christoffer had a solid match in the midfield as the offense played through her. Birmingham native, Jessica D'Amico played well as an outside midfielder, making a number of runs in the early part of play to set up shots for the Bulldogs. Hayley Kolb had the best scoring chance of the first half as she blasted a shot from 20-yards away that just missed the top corner of the goal. "The freshman played really well tonight, again their was some nervousness but I am pleased with their play in the first week of practice," said Spitzer. "I think it was really good for the entire team to come out and play against an opponent and see where we stand and what we need to work on."

Samford will open up the 2000 season next Saturday, Aug. 26, at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs first home game will be Sept. 6, against Alabama A&M.