Sept. 25, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford Bulldog women's soccer team is in uncharted waters, but so far the water is just fine for head coach Barry Spitzer and his Bulldogs.

Samford's 2-1 overtime victory against Campbell last Saturday afternoon gave the Bulldogs a 6-2 record and extended the current winning streak to six-matches, which is a school record. That streak will go on the line Tuesday night against Montevallo at 6 p.m. at the Samford Soccer Field.

"We are playing very well right now," says Spitzer. "Different players are stepping up in each match. On Thursday, Jackie Foster and Wendy Woods scored goals to put us ahead. On Saturday, Hayley Kolb had the game winner and Rebecca Kent had her best match of the season."

The Bulldogs have been led by senior Mitzi Mahan and Freshman Hayley Kolb, who have scored 11 of Samford's 21 goals during the streak. John Carroll High School graduate Wendy Woods has also netted three goals in the last six matches.

"Our freshmen have played very well the last six matches," says Spitzer. "It took the first two matches to get them used to playing college soccer, but now they are really contributing. Hayley, Wendy and Kelly Christoffer have exceeded our first-season expectations of them."

Along with its freshman class, Samford is deep in senior leadership. Mahan, Kent, Foster, Lindsay Anglin, Beverly Snellgrove, Melissa Hart and Tiffany Hansen have been together since Samford began playing women's soccer in 1997.

"The seniors have shown great leadership," says Spitzer. "Having six seniors on the field is very comforting and gives the younger players the stability to learn and make mistakes."

Samford won five games in a row to begin the 1999 season, and were unbeaten in its first eight matches. The Bulldogs finished 1999 with a 9-8-2 record. In 2000, the Bulldogs dropped their first two matches against Mississippi State and Southwest Texas but have been unbeatable since Sept. 2, outscoreing their opponents 21-5 over the last six matches.

Samford defeated Montevallo, 3-2, last season to even the series record at a game a piece. Coach Spitzer knows his team will have to be ready to play. "Montevallo is a very talented team, they have 11 foreign players on their roster who can create scoring chances. We will have to play aggressive and create our own chances and finish the chances we get to win."