Aug. 27, 2004

Box Score

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Samford University soccer team lost its opening match of the 2004 season on Friday as the Bulldogs were defeated by the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, 3-1, at the USM Track and Soccer Complex.

"We didn't play our best soccer today and we need to do a better job defensively," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "They scored two early goals on us in the first half and when it is as hot and humid as it was today, it's going to be very difficult to rebound from that deficit."

Samford (0-1) allowed a pair of Golden Eagle goals in the opening 6:48 of Friday's match and fell behind early, 2-0.

Southern Miss (1-0) notched its first score at 3:02 in the contest as senior Lauren Prewitt recorded her first of three goals on the evening. En route to registering a hat trick on Friday, Prewitt only missed out on one scoring opportunity as she scored three goals on a total of four shots.

The Golden Eagles handed Samford its first loss of the season for a second-straight season on Friday. In 2003, Southern Miss recorded a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Bulldogs and blemished Samford's early 2-0 record. The Bulldogs went on to finish the 2004 campaign with an impressive 12-4-5 overall record.

"Despite falling behind early in the match, I have to give our team a lot of credit for battling hard in the second half," Yelton said. "We never gave up and we continued to give our best throughout the match. I also have to give Southern Miss a lot of credit, because they played well today."

Samford's Devon Paris scored a goal at the 60:55 mark in the contest to cut the Golden Eagles' lead to 3-1. Paris, the Bulldogs' freshman defender from Columbus, Ga., earned the score as she gathered a corner kick from Jessika Mejia and placed a shot past Southern Miss' goaltender Anna Snyder.

The Bulldogs outshot Southern Miss, 14-12, on Friday, but only compiled five shots on goal, compared to eight by the Golden Eagles. Samford accumulated six corner kick attempts in the contest and only allowed two to Southern Miss.

"We're struggling on defense right now and we need to make some adjustments," said Yelton. "Right now, we just need to rebound from this match and get ready to take on another good team in Tulane on Sunday."

The Samford University soccer team will complete its two-game road trip on Sunday as the Bulldogs square off against the Tulane Green Wave at 1 p.m., at the Westfeldt Soccer Facility in New Orleans, La.

Southern Miss (1-0) def. Samford (0-1), 3-1
SAM 0 1 - 1
USM 2 1 - 3

Scoring: SAM, Devon Paris (1) 60:55 (assist Jessika Mejia); USM, Lauren Prewitt (1) 3:02 (unassisted), Lauren Prewitt (2) 6:48 (assist Carly Barkley), Lauren Prewitt (3) 54:24 (assist Kim Turner).

Saves: SAM, Emily Morris 5; USM, Anna Snyder 4.

Yellow Cards: None