Oct. 16, 2005

Box Score

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Samford University soccer team received a pair of goals from junior Kim Matthews on Sunday as the Bulldogs fought their way to a 3-1 victory against the Southeast Missouri Redhawks at Houck Stadium.

With the win, Samford (10-3-2, 5-2 Ohio Valley Conference) completed a pivotal weekend sweep on the road against two of the conference's top teams. On Friday, the Bulldogs earned a 1-0 victory over first-place Eastern Illinois.

"This was a really good road trip for our team and we are definitely playing with confidence right now," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "We were able to get two quality wins on the road and now we just have to continue to work hard this weekend to end conference play on a positive note."

Southeast Missouri (9-4-1, 4-2-1 OVC) had its two-game winning streak snapped on Sunday and lost only its second contest at home this season.

The Redhawks had a seven-match unbeaten streak at home prior to Sunday's defeat. Following a 1-0 loss against Saint Louis on Sept. 2, Southeast Missouri's lone blemish at Houck Stadium was a 0-0 draw with Eastern Illinois on Sept. 23.

In Sunday's physical contest, a total of 31 fouls were called throughout the match. Samford was whistled for 13 infractions, while the Redhawks committed 18.

"Both teams came out and set the tone by playing a very physical brand of soccer," Yelton said. "I think that SEMO has a tough team, but we definitely matched aggression with aggression. I thought that our players really battled well and I'm extremely proud of how they competed today."

Samford's Matthews scored her first of two goals on Sunday at 23:12 in the first half.

Sophomore Rebecca Bohler was credited with the assist on the score. Bohler, a native of Augusta, Ga., currently leads the team with six assists this season.

A little over five minutes after Matthews' opening goal, Southeast Missouri evened the score at 1-1 with an unassisted goal from Casey Kraft.

Not to be outdone, the Bulldogs bounced right back at 34:47 as Matthews tallied her second score of the contest to give Samford a 2-1 advantage. With the score, Matthews recorded her first multi-goal performance of the season and the second of her collegiate career. Freshman Valerie Kikkert was credited with the assist, her second of the season.

"Kim (Matthews) really played with a lot of heart today," said Yelton. "She's been a bit banged up lately and actually only played about 35 minutes. She came in and was really aggressive and definitely made the most of her time."

With less than 10 minutes remaining in the game, Samford's Lauren Faubion tallied the team's third goal.

On the play, Faubion gathered a pass from junior Sara Geiger and sent a shot past Southeast Missouri's goalkeeper Lindsay Pickering. Faubion, a true freshman from McKinney, Texas, has scored three goals this season, including two in the last two matches.

"I think that Lauren has a lot of talent and she is definitely starting to mature," Yelton said. "She scored two goals on this road trip and she's been a big boost for us."

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action on Friday, Oct. 21, as the Bulldogs continue their OVC schedule at home against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. The contest is slated to begin at 7 p.m., at Bulldog Field.

Samford (10-3-2, 5-2) def. Southeast Missouri (9-4-1, 4-2-1), 3-1

SAM 2 1 - 3
SEMO 1 0 - 1

Scoring: SAM, Kim Matthews (3) 23:12 (assist Rebecca Bohler), Matthews (4) 34:47 (assist Valerie Kikkert), Lauren Faubion (3) 81:14 (assist Sara Geiger); SEMO, Casey Kraft (5) 28:40 (unassisted).
Saves: SAM, Cayley Winters 0; SEMO, Lindsay Pickering 1.
Yellow Cards: SAM, Rebecca Bohler 63:12; SEMO, Ashley Deroy 36:50, Margie Schaeffler 63:12.