Oct. 7, 2005

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team used a pair of unassisted first-half goals from Rebecca Bohler and Heather Birdsell to cruise past the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks, 2-0, on Friday at Bulldog Field.

Samford's freshman goalkeeper Cayley Winters recorded her third-consecutive shutout in the victory and registered five saves. In a total of seven games this season, the Bulldogs' native of Littleton, Colo., has only allowed one goal and has tallied 16 stops.

"Again, we were able to get some early goals tonight and that really gave us some momentum," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "When we score early it seems to take the pressure off us a little bit and today it was very important, because Tennessee-Martin is a quality side."

With the win, Samford (8-2-2, 3-1 Ohio Valley Conference) extended its winning streak to three-consecutive games and remained undefeated against Tennessee-Martin.

In the all-time series between the teams, which only dates back to 2003, the Bulldogs own an unblemished 3-0 record. Samford has never allowed the Skyhawks to score a goal and has outscored UTM by a total of 4-0.

"I have to give a lot of credit to Tennessee-Martin," Yelton said. "I think that their team never quit in the match and they were able to hold us scoreless in the second half. They have a very explosive offense, but tonight I think that our defenders played extremely tough and did a good job of making it hard on them."

Tennessee-Martin (7-7, 2-3 OVC) had its two-game winning streak snapped on Friday.

Last week, in a pair of victories over Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State, the Skyhawks rattled off 13 goals and only allowed one. On Sept. 30, Tennessee-Martin defeated Eastern Kentucky, 6-0, and then followed that performance with a 7-1 victory over Morehead State on Sunday.

UTM's Katie Jackson, the reigning OVC offensive player of the week, was limited to one shot attempt on Friday.

Junior Dani Myrick and freshman Katie Behrens led the Skyhawks with three shot attempts. Two of Myrick's shots were on goal, while only one of Behrens' required a save. Goalkeeper Megan Dempsey stopped four Bulldog shots in the game.

"In my four years here at Samford, we have really taken pride in how we perform on the defensive side of the ball," said Yelton. "Our game plan is to keep possession of the ball, play patiently on offense and then take advantage of our opportunities."

Samford's Bohler took advantage of an early opportunity on Friday.

At only 1:19 into the match, the Bulldogs' sophomore forward scored the team's first goal of the night and her fourth-straight Samford goal. Dating back to the Bulldogs' 4-0 victory over Morehead State on Sept. 25, Bohler reeled off the team's next four goals.

On the score, Bohler gained possession deep in Tennessee-Martin territory, faked to her right and then beat a pair of defenders to her left. Once past the defenders, she rifled a shot high and into the left-hand corner of the net. The goal was her fourth of the season.

A little over 16 minutes later, Birdsell scored to give Samford its 2-0 advantage.

Birdsell, the Bulldogs' leading scorer with five goals this season, sent a long shot towards the box from approximately 35 yards away. From the right side of the field, Birdsell was able to put the perfect amount of spin on the ball and the shot hooked right into the top corner of the net.

The Bulldogs outshot Tennessee-Martin, 17-9, on Friday and sent a trio of quality goal-scoring opportunities off the crossbar.

"We had a few more good chances to score in the second half," Yelton said. "We were making good plays and putting together good runs, but for some reason we kept hitting the crossbar. I guess it's just one of those things."

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action on Sunday as the Bulldogs conclude their three-match homestand against the Murray State Racers at 2 p.m.

Samford (8-2-2, 3-1) def. Tennessee-Martin (7-7, 2-3 OVC), 2-0

UTM 0 0 - 0
SAM 2 0 - 2

Scoring: SAM, Rebecca Bohler (4) 1:19 (unassisted), Heather Birdsell (5) 17:34 (unassisted); UTM, None.
Saves: SAM, Cayley Winters 5; UTM, Megan Dempsey 4, TEAM 1.
Yellow Cards: SAM, Jessika Mejia 21:04; UTM, None.