Nov. 13, 2005

Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Samford University soccer team's dream season came to an end on Sunday as the Bulldogs dropped a hard-fought 2-0 contest against the Pepperdine Waves in the second round of the NCAA College Cup.

Samford (15-4-4) concluded its 2005 campaign with a school record in wins and also became the first Ohio Valley Conference team to advance in an NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs were also the first women's squad in school history to accomplish the feat.

"Our players battled extremely hard today," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "We went up against the No. 16 team in the country out there and by no means were we ever out of the game. I'm extremely proud of the way that our team has played all season and I think that this shows very favorably for the program."

With the win, Pepperdine (15-3-3) advanced to the Sweet 16 and will square off against second-ranked North Carolina on Friday. The Waves are in the midst of their fifth-consecutive trip to the NCAA College Cup.

Pepperdine's Megan Woods scored both goals in the win.

The Waves jumped out in front during the first half of play as senior Woods scored her 11th goal of the 2005 campaign at 38:41. Freshman Emily Wynne assisted on the score.

Woods, Pepperdine's points leader this season with 34, gathered a forwarding pass from Wynne and sliced a shot into the bottom right corner of the net. The play was created by Wynne as she stole an errant Samford pass near midfield, drew the remaining defenders and placed a pass to Woods on the left flank.

The assist was Wynne's second of the season.

"Obviously, Pepperdine has the two best frontrunners that we've seen all year," said Yelton. "They are extremely talented, but I was also disappointed with our team's play in the first half. I think that we played a little too timidly and a little scared, especially in the back."

Samford had its share of scoring opportunities in the contest.

The Bulldogs attempted 13 shots, with sophomore Heather Birdsell leading the way with six. Three of Birdsell's attempts were on goal.

With exactly 32:43 remaining in the contest, Samford's Rebecca Bohler came merely inches shy from tying the score at 1-1.

The Bulldogs' 2005 OVC Player of the Year rifled a shot from the left wing that Pepperdine's goalkeeper, Anna Picarelli, was able to get a finger on and tipped the ball over the crossbar.

A little over two minutes following Picarelli's save, Samford's Birdsell worked her way to a one-v-one with the Waves' goalkeeper, but Pepperdine's 5-5 senior was able to make the stop on Birdsell's attempt.

"I thought that in the second half we really came out and knocked it well," Yelton said. "If one of those good looks from either Bohler or Birdsell goes into the back of the net, then it's a totally different match."

Woods scored her second goal of the game on a penalty kick with 18:41 remaining in regulation. She was awarded the kick after Samford was called for a foul in the box. On the penalty kick, Woods placed it into the top left corner to make the score 2-0.

Samford proved to be the more physical team in the game and was whistled for 19 fouls, 10 of which were committed in the first half. The Waves committed 12 infractions and were called for one yellow card.

The Bulldogs' two seniors Marian Wagner and Emily Morris competed in the final game of their four-year careers on Sunday. During their time at Samford, the pair has helped the program to a stellar 50-21-11 record and its first appearance in an NCAA College Cup.

"I'm just so proud of our seniors (Emily Morris and Marian Wagner)," Yelton said. "They have shown great leadership during their years at Samford and I'm a firm believer that everything either rises or falls based on leadership. They've done a great for us."

The 2005 Samford University soccer team put together the most successful season in school history and finished with a record 15-4-4 mark. The Bulldogs won their third-consecutive OVC title and their first conference tournament championship.

Next season, Samford returns all 11 of its starters from the NCAA College Cup.

#16 Pepperdine (15-3-3) def. Samford (15-4-4), 2-0

SAM 0 0 - 0
#16 PEP 1 1 - 2

Scoring: PEP, Megan Woods (11) 38:41 (assist Emily Wynne), Woods (12) 71:19 (penalty kick).
Saves: SAM, Cayley Winters 2, Team 3; PEP, Anna Picarelli 5.
Yellow Cards: SAM, Lauren Faubion 40:42, Jessika Mejia 42:39, Kim Matthews 86:19; PEP, Daniella Bosio 83:42.