Aug. 16, 2005

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - The Samford University soccer team was forecasted to win its third-consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship on Tuesday as the Bulldogs tallied eight first-place bids according to a vote taken by the league's 10 head coaches.

"This is a great honor for our team," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "There are a lot of quality teams in this conference and it is especially rewarding because it is voted on by all of the other coaches. It's nice to receive this prediction, but I'm definitely more concerned about where we finish up at the end of the season."

The OVC preseason ranking was conducted by the league office and was determined by a vote of the conference's coaches, with the exception being that each head coach could not rank his or her own team. The total number of votes was then compiled for each school and the team with the most points earned the No. 1 ranking.

The Bulldogs, who won both the 2003 and 2004 regular-season titles, received eight first-place votes and a total of 80 points, while Eastern Illinois, the 2004 OVC Tournament champions, picked up the remaining pair of first-place nods and 73 total points. Southeast Missouri was predicted to finish third in the league with 63 points, while Jacksonville State accumulated 57 points for a fourth-place ranking.

"This is the second year in a row that we've been predicted to win the conference and I think that will help our team from an experience standpoint," Yelton said. "This year's team definitely understands what the expectations are here at Samford and that's a great tribute to the progress that we've been able to make as a program."

Tennessee Tech (43), Murray State (40), Austin Peay (29), Morehead State (29), Tennessee-Martin (20) and Eastern Kentucky (16) rounded out Tuesday's preseason rankings. Eastern Kentucky will begin its inaugural season with a women's soccer team this year.

"This league is very talented and at the end of the day, anybody can beat anybody else, so it's going to be a challenging season," Yelton said.

Last season, Samford concluded the campaign with a 10-7-1 overall record and earned its second straight OVC regular-season championship. The Bulldogs completed conference play with a stellar 7-1 mark and advanced to the title game of the 2004 OVC Tournament.

Among Samford's top returnees is sophomore midfielder Heather Birdsell from Plano, Texas. The 2004 All-OVC first-team selection led the squad with four goals and 40 shots last year.

Also returning to the Bulldogs this season is senior All-OVC forward Marian Wagner. The native of Spring, Texas finished the 2004 campaign ranked first on the team with four goals and was second with nine points.

Senior Marian Wagner was named to the OVC's All-Tournament Team in both 2003 and 2004.

"Being predicted to win the conference definitely puts a target on our back this season," Yelton said. "We know that every game that we have will be a battle and we're really looking forward to the challenge."

After joining the OVC in 2003, the Bulldogs have garnered back-to-back regular-season championships and have compiled a near-perfect 14-2 conference record. Yelton was named the OVC Coach of the Year in 2003 and led Samford to its initial Soccer Buzz Southeast Regional ranking prior to the 2004 season.

Yelton took over the reigns of the Samford University soccer program prior to the 2002 season and immediately helped the Bulldogs become contenders in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Under his guidance, Samford won its first eight matches of the 2002 season and opened the campaign with an impressive school-record 9-0-1 start.

This season, the Bulldogs return 14 of their 21 letterwinners from last year's championship squad, including seven of 11 starters.

The Samford University soccer team will begin its fall competition on Saturday, Aug. 20, as the Bulldogs host in-state rival Alabama in an exhibition match beginning at 7 p.m., at Bulldog Field.

2005 Ohio Valley Conference
Predicted Order of Finish - Women's Soccer
(As selected by the coaches)

1. Samford (8) - 80
2. Eastern Illinois (2) - 73
3. Southeast Missouri - 63
4. Jacksonville State - 57
5. Tennessee Tech - 43
6. Murray State - 40
T7. Austin Peay - 29
T7. Morehead State - 29
9. Tennessee-Martin - 20
10. Eastern Kentucky - 16

- First-place votes in ( )