Aug. 17, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -
The Samford University soccer team enters the 2005 campaign with aspirations of winning a third straight Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title and with a relentless desire to qualify for its first NCAA Tournament.
Last year, the Bulldogs fell three minutes shy of reaching their postseason objective as Eastern Illinois scored a pair of last-second goals to overtake Samford in the title match of the OVC Tournament. With the heartbreaking defeat, the Bulldogs' coaching staff and players used the residual effects of the loss as motivation during the off-season and enter this season feeling stronger than ever.
Heading into its fourth season under Head Coach Todd Yelton, Samford boasts one of the most talented rosters in school history and retains the same coaching staff for a fourth straight year. Assistant Coach Brian Copham enters his sixth season as a member of the women's soccer program, while Jay Yelton begins his fourth year as the goalkeeper specialist. In the last three years under Yelton, the Bulldogs have compiled a stellar 35-18-7 overall record and have tallied an unprecedented 20-6-1 conference mark.
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.
After joining the OVC in 2003, the Bulldogs have earned 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.
The Bulldogs' talent-laden 2005 roster includes seven returning starters from last season's championship squad and boasts 14 of 21 returning letterwinners. Three of Samford's returning starters earned First-Team All-OVC honors in 2004, while senior forward Marian Wagner (Spring, Texas) garnered OVC All-Tournament accolades and sophomore forward Rebecca Bohler (Augusta, Ga.) was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Week on October 10.
The Bulldogs' trio of returning OVC First-Team performers is comprised of sophomore midfielder Heather Birdsell (Plano, Texas), and juniors Kim Matthews (Colleyville, Texas) and Sharon Young (Powder Springs, Ga.).
The Samford University soccer team improved its top-caliber talent level and depth even further in the spring of 2005 as the Bulldogs signed seven highly-touted players to national letters-of-intent. The gifted incoming freshman class marked Samford's second straight top-100 ranked recruiting class and was tabbed as the No. 16-ranked squad in the Southeast Region by Soccer Buzz Magazine. The regional accolades proved to be the third-consecutive such honor for the Bulldogs as all three of Coach Yelton's recruiting classes have been recognized by Soccer Buzz.
Samford's No. 91 national ranking, which followed No. 90 Georgia by one position and came in ahead of both No. 97 Colorado and 98th-ranked Cincinnati, is the second national ranking in Bulldog history. Last season, Samford registered the country's No. 79-ranked recruiting class and earned the 14th-position in the Southeast Region.
The Bulldogs' 2005 recruiting class consists of Candace Clippard (Nashville, Tenn.), Lauren Faubion (McKinney, Texas), Valerie Kikkert (Roswell, Ga.), Morgan Montague (Sugar Land, Texas), Marchele Olds (Dallas, Texas), Jenna Sturgill (Peachtree City, Ga.) and Cayley Winters (Littleton, Colo.). All seven of the talented prep stars are expected to provide significant depth for the Bulldogs throughout the season and many of them could receive a considerable amount of playing time.
"I truly feel that this class can make an immediate impact," Yelton said. "With our last two recruiting classes being so good, the freshmen won't have to come in and contribute right away, but I think that they definitely have the talent to do it. We recruit kids based upon what they've accomplished up to that point in their prep career, but what determines a really good recruiting class is what they do when they get to campus. It's all well and good to get a lot of initial publicity, but it's the next four years that will determine how good they are."
The main concern for the Samford coaching staff this season is finding a replacement for goalkeeper Crystal Royall, the 2004 OVC Player of the Year. Royall, who is the most decorated athlete in Samford soccer history, garnered the team's Most Valuable Player award last season as she registered seven shutout wins. A native of Richmond, Va., she earned Third-Team Academic All-America honors and was named a First-Team NSCAA South Region Scholar All-American.
Royall, who became the first person in OVC history to be named both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, holds Samford's all-time record with 21.5 career shutouts.
GOALKEEPERS
With the graduation of Royall in 2005, Samford lost its All-American performer in goal and will be without the services of its defensive anchor for the first time in three seasons. Royall played a significant role in the Bulldogs' defensive scheme last year and both her athleticism and quickness allowed the team's defenders to take risks that allowed them to win balls in the middle portion of the field. Samford relinquished a conference-low 14 goals in 2004 and Royall compiled a paltry 0.64 goals against average en route to winning OVC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
This season, the Bulldogs have three players on the roster at the goalkeeper position that will all vie for the starting job. Heading into the 2005 campaign, senior Emily Morris (Memphis, Tenn.) is the lone holdover from last season's squad and is the front-runner to be in the starting lineup. In a backup role behind Royall last year, Morris played a total of 104:51 minutes and started the season-opener against Southern Miss. She allowed three goals, made seven saves and registered a 2.58 goals against average last season.
During spring practice, Morris was the only goalkeeper on the team and took advantage of her numerous reps in practice. Coach Yelton noted that she made tremendous strides since last season and turned in a very good performance against a physical Alabama team during spring play. She started every match during the spring season and played every minute of every contest.
Samford signed a duo of freshmen goalkeepers during the off-season and both prep stars will get the opportunity to showcase their talents during fall practice. Winters, a native of Littleton, Colo., joins the team as a highly-regarded recruiting prospect, as does Jenna Sturgill of the Peachtree City Lasers. The goalkeeper position proves to be Samford's lone question mark heading into the 2005 campaign, but with four exceptionally talented players vying for the starting job, the Bulldogs should find the right fit to once again anchor the conference's best defense.
DEFENDERS
Coach Yelton, a collegiate defender himself, has instilled a sense of pride within the Samford University soccer team's defense. The defensive side of the ball is the coaching staff's main point of emphasis throughout the year and Samford only allowed a total of 14 goals last season. The 2004 team earned an OVC-best total of 10 shutouts last year and also led the conference in goals against average (0.77) and goals allowed (14).
This season, Samford returns two of its four starting defenders from the 2004 campaign in First-Team All-OVC member Young and sophomore Devon Paris (Columbus, Ga.). Young started all 18 matches a year ago, while Paris found her way into the starting lineup in 12 contests as a true freshman. The Bulldogs lose the services of a pair of senior performers at defender in Lindsay Shanks and Keala Ryan, but return talented backups in Jamie Stout (Fishers, Ind.), Cassie Applegate (Zionsville, Ind.) and Shay Helmbock (Carmel, Ind.).
Rebecca Mock (Marietta, Ga.) will also return to the active roster in 2005 after being forced to sit out all of last season with a leg injury. As a true freshman in 2003, she was one of the most valuable players on the team and started 17 of 19 matches. Her ability and stamina should help counter the loss of seniors Shanks and Ryan to graduation.
Incoming freshmen, Clippard and Olds, will bolster an already talented defensive squad and both players could compile significant playing time throughout the 2005 season. Clippard comes to Samford after starting for the Brentwood Impact club team in Tennessee, while Olds competed for the nationally-renown Sting Soccer Club out of Dallas, Texas.
The Bulldogs will definitely miss the leadership and experience of Shanks and Ryan in the defensive backfield this season, but the talent level, depth and strength of the unit as whole has been increased with youthfulness and speed.
MIDFIELDERS
Samford's midfield boasts a pair of First-Team All-OVC performers in Birdsell and Matthews, and returns all but one starter from last season. Birdsell started in all 18 matches as a true freshman a year ago and led the Bulldogs in points (10). She was regarded as one of Samford's top offensive threats and rattled off a team-high 40 shots.
Matthews, who was named the OVC Freshman of the Year in 2003, is coming off of a brilliant sophomore campaign where she placed 10th in the conference in assists (4), started 16 of the team's 18 matches and saw significant playing time in 17 contests. Matthews also has the ability to start at the forward position after she finished fourth on the team in points (8) last season with two goals and four assists.
Sophomore Jessika Mejia (Flower Mound, Texas) and junior Sara Geiger (Lilburn, Ga.) both return for the Bulldogs after accumulating a significant amount of playing time in 2004. Mejia played in all 18 matches as a true freshman and started in 16 of the team's contests last season. On the year, she scored a goal and added an assist for a total of three points and placed third on the team in shooting percentage.
Geiger, one of the most physical players on the team, should once again play a major role for Samford after she started nine matches last year and saw action in 15 contests. At only 5-4, Geiger possesses a deceptive vertical leap and wins a tremendous amount of balls in the air. She is a defensive stopper in the midfield and helps ignite the scoring attack by making solid decisions with her passes.
Also returning to the lineup this season is sophomore Kat Sweatt (Colleyville, Texas), who played in 17 matches last year. She scored a key game-winning goal against Tennessee-Martin in OVC play and is expected to compile some considerable minutes this season. Providing depth for the Bulldogs in the middle will be incoming freshmen Kikkert and Montague. Kikkert, a Georgia native, played for GSA Red, while Montague was a valuable member of the Texas Premier Black 86/87 club team.
FORWARDS
Wagner, one of only two seniors on Samford's 2005 roster, headlines the Bulldogs' trio of returning forwards. A native of Spring, Texas, she has scored a total of 22 goals in her three-year collegiate career and finished tied for the team-lead with four goals last season. Wagner is an offensive threat that has a nose for the goal and has also spent time playing in the midfield.
Joining Wagner on the front line this season will be Bohler, who started 16 matches as a true freshman in 2004. As one of the fastest players on the team, Bohler led the team with five assists last season and was tied for second in points (9). She finished the conference schedule tied for first place in the OVC with four assists versus league opponents and was ranked second in the league in assists.
Also returning this season at the forward position is junior Allison Stone (Friendswood, Texas), who played a vital role on the team in 2004 by competing in all 18 of Samford's matches. As the first player off of the bench for Coach Yelton last season, Stone would use her blazing speed to frustrate opposing defenders and registered a pair of assists on the season.
Freshman, Faubion, joins the Bulldogs in 2005 and should earn a sizeable amount of playing time. She competed for the highly-talented D'Feeters Soccer Club in Texas and will provide some depth at the forward position.
SCHEDULE
The Samford University soccer team will once again compete against a rigorous non-conference schedule prior to opening its OVC play this season. The Bulldogs kick off their fall competition with an exhibition contest against Alabama on Aug. 20, as they face off against their in-state rival at Bulldog Field at 7 p.m. Samford will then open its regular season versus Wofford on Aug. 26, before heading to Starkville, Miss., for a key regional matchup against Southeastern Conference-foe Mississippi State on Aug. 28.
On Sept. 2 and 4, the Bulldogs will host a four-team Samford Bulldog Soccer Tournament featuring Evansville, Marshall and Memphis. The Friday and Sunday competition will be held at Bulldog Field and Samford is scheduled to play Memphis on Sept. 2 and Marshall on Sept. 4.
In the four matches leading into OVC play, the Bulldogs travel to N.C. State and Winthrop, host Conference USA-opponent Southern Miss and square off against Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 18. The N.C. State matchup will be played at the state-of-the-art SAS Soccer Stadium in Cary, N.C., on Sept. 9, and will mark Samford's first meeting against a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Bulldogs' 2005 OVC schedule includes road matches versus Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri, while their home slate contains conference meetings with Jacksonville State, Tennessee-Martin, Murray State, Tennessee Tech and Austin Peay. Samford will play a pair of non-conference matches during the week before the 2005 OVC Tournament. On Oct. 25, Samford travels across town to face intra-city rival Birmingham-Southern at 7 p.m., before hosting Belmont in a Senior Night matchup at 7 p.m., to conclude the regular season on Oct. 28.
The first round of the OVC Tournament will be held on Nov. 1, at the home site of the higher-seeded teams, while the semifinal and championship matches will be held at a site that has yet to be determined, Nov. 4 and 6.
