Aug. 28, 2005

Box Score

STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Samford University soccer team remained undefeated against the Mississippi State Bulldogs since 2001 on Sunday as the teams fought to a 1-1 draw at the MSU Soccer Field in Starkville, Miss.

"This was a very well-played match for us today and I'm extremely proud of our team's effort," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "We came in knowing that this was going to be a hard-fought contest and it held true to form. I think that we played well enough to come away with a victory, but we're satisfied with a tie, because we showed some improvement since our last outing."

Freshman Lauren Faubion tallied Samford's lone goal on Sunday, while Mississippi State's score came on an SU own goal that was accidentally headed in by a Bulldog defender. Emily Morris, Samford's senior goalkeeper, played all 110:00 minutes in goal, recorded six saves and didn't allow an MSU player to score.

Samford (1-0-1) remained undefeated versus Mississippi State (0-0-2) since Yelton's arrival in 2002 and moved to a 2-0-1 record in the previous four years of the teams' rivalry. SU defeated the Bulldogs, 2-1, during the 2002 season and earned a 2-0 victory in 2003.

"Mississippi State is a high-quality opponent and Coach (Neil) Macdonald is doing a great job with his team," Yelton said. "It is always a good opportunity for us to play a top-caliber team from the SEC and we will definitely build from the experience that we gained out there today. I thought that our younger players really played well and that's a good thing for our team."

Mississippi State has tied twice in two games during the 2005 campaign. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 0-0 draw against Iowa State on Friday and MSU has registered a remarkable total of 19 draws since 2001.

Faubion, Samford's highly-touted forward from McKinney, Texas, scored the Bulldogs' lone goal of the contest at 18:01 into the second half.

The scoring opportunity was created by SU's Heather Birdsell who set up the freshman with a perfectly placed entry pass into the box. Once receiving the pass from Birdsell, Faubion had only the goalkeeper to beat and powered a shot past Emily Meyers into the top right-hand portion of the net.

The goal was the first of Faubion's collegiate career. Birdsell's assist was her first of the young 2005 campaign and she currently leads the team in points with three.

Mississippi State's goal occurred a little over one minute following the Bulldogs' score at 64:25.

Samford outshot MSU, 15-12, on Sunday and registered an 8-4 advantage in corner kicks. Each team ended the contest with eight shots on goal, while Mississippi State was whistled for three more fouls at 19-16.

"I think that we did an outstanding job of creating scoring opportunities and we had some really good chances to put the ball in the net," said Yelton. "I think that we're doing a better job on our corner kicks and we put the pressure on them in the second half. I'm proud of how our players improved on their offensive runs today."

The teams fought to a 0-0 draw in the first half in a physically competitive opening period of play. Each squad committed nine fouls apiece, while Samford tallied four shots on goal compared to two from MSU.

Birdsell, Samford's sophomore forward from Plano, Texas, turned in a pair of scoring chances during the opening 45 minutes of play, including a shot on goal at 15 second in the match.

The Bulldogs opened Sunday's contest with possession of the ball and Marian Wagner sent a long pass down the left sideline for Kim Matthews. Matthews gathered the pass neatly, drove towards the goal and offered a cross to Birdsell who rifled a one-timer directly at Mississippi State's Meyers in goal. On the play, Meyers registered one of her four saves of the first half.

MSU outshot the Bulldogs, 6-4, in the first half, but all four of Samford's shots were on goal.

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action on Sept. 2, as the Bulldogs host the Memphis Lady Tigers in the inaugural Long's Electronics Samford Classic at 7 p.m., at Bulldogs Field.

In the opening match of the four-team tournament, the Evansville Purple Aces will square off against the Marshall Thundering Herd at 4:30 p.m., on Friday. Samford will close out the 2005 Long's Electronics Samford Classic at 2 p.m., on Sunday against Marshall.

Samford (1-0-1) tied Mississippi State (0-0-2), 1-1

SAM 0 1 0 0 - 1
MSU 0 1 0 0 - 1

Scoring: SAM, Lauren Faubion (1) 63:01 (assist Heather Birdsell); MSU, Team (SAM own goal).
Saves: SAM, Emily Morris 6, Team 1; MSU, Emily Meyers 5, Team 1.
Yellow Cards: SAM, Devon Paris (1) 13:58; MSU, Anna Goblersch (1) 77:22.