Sept. 4, 2005

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team claimed the championship title of the inaugural 2005 Long's Electronics Samford Classic on Sunday as the Bulldogs used second-half goals from Kim Matthews and Allison Stone to defeat the Marshall Thundering Herd, 2-0, at Bulldog Field.

Samford (3-0-1) claimed first place in the four-team competition by compiling a 2-0 record over the weekend, while Memphis (2-1) finished as the runner-up with a 1-1 mark. Evansville (3-1) also concluded the tournament with a 1-1 record, but fell to Memphis, 2-1, on Sunday.

"I'm really pleased with how our team played this weekend and I think that we competed well," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "I also want to give a lot of credit to Marshall. I think that they played extremely well today and they really made things difficult for us. It was a battle out there."

With the win, Samford remained undefeated on the 2005 campaign and recorded its third-best start to a season in school history.

In Yelton's first year as head coach in 2002, the Bulldogs jumped out to an unprecedented 9-0-1 mark before losing a match. Three years earlier, Samford opened with a 7-0-1 record before losing its first contest.

Samford will look to remain undefeated on the season this weekend as it faces off against both North Carolina State and Winthrop on the road. The Bulldogs meet N.C. State on Friday at 7 p.m., and will then challenge Winthrop at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

"N.C. State is going to be a huge battle for us this weekend and it will be a good test for our team," said Yelton. "Everybody in the country measures themselves up against the ACC and it will be a huge match."

Marshall (0-3) held the Bulldogs scoreless for a little over 63:00 minutes in Sunday's contest before Samford's Matthews tallied the game-winning goal.

On the play, the Bulldogs' junior from Colleyville, Texas, gathered a set-up pass from Rebecca Bohler, out ran a pair of Marshall defenders down the left sideline and fired a 10-yard running strike into the right-hand portion of the net. The goal occurred at exactly 18:46 into the second half and proved to be Matthews' first of the season.

"Kim is a very dangerous player and she can play all over the field," Yelton said. "I liked that she put the responsibility on her shoulders and put it in the back of the net."

Samford's defense limited the Thundering Herd to only two shot attempts, with one being on goal.

The Bulldogs' senior captain, Emily Morris, and freshman Cayley Winters each played 45:00 minutes in goal to combine for the shutout victory. Morris, the reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Week, has only allowed two goals in 303:51 minutes of work this season.

Junior Allison Stone scored an insurance goal for Samford at the 87:49 mark in the contest.

With the Bulldogs leading the match 1-0, senior Marian Wagner initiated a Samford offensive by eluding a pair of Marshall defenders and leading Heather Birdsell with a pass on the right flank. Birdsell, who tops the team in points this season with six, then sent the ball back to the middle of the field where Stone one-timed a shot perfectly past the goalkeeper.

Wagner and Birdsell were each credited with assists on the play.

"I thought that Allison Stone and Valerie Kikkert really played awesome for us," said Yelton. "They made some key contributions out there and that's a nice thing for us to be able to do with our team, because it shows how much depth we have as a squad."

Birdsell was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2005 Long's Electronics Samford Classic, while Bohler, Matthews and Devon Paris were also named to the all-tournament team.

"I thought that Heather (Birdsell) was just fantastic," Yelton said. "She wasn't able to practice at all this week because of an injury, but she turned in an excellent tournament. She was great against Memphis on Friday and was also solid for us again today."

On Sunday, Yelton, who's in his fourth season as Samford's head coach, moved into a first-place tie with former skipper Barry Spitzer on the school's all-time coaching win list. With the victory, Yelton improved to 38-18-7 at the helm of the Bulldogs.

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action on Friday, Sept. 9, as the Bulldogs travel to Raleigh, N.C., for a groundbreaking matchup against the North Carolina State Wolfpack beginning at 7 p.m. The contest will be Samford's first against a team from the talent-laden Atlantic Coast Conference.

Samford (3-0-1) def. Marshall (0-3-0), 2-0

MAR 0 0 - 0
SAM 0 2 - 2

Scoring: SAM, Kim Matthews (1) 63:46 (assist Rebecca Bohler), Allison Stone (1) 87:49 (assists Heather Birdsell and Marian Wagner).
Saves: SAM, Team 1; MAR, Kai Nordness 3.
Yellow Cards: SAM, Lauren Faubion (43:34), Jessika Mejia (77:40); MAR, Team (77:28).

2005 Long's Electronics Samford Classic

Champion: Samford (2-0)
First Runner-up: Memphis (1-1, defeated Evansville)
Second Runner-up: Evansville (1-1)
Third Runner-up: Marshall (0-2)

All-Tournament Team
MVP: Heather Birdsell, Samford
Kim Matthews, Samford
Rebecca Bohler, Samford
Devon Paris, Samford
Kylie Hayes, Memphis
Alex Atkinson, Memphis
Laura Pfeffer, Memphis
Sarah Groves, Evansville
Kayla Lambert, Evansville
Jamie Gruber, Marshall
Kai Nordness, Marshall