Oct. 27, 2007

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Ohio Valley Conference's regular-season championship will be decided Sunday at 2 p.m., as the undefeated Samford Bulldogs and Southeast Missouri Redhawks square off at Hauck Stadium in the final match of OVC play.

The winner of Sunday's contest will also host the semifinal and final rounds of the 2007 OVC Tournament Nov. 9-11.

Samford (13-3, 8-0 OVC) has won each of the last four regular-season titles and has hosted the OVC Tournament in three of the previous four years. Last season, Southeast Missouri (10-2-2, 7-0-1 OVC) rallied from behind to beat Samford in the semifinal round of OVC Tournament. The Redhawks went on to win the event and earned the automatic NCAA bid.

The Bulldogs enter Sunday's showdown in the midst of a school-record nine-match winning streak.

On Friday, Samford defeated OVC-rival Eastern Illinois 3-1 to set the school record for consecutive wins. The previous record of eight-straight victories was set during the opening eight games of the 2002 campaign. The 2002 season was Yelton's first at the helm of the Samford soccer program.

Samford has been dominant in OVC play this season and the Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 26-4.

Seven players on Samford's roster have already scored at least three goals this season and freshman Lauren Cook leads the team with nine. Sophomore Amber Cress, senior Cassie Applegate and freshman Hilary Samuels follow with five goals apiece, while Leah Leppert, Heather Birdsell and Natalie Fleming have all scored three this season.

Southeast Missouri heads into the contest riding the positive momentum of a 10-match undefeated streak. The Redhawks have not been beaten in over a month and their last defeat occurred against Saint Louis on Sept. 14.

Having outscored the opposition 34-12 this season, Southeast Missouri also boasts one of the top offenses in the OVC.

The Redhawks' Ashley Runion paces the squad with nine goals scored, while All-OVC performer Courtney Alexander follows with eight. Southeast Missouri's Lindsay Pickering has only allowed nine goals this season and owns a miniscule 0.70 goals-against average.

Samford owns a 3-1-2 all-time series record against Southeast Missouri. Last year, the teams played to a 0-0 draw during the regular season before the Redhawks rallied for a 3-2 overtime win in the OVC Tournament.

Following Sunday's critical OVC matchup against Southeast Missouri, the Bulldogs will return to action Nov. 3, at 7 p.m., for a home "Senior Night" game versus Belmont.