Nov. 3, 2007

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team posted a resounding 4-0 victory against the Belmont Bruins Saturday in the Bulldogs' final home match of the season at Bulldog Field. In the win, Samford set the single-season scoring record with 41 goals.

The previous school record of 38 goals was set during the 2000 campaign. The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition by a total of 41-14 this season.

In Saturday's "Senior Night" victory, Samford (14-4) received goals from Leah Leppert, Amber Cress, Kat Sweatt and Natalie Fleming. The Bulldogs scored two goals in each half and used a combined shutout from goalkeepers Cayley Winters and Jenna Sturgill.

"I thought that we had a good standard tonight from the very beginning," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "On `Senior Night' we always want to send those players out with a win and it was just a fun night all the way around."

The Bulldogs' 2007 senior class consisting of Cassie Applegate, Heather Birdsell, Rebecca Bohler, Devon Paris, Jamie Stout and Sweatt was honored with a special "Senior Night" ceremony prior to the match. The six-player group is the winningest class in school history with a 50-19-8 overall record.

"When you look at the records and what this class has accomplished, it is pretty astounding," Yelton said. "They advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, they've won three OVC championships and every year that they've been here we've been in the regional rankings.

"Earlier this year, we had an RPI of 32 in the nation and these players came here and laid the foundation for where we are now. A lot of our current success can be attributed to all of their hard work."

With Saturday's win, Samford completed the regular season with its best record since 2005. During the 2005 campaign, the Bulldogs also picked up a victory against Belmont (12-6-2) for their 14th regular-season triumph.

The Bruins had their two-match winning streak snapped Saturday. Heading into its matchup with Samford, Belmont had earned consecutive shutout victories against North Florida 3-0 and Lipscomb.

"Lisa (Howe) has done a great job as the head coach at Belmont and she's been great for that program," said Yelton. "That's a program that five years ago wasn't winning half of their games and now they are third in their conference. They are in the midst of a 10-win season right now and they actually remind me of our team from a few years ago."

Samford jumped out to an early 1-0 lead during the 18th minute of play. Leppert scored the game-winning goal as she rifled a shot from 30 yards out into the lower right corner of the net. The goal was Leppert's fourth of the 2007 season.

Sophomore Amber Cress gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead before halftime as she scored her sixth goal of the season at 41:55. On the unassisted goal, she faked past a pair of Belmont defenders to her right and then sliced a shot into the left corner of the net from 15 yards out.

"I was really happy with how we played early," Yelton said. "I thought that Leah (Leppert) scored a great goal to put us up 1-0 and she's been getting better and better all year long. The second goal that Amber (Cress) scored was great as well and we were able to get a lot of great individual efforts from a lot of players."

Early in the second half of play, Sweatt scored her second goal of the season to give Samford a 3-0 lead. On the play, Sweatt met a deflected crossing pass in the middle of the box and one-timed a shot to the right of Belmont's goalkeeper. Sweatt, a senior from Colleyville, Texas, was one of six seniors honored prior to Saturday's match.

Fleming, Samford's sophomore forward from Evansville, Ind., tacked on the Bulldogs' fourth goal of the evening during the 62nd minute.

Cress earned the assist on the play, her team-high eighth of the season. The goal was Fleming's fourth of the year. She is one of six Bulldogs that have scored at least four goals this season.

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 4 p.m., as they begin play in the OVC Tournament in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Samford's opponent will be either third-seeded Murray State or sixth-seeded Eastern Illinois.