Nov. 6, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Following Tuesday's opening round of the 2007 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, the No. 2-seeded Samford University soccer team learned it will face the Eastern Illinois Panthers in Friday's semifinal round. The match will begin at 4 p.m., in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Samford (14-4), which earned a first-round bye in the OVC Tournament for the fifth-consecutive season, will square off against Eastern Illinois (8-10-1) for a second time in two weeks. On Oct. 26, the Bulldogs earned a 3-1 road victory over the Panthers at Lakeside Field.

In the win, Samford became the first OVC team to score at Lakeside Field since Southeast Missouri on Sept. 29, 2006. Additionally, the Bulldogs also became the first conference opponent to score multiple goals on the Panthers' home field since Tennessee Tech in 2002.

Sixth-seeded Eastern Illinois advanced to Friday's semifinal matchup Tuesday with a 2-1 overtime victory against No. 3-seed Murray State. On the road, the Panthers' Alexis Miller scored the game-winning goal during the seventh minute of overtime.

Southeast Missouri is the top-seeded team in this weekend's tournament and will face fourth-seeded UT Martin on Friday. UT Martin hosted the fifth-seeded Morehead State on Tuesday and advanced with a 2-0 victory.

Samford finished OVC play with an 8-1 record this season with its lone loss coming on the road against Southeast Missouri. The Bulldogs have outscored their OVC opponents 26-5.

The winners of Friday's semifinal matches will face off for the OVC Tournament championship and an automatic berth in the 2007 NCAA Tournament at 1 p.m., on Sunday.

2007 OVC Tournament
Match Schedule

Friday, Nov. 9
#2 Samford vs. #6 Eastern Illinois - 4 p.m.
#1 Southeast Missouri vs. #4 UT Martin - 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 11
OVC Tournament Championship - 1 p.m.