Nov. 9, 2007
Box Score
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -
The Samford University soccer team advanced to its fourth Ohio Valley Conference championship match in five seasons Friday as the Bulldogs registered a thrilling 1-0 victory against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Houck Stadium.
"This was a huge win for us and I'm extremely proud of how our team played," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "I didn't think that we were too sharp in the first half, but we came out in the second half and played extremely well against a quality side."
Senior forward Cassie Applegate scored the game-winning goal during the 63rd minute. The Bulldogs' 5-foot-7 native of nearby Zionsville, Ind., tallied the score following an assist from sophomore Amber Cress. The assist was Cress's team-leading ninth of the 2007 campaign.
Samford's goalkeeper Cayley Winters recorded three key saves in the victory. The shutout win was her third of the season and the Bulldogs' ninth. Samford (15-4) has outscored the opposition 42-14 this year.
With Friday's win, Samford advanced to Sunday's OVC Tournament championship match against the top-seeded Southeast Missouri Redhawks at 1 p.m. The Redhawks defeated the UT Martin Skyhawks 1-0 to advance to the title match.
The victor of Sunday's OVC championship will earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Earlier this season, Southeast Missouri handed Samford its lone loss of OVC play 1-0 at Houck Stadium.
The Bulldogs have advanced to the OVC title game in four of the previous five seasons. From 2002-05, Samford reached the championship match each year and the Bulldogs qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2005.
On the rock-hard turf at Houck Stadium, Samford and Eastern Illinois (8-11-1) played to a scoreless first half.
The Panthers rattled off six shot attempts in the opening period, with two coming on goal. The Bulldogs tallied five shots in the first half of play with one being on goal. Samford finished the match with two shots on goal.
The most important shot on goal for the Bulldogs was Applegate's game-winner midway through the second period. The score was her sixth of the season and her second game-winning goal of the 2007 campaign.
"Cassie's goal was huge," Yelton said. "She also saved a goal later in the match as she headed one off the back line for us, so she was outstanding. After her goal, it definitely boosted our confidence because we know how hard scoring goals is on this surface."
Samford has defeated Eastern Illinois in five-straight matches, dating back to the OVC Tournament championship of the 2004 season. Earlier this year, the Bulldogs picked up a 3-1 win over the Panthers at Lakeside Field in Charleston, Ill.
"We've had a long rivalry with Eastern Illinois and I'll always have a tremendous respect for their team and their program," said Yelton, because the Bulldog will move to the esteemed Southern Conference next season. "Today was a typical EIU-Samford match in that it was a one-goal decision and it could have gone either way."
The Samford University soccer team will continue its quest for an automatic berth to the 2007 NCAA Tournament on Sunday as the Bulldogs face off against the homestanding Southeast Missouri Redhawks at 1 p.m.
