Aug. 17, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Expectations are once again high for the Samford soccer team as the Bulldogs enter the 2007 campaign with aspirations of winning their fifth-straight Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title. Since joining the league in 2003, Samford has rattled off four-consecutive conference championships and became the first OVC team to advance to the NCAA Round of 32.

In 2005, the Bulldogs experienced their best season in school history as they rallied past the 19th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores in penalty kicks to reach the second round of the prestigious 64-team NCAA College Cup. By advancing, Samford once again represented the OVC with the class and determination needed to make history for the conference.

"We're in a unique situation this season in that this is our last year in the OVC. We would like to be able to say that we've won the regular-season title in every year and I think that would be quite an accomplishment. I know for a fact that our team has high expectations for this season." Samford head coach Todd Yelton

The Bulldogs will be competing in their fifth-and-final year as a member of the OVC this season before making the transition to the esteemed Southern Conference in 2008. Samford has won the regular-season championship in all four of its years in the OVC and would like to earn a fifth-straight title in 2007.

"We're in a unique situation this season in that this is our last year in the OVC," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "We would like to be able to say that we've won the regular-season title in every year and I think that would be quite an accomplishment. I know for a fact that our team has high expectations for this season."

Head Coach Todd Yelton is Samford's all-time winningest coach.

Under Yelton's tutelage, Samford's expectations have been raised in each and every season and are now reaching unprecedented heights. In only his sixth year at the helm, Yelton is the school's winningest coach and has accumulated a 61-24-14 overall record. He arrived at Samford in 2002 and quickly identified himself as one of the top young coaches in the south by reeling off eight-consecutive victories to open the season.

Since leading the Bulldogs to a 13-7-1 overall record in his inaugural year, Yelton has helped guide Samford to four-straight conference titles and a remarkable 27-4-3 record against OVC opponents.

"Each year, our team's expectations are to win the regular season title," Yelton said. "Even though we've struggled at times in the OVC Tournament, our expectations are to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, we had the most talented team that we've ever had here and I think that this year's team will be even more talented."

Yelton's 2006 squad registered an 11-4-3 overall record and finished conference play with a school-record 6-0-3 mark. After earning yet another regular-season OVC title, the Bulldogs hosted the league's annual four-team championship and advanced to the semifinal round of the tournament.

Despite losing a heartbreaking match against Southeast Missouri in the 2006 OVC Tournament, Samford tallied its fifth-straight 10-win season and tied the school's second-highest win total in history.

"It was very rewarding for us to win our fourth straight OVC championship last season, but when you're up 2-0 in the semifinal and you end up losing 3-2 with 20 seconds to go in the game it's a bit devastating," said Yelton. "You never know how your players are going to react to that scenario."

Samford's players have used last year's abrupt ending as motivation for the upcoming season and have worked even harder during the off-season.

The Bulldogs' 2007 roster is comprised of four-straight nationally-ranked recruiting classes and boasts eight returning starters from last season's squad. Samford has 17 letterwinners returning this year and will add the talents of its highest-ranked recruiting class in school history.

National awards for Samford's 2007 recruits continued to pile up during the preseason as the Bulldogs' eight-player freshman class was ranked No. 68 in the nation by Soccer Buzz Magazine. The ranking was Samford's highest in school history.

Samford's 2007 recruiting class was also named the best in the OVC for a fifth-consecutive season and was also ranked 15th in the talent-laden Southeast Region.

GOALKEEPERS Samford enters the 2007 season in an enviable position as the Bulldogs' roster boasts a pair of capable starting goalkeepers in Cayley Winters (Littleton, Colo.) and Jenna Sturgill (Peachtree City, Ga.).

Sophomore goalkeeper Jenna Sturgill

Winters, who was named to the 2005 Soccer Buzz Southeast Regional All-Freshman team, enters her junior campaign as the odds-on favorite to get the start in goal for a third straight year. Despite an injury-plagued sophomore season, Winters made 15 starts in goal and was one of only two players in the OVC to earn three Goalkeeper of the Week awards.

She also finished the season with the best goals-against average (0.81) in the conference and has led the OVC in goals-against average in each of her two years.

During a key stretch in the 2006 conference season, Winters was forced to miss a pair of matches due to injury and Sturgill filled in brilliantly to post an unblemished 2-0 record. In seven matches as a redshirt freshman, she led the team with a miniscule 0.47 goals-against average and only allowed two goals in 382 minutes.

As the team enters the 2007 campaign, the fight for the starting goalkeeper job has increased in intensity and the competition will help improve each of the talented players.

"Both of our goalkeepers had an excellent spring," Yelton said. "I'm especially excited about the progress that Jenna Sturgill has made over the course of the last two years. I am very confident in both Cayley and Jenna, and whoever wins the starting job will do an excellent job for us."

DEFENDERS Samford's returning group of defenders will be missing two key cogs from last season's OVC-leading squad, but will still possess plenty of talent and experience.

The Bulldogs' Sharon Young graduated in 2006 and ended her illustrious four-year career as one of the most decorated players in school history. Her accolades included First, Second and Third-Team All-OVC honors, as well as a pair of OVC All-Tournament selections. Young also shared 2006 OVC Player of the Year honors.

Sophomore defender Marchele Olds

Another returning starter was lost for the Bulldogs heading into the season as sophomore Paige Lanter (Hixson, Tenn.) was injured during spring competition and will most likely be forced to sit out the entire year. The coaching staff had high expectations for the speedy youngster, especially after she received OVC All-Newcomer honors in 2006.

Despite Young's graduation and Lanter's unfortunate injury, Yelton remains optimistic about the team's defense.

"In the spring, we were able to play a lot of games and we were able to see some of our younger players perform well in some new situations," said Yelton. "I think that with the group of returners that we have and the incoming freshmen, we will definitely be fine in the back."

Samford's Caroline Baxter (Dallas, Texas), Jessika Mejia (Flower Mound, Texas), Devon Paris (Columbus, Ga.), Marchele Olds (Dallas, Texas) and Jamie Stout (Fishers, Ind.) all return with previous starting experience for the Bulldogs and will be joined by fellow-defenders Candace Clippard (Nashville, Tenn.), Melissa Miller (Bradenton, Fla.) and Cindy Spiker (Birmingham, Ala.).

With the talents and capabilities of all eight of these top-notch defenders, Yelton expects to be able to find the combination of players that will once again help his team lead the OVC in fewest goals allowed.

MIDFIELDERS The Bulldogs' midfield will be highlighted by senior All-OVC performer Heather Birdsell (Plano, Texas). A four-year starter, Birdsell is ranked sixth on Samford's all-time list in goals (15), eighth in assists (11) and ninth in points (41).

Last season, she earned First-Team All-OVC honors and started in all 18 matches. Birdsell finished second on the team in goals (4) and was third in both assists (3) and points (11).

Junior midfielder Valerie Kikkert

Also returning for Samford in the midfield is junior Valerie Kikkert (Roswell, Ga.), sophomore Morgan Montague (Sugar Land, Texas) and junior Kat Sweatt (Colleyville, Texas). The quartet of returning players will be flanked by a host of highly-touted freshmen in Lindsay Matern (Lakeland, Fla.), Colette Nammour (Spring, Texas), Hilary Samuels (Carrolton, Texas) and Kelly Shaffer (Auburn, Ala.).

"When you look at our 2007 recruiting class, the midfield was a great source of talent in the players that we signed," Yelton said. "Heather Birdsell's been an outstanding player for us over the last few years and she's an all-conference performer. I think that she is going to be a great leader of that group, because we also have some talented freshmen coming in as well."

FORWARDS At the forward position, Samford's 2007 squad boasts two of the OVC's best attacking players in senior Rebecca Bohler (Augusta, Ga.) and sophomore Amber Cress (Zionsville, Ind.). Bohler was the OVC's Player of the Year in 2005 and recently became the school's career record-holder in assists with 26. She currently holds seventh place on Samford's all-time list in points (42) and earned second-team All-OVC honors last season.

Sophomore forward Natalie Fleming

Cress was named the OVC's Freshman of the Year in 2006 and also received First-Team All-OVC honors. She was a member of the OVC All-Newcomer Team and was named to the OVC All-Tournament Team following last season's postseason championship.

"We have a really good group of forwards and I think that we have an awesome mix of talent," said Yelton. "Rebecca (Bohler) has the ability to put opposing defenses under a lot of pressure and so does Amber Cress. Amber has great pace and she's a tireless worker. She had a fabulous freshman campaign and I think that she'll be even better as a sophomore."

The Bulldogs also return talented attacking forwards in senior Cassie Applegate (Zionsville, Ind.) and sophomore Natalie Fleming (Evansville, Ind.), as well as incoming freshmen Lauren Cook (Conyers, Ga.), Leah Leppert (Germantown, Tenn.) and Sarah Wilkinson (Euless, Texas).

With a stable of quick, dangerous forwards, the Samford coaching staff believes that it again possesses one of the top offenses in the OVC and the Bulldogs are expected to score a number of goals in 2007.

SCHEDULE Samford's 2007 schedule will feature a school-record 12 home matches, a pair of four-team tournaments to be held at Bulldog Field and high-profile home contests against Miami, Auburn and Memphis.

In 2007, Samford is scheduled to face off against some of the Southeast Region's elite teams in Miami (Sept. 6), Auburn (Sept. 21) and UAB (Sept. 23). All three of the top-flight matches are to be held at Bulldog Field.

Samford will also play a regular-season contest at Indiana (Sept. 14) and an exhibition match against Ole Miss (Aug. 25) in Oxford, Miss. The Bulldogs have regularly faced Southeastern Conference opponents in preseason matches and most recently defeated Alabama 1-0 last year.

Samford will open the regular season with a pair of four-team tournaments held at Bulldog Field. From Aug. 31-Sept. 2, the Bulldogs will play host to the 2007 Samford Soccer Classic featuring Mississippi State, Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State.

A week later, the Bulldogs will host the Samford Soccer Tournament from Sept. 6-8. The two-day, four-team event will be one of the top tournaments in the nation and will include LSU, Miami and Memphis.

Following a weekend road trip at Indiana and High Point (Sept. 16), Samford will begin a five-match homestand against Auburn on Sept. 21. The Bulldogs will then play cross-town rival UAB on Sept. 23 before beginning OVC play at home Sept. 28.

Samford, which has won four-consecutive OVC regular-season titles, will also play host to five league matches this year. The Bulldogs open OVC play with three-consecutive home games against Tennessee-Martin (Sept. 28), Murray State (Sept. 30) and Jacksonville State (Oct. 5).

In what could be its most important road trip of the 2007 campaign, Samford will close out its OVC schedule with matches at Eastern Illinois (Oct. 26) and Southeast Missouri (Oct. 28). Samford, Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri are typically the top three teams in the final conference standings and the regular-season championship will most likely be decided that weekend.

The Bulldogs will host Belmont (Nov. 3) on "Senior Night" before competing in the all-important 2007 OVC Tournament. The six-team postseason tournament will be held at the home site of the regular-season champion and the winner will earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

2007 Samford Soccer Schedule