Aug. 25, 2007

Box Score

OXFORD, Miss. - The Samford University soccer team was defeated by the Ole Miss Rebels 3-0 in the Bulldogs' final exhibition contest of the 2007 preseason Saturday in a match held at the Ole Miss Soccer Complex.

"I think that we played better today and we did a good job in the first half," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "If it wasn't for a couple of mental errors, this matchup would have been a lot closer. This was a good exhibition for us and we know that we'll continue to get better."

Samford (0-2) will begin its 2007 regular season Friday as the Bulldogs host Georgia Southern in the second game of the Samford Soccer Tournament. The four-team, two-day event will be held at Bulldog Field and will also feature Mississippi State and Kennesaw State.

Ole Miss (1-0) received goals from Austin Brown, Mallory Coleman and Jennifer Hance in Saturday's victory. The exhibition contest was the Rebels' only preseason match of the year and Ole Miss will open its 2007 campaign against Miami (Fla.) on Friday.

"Ole Miss played very well all day long and they have an extremely talented team," Yelton said. "I believe that they have one of the best teams in the SEC and they should have a really good year this year."

The teams played 44 minutes of scoreless soccer Saturday before Ole Miss' Coleman broke the 0-0 draw with a momentum-shifting goal before the half. Coleman's game-winning score came on a free kick from 30 yards out and gave the Rebels a 1-0 halftime advantage.

"The goal that we gave up right before the half really changed the flow of the game," said Yelton. "I think that it took some of the wind out of our sails and our players really didn't handle the adversity very well. We know that we still have a lot of work to do this week before the regular season begins."

Early in the second period, Ole Miss scored a pair of goals to extend its lead to 3-0.

Hance tallied the Rebels' second score of the game at 51:10 as she slid a shot past Samford's goalkeeper Jenna Sturgill from one yard out. Less than four minutes later, Ole Miss' Brown rifled a shot into the far corner of the net from 20 yards out at 54:47.

The Bulldogs' starting goalkeeper Cayley Winters played 74:56 minutes in goal and only allowed one score. Samford's junior from Littleton, Colo., also made six saves in the contest.

Senior midfielder Heather Birdsell led Samford's offensive attack with two shot attempts. True freshman Hilary Samuels and senior Cassie Applegate also added shot attempts against the Rebels.

Samford started three true freshmen in Saturday's contest and seven of the Bulldogs' newcomers earned significant playing time.

"We have such a young squad this season," Yelton said. "They've really been forced to see a lot of playing time, but they've done a solid job. I've been impressed with how well they've adjusted in a short period of time. With (Rebecca) Bohler and Marchele (Olds) sitting out these exhibition games, it's been tough for our team but we've gotten better."

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday as the Bulldogs begin their regular-season schedule at 7 p.m., against the Georgia Southern Eagles. The matchup will be the second game of the 2007 Samford Soccer Tournament to be held at Bulldog Field.