Aug. 31, 2007

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team opened its 2007 season with a 1-0 victory against the Georgia Southern Eagles on Friday as the Bulldogs improved to 1-0 in the Samford Barber's Invitational.

"Overall, I thought that this was a very good outing for us," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "We weren't necessarily as sharp as I would have liked us to be, but we fought hard and that's what we look for. As long as our team fights, then we will always be in the match."

With the win, Samford (1-0) reached a prestigious milestone by picking up the program's 100th all-time victory. The Bulldogs' Yelton has been at the helm for 62 of the team's 100 wins.

Samford's true freshman Lauren Cook tallied the game-winning goal during the 17th minute of play as she scored the first goal of her collegiate career. The score occurred at exactly 16:22 into the match as Cook one-timed a perfectly-placed centering pass from Leah Leppert past the goalkeeper.

Leppert, who is also a true freshman, and Cook were two of six freshmen in the Bulldogs' starting lineup on Friday.

"I think that one of the great things about tonight was how well our younger players played," Yelton said. "This was definitely one of the youngest starting lineups that we've ever had since I've been here and I thought we had a great mix of players."

Samford's goalkeeper Cayley Winters earned the shutout and made a number of remarkable saves in the match. The Bulldogs' junior from Littleton, Colo., finished with four saves and improved her career total in shutouts to 13.

With the loss, Georgia Southern (0-1) dropped its first contest of the 2007 campaign and is scheduled to square off against Mississippi State (1-0) on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

The Eagles were led offensively on Friday by junior forward Ashley Toussaint. Georgia Southern's speedy native of Warner Robins, Ga., finished with a match-high four shots and two shots on goal.

"I think that Georgia Southern is going to win a lot of matches," said Yelton. "They will do extremely well in the SoCon (Southern Conference) this year and Ashley Toussaint is one of the best forwards that we will play all season. I think she's fantastic and (Head Coach) Ashley Hart does a great job with the team."

A total of 18 players earned time on the pitch for the Bulldogs as Yelton took advantage of his deep bench in the second half. Samford outshot Georgia Southern 15-7, while the Eagles outpaced the Bulldogs in corner kicks 4-3.

In the first match of Friday's competition, Mississippi State scored a late goal to defeat Kennesaw State (0-1), 2-1.

The Samford University soccer team will continue play in the Samford Barber's Invitational on Sunday as the Bulldogs square off against the Kennesaw State Owls at 2 p.m.