Nov. 1, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In its inaugural season as a member of the Southern Conference, the Samford soccer team earned a third-place finish in the league standings and qualified to host a first round game in the SoCon Tournament. The Bulldogs will welcome the College of Charleston Cougars to Bulldog Field for the opening-round matchup Sunday at 6 p.m.

Samford (9-8-2, 8-1-2 SoCon) heads into the conference tournament as the third-seeded team in the eight-team competition. The Bulldogs have won five-consecutive games and have not been defeated in eight-straight matches. Samford's last loss occurred nearly a month ago versus Davidson on Oct. 3.

The Bulldogs are 5-0-1 when playing at home this season. Samford's lone blemish at Bulldog Field this year was a 0-0 draw versus the SoCon regular-season champion UNC Greensboro on Sept. 28. UNC Greensboro enters the conference tournament as the top-seeded team and will host the eighth-seed Appalachian State on Sunday.

In its six home matches this season, Samford has outscored the opposition 15-2. The only two goals that the Bulldogs have allowed at home all year long occurred Thursday night against Chattanooga. Despite its defensive lapse, Samford earned a 4-2 victory in its regular-season finale.

College of Charleston (12-5-3, 5-4-2 SoCon) heads into the 2008 SoCon Tournament as the sixth-seeded team in the competition.

The Cougars have won three of their previous four games and have outscored their opponents 15-2 during the stretch. Most recently, the College of Charleston has registered back-to-back shutout victories against Wofford 3-0 and The Citadel 9-0.

The College of Charleston is being led this season by senior Megan Manthey. The Cougars' transfer from the University of Colorado is currently leading the SoCon in goals (14), shot attempts (70) and points (34). Manthey is also ranked sixth in the conference with six assists.

Samford's leading goal-scorers this season are junior Amber Cress and freshman Sarah Wilkinson. Both players have scored five goals this year and they each tallied scores in the Bulldogs' most recent victory against Chattanooga on Thursday.

Cress, the Bulldogs' speedy forward from Zionsville, Ind., leads the team with 12 points on the season, while Wilkinson is the reigning SoCon Player of the Week. She has scored goals in each of Samford's last three games.

The Bulldogs own a 1-0 all-time record against the College of Charleston Cougars.

The teams met for the first time in history earlier this season and Samford rallied for a 1-0 victory on Oct. 17 in a SoCon matchup held at Bulldog Field. Samford's Leah Leppert scored the game-winning goal during the 77th minute of play.

The winner of Sunday night's game will advance to the semifinal round of the 2008 SoCon Tournament where they will face either second-seeded Western Carolina or seventh-seeded Elon. The final two rounds of the SoCon Tournament will be held at Patriots Point in Charleston, S.C.

GameTracker - Samford vs. College of Charleston
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2008 SoCon Tournament Bracket