Sept. 6, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team will play for the championship title of the 2008 adidas Gamecock Classic on Sunday as the Bulldogs square off against the Arkansas Lady'Backs at 1 p.m., at the JSU Soccer Field.

Samford (1-3) heads into Sunday's match needing a victory to win the title, while Arkansas (3-1) can take the championship trophy with either a win or a draw.

On Friday, the Bulldogs played stifling defense in a 1-0 shutout victory against Mercer, while Arkansas coasted to an easy 4-0 win over the homestanding Jacksonville State Gamecocks. Therefore, with Arkansas' three-goal advantage over Samford, the Lady'Backs would win the tournament title with a draw.

In the Bulldogs' 1-0 victory against Mercer on Friday, Samford's true freshman midfielder Shannon Healy scored the game-winning goal during the 35th minute of the first half. Healy, a native of Crystal Beach, Fla., tallied the first goal of her collegiate career on the play.

Arkansas enters Sunday's match having won two straight games. Last week, the Lady'Backs rallied for a thrilling 4-3 victory at home against Oral Roberts before defeating Jacksonville State on Sunday. Arkansas' lone loss of season came against Tulsa 1-0 in its home opener.

Samford and Arkansas will be meeting for the first time on the pitch Sunday. Since the inception of their program in 1997, the Bulldogs have played 16 matches against Southeastern Conference opponents and own a 2-12-2 overall record.

Following Sunday's championship match of the 2008 adidas Gamecock Classic, Samford will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m., as the Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa for a non-conference matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the UA Soccer Complex.

GameTracker - Samford vs. Arkansas