Oct. 15, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Samford soccer team will square off against the first-place UNC Greensboro Spartans on Friday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs begin a pivotal Southern Conference road trip at the UNCG Soccer Stadium (3,540). Samford will conclude its two-match road swing at Elon on Sunday.

"This weekend is a very significant part of our season," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "I think that we have to come out of it with a minimum of four points. We'll definitely make every effort to get six, but if we come back with less than four then I think we make it very difficult on ourselves to make the postseason tournament."

Samford (8-1-3, 3-1-2 SoCon) enters Friday's matchup as the fourth-place team in the conference standings. The Bulldogs have earned 11 points in league play this season (three awarded per victory and one awarded per draw) and lead fifth-place Furman by two points. Last week, Samford posted a thrilling 2-1 double-overtime road victory at Furman.

After this weekend's road trip, the Bulldogs will close out the 2009 regular season with matches against Georgia Southern, Davidson and Chattanooga.

"With only four teams being able to qualify for the conference tournament this year, and with the competitiveness of this league, there are obviously some good teams that will be left out," Yelton said. "It makes it tough, because every team in this conference is talented and there are no easy matches. Each time we go out, we know that we'll have to play our best in order to get a win."

Samford is in the midst of a four-match undefeated streak, but is coming off a disappointing 0-0 draw with eighth-place Wofford on Sunday. In their third tie of the season, the Bulldogs outshot the Terriers 17-2, with seven attempts being on goal.

Samford's lone loss of the season occurred at the College of Charleston, 1-0, on Sept. 27.

UNC Greensboro (9-5, 5-1 SoCon) enters the weekend tied for first place in the SoCon with College of Charleston. Both teams are 5-1 in league play and have earned 15 points.

The Spartans have won three-consecutive matches and have been victorious in seven of its previous eight contests. Since dropping a 2-1 decision at Davidson on Oct. 2, UNC Greensboro has reeled off wins against Georgia Southern 3-0, Western Carolina 3-0 and Appalachian State 3-1.

UNC Greensboro opened the season with a brutal nonconference slate, dropping its season-opener 2-1 to No. 6 Wake Forest, before facing No. 11 Duke, No. 2 North Carolina and top-ranked Stanford in consecutive matches. The Spartans also lost to Virginia Tech, which is now ranked No. 16 in the coaches' poll.

Seven of the Spartans' 14 matches have been decided by just one goal. Four of those matches have resulted in 1-0 scores, while the other three were 2-1 contests.

Kristin Player leads UNC Greensboro in scoring with 18 points on six goals and six assists. Tabitha Padgett is second with 14 points on six goals and two assists, while Lauren Hein is third with nine points on three goals and three assists. Kelsey Kearney owns a 0.88 goals-against average with four shutouts and 54 saves in 14 games.

"I think that UNC Greensboro is a very good team, but when they play at home they are a great team," said Yelton. "So, it will take our very best effort to get a positive result at their place. I don't think anything less than our best gives us a chance. If we don't give a good performance Friday, then it could really be a difficult situation for us."

Senior Amber Cress leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 15 points on five goals and five assists, while Sarah Wilkinson is also in double digits with 10 points on five goals. Samford's true strength this season has been its defense as the squad has only allowed three goals in 12 matches and leads the nation with a .939 save percentage.

The Bulldogs are also ranked third in the NCAA Division I rankings in shutout percentage with a 0.75 mark. Individually, sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead is second in the nation with a .938 save percentage and leads the SoCon and is second in the nation with a miniscule 0.24 goals against average.

Samford owns a 3-1 record on the road this season, while UNC Greensboro is 5-2 at home with losses to Stanford and Wake Forest. The Spartans have not lost a SoCon match at home since Sept. 25, 2005, when they were upset by College of Charleston, 2-1.

"I think our players realize what's at stake this weekend," Yelton said. "They are determined to make the tournament and because of that, I think they'll be ready to play against UNC Greensboro."

Last season, in the first all-time meeting between Samford and UNC Greensboro, the teams battled to a hard-fought 0-0 draw held at Bulldog Field.

Following Friday night's showdown against UNC Greensboro, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 1 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs face off against the third-place Elon Phoenix at Rudd Field.

Live Stats - Samford at UNC Greensboro