Oct. 17, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team will complete its arduous two-match Southern Conference road trip Sunday at 1 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs square off against the resurgent Elon Phoenix at Snyder Field. Last season, Samford handed Elon a 3-0 defeat at home at Bulldog Field.

"Elon is a really good team and I know that they'll be ready to play tomorrow," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "They are having a great season and they always compete hard, especially at home. We just need to make sure that we continue to improve and get better in every match we play."

Samford (9-1-3, 4-1-2 SoCon) heads into Sunday's matchup riding the positive momentum of a 2-1 victory against first-place UNC Greensboro. In the win, the Bulldogs' Amber Cress tallied the game-winning goal during the first minute of the second half. The score was her team-leading sixth of the 2009 season.

With Friday's triumph, Samford extended its undefeated streak to five matches and handed UNC Greensboro its first SoCon home loss in over four years. Prior to losing to the Bulldogs, the Spartans hadn't been defeated by a conference team at home in a span of 22 matches, including three SoCon tournament first-round games. UNC Greensboro had been 21-0-1 against league teams at home.

Elon (10-3-2, 5-1-1 SoCon) enters Sunday's showdown with a three-match winning streak. The Phoenix have been victorious in eight of their previous 10 contests and have compiled an 8-1-1 record during the stretch. Elon's last defeat was a 2-0 setback at Davidson on Oct. 4. Since then, the Phoenix have rattled off decisive wins against Western Carolina 1-0, Greensboro College 4-1 and Chattanooga 5-1.

In Friday's demonstrative 5-1 home victory over Chattanooga, Elon received goals from Molly Calpin, Alanna Winsper, Scarlett Fakhar and Laura Norwind. Calpin scored the Phoenix's first two goals of the match and Elon led Chattanooga 4-0 at the half.

Sunday's contest will only be the second all-time meeting between Samford and Elon. Last season, in the inaugural match in the series, the Bulldogs rallied for a 3-0 win at home in Birmingham, Ala. In the victory, Samford's Mary Shelton Bryant, Cress and Sarah Wilkinson all scored goals.

Heading into Sunday's match, Elon enters as the second-place team in the conference with 16 total points, while Samford sits in fourth place with 14. Only the top four teams in the final standings will qualify for the prestigious SoCon Tournament. The winner of the regular season will host the four-team, two-day event.

Following Sunday's battle at Elon, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m., as the Bulldogs play host to the Georgia Southern Eagles at Bulldog Field.

Live Stats - Samford at Elon