Oct. 24, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team will compete in its final home match of the 2009 regular season Sunday at 2 p.m., as the Bulldogs play host to the Davidson Wildcats in a key Southern Conference meeting to be held at Bulldog Field.

Samford (11-1-3, 6-1-2 SoCon) heads into the match riding the positive momentum of a decisive 5-0 victory against Georgia Southern on Friday. In the Senior Night win, the Bulldogs received a pair of goals from reigning SoCon Player of the Week Leah Leppert, as well as scores from Amber Cress, Natalie Fleming and Hilary Samuels.

Samford is in the midst of a seven-match undefeated streak and has not been beaten since a hard-fought 1-0 setback at College of Charleston on Sept. 27. Since then, the Bulldogs have rattled off wins against Appalachian State 4-0, Furman 2-1, UNC Greensboro 2-1, Elon 1-0 and Georgia Southern 5-0. Samford has also played to draws with both Western Carolina 1-1 and Wofford 0-0.

The Bulldogs' defense is ranked first in the nation in both goals-against average (0.25) and save percentage (.934). Samford has outscored the opposition 25-4 this season and has tallied 11 shutouts in 15 matches.

Alyssa Whitehead, the Bulldogs' talented 6-foot-3 goalkeeper, has registered nine complete-game shutouts this year and has only allowed four goals on 131 shots faced.

Davidson (9-9, 6-3 SoCon) also enters Sunday's contest on a roll. The Wildcats have been victorious in four-consecutive matches and have not been defeated since a 2-0 home loss to College of Charleston. On Friday, Davidson rallied for a 4-2 win at Chattanooga. In the victory, senior all-conference performer Kyri Bye-Nagel scored three goals for a hat trick.

Bye Nagel, the Wildcats' explosive forward from Hanau, Germany, has tallied seven goals this season. She is currently tied for the team's lead in the category with Blakely Low, a senior forward from San Antonio, Texas.

Sunday's SoCon showdown will only be the second all-time meeting between Samford and Davidson. Last year, the teams met for the first time in series history and the Wildcats exploded for a 3-0 home win. The loss proved to be the Bulldogs' worst SoCon defeat in school history.

Samford's all-time record against SoCon opponents is 20-4-7, including a 14-3-5 record since joining the prestigious conference in 2008. In home matches this season, the Bulldogs have compiled an undefeated 6-0-3 record and have extended their undefeated streak at Bulldog Field to 23-consecutive matches. The last time Samford was defeated at home was a 3-0 loss to Auburn on Sept. 21, 2007.

Following Sunday's meeting with Davidson, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Thursday at 5 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs close out their regular-season schedule against the Chattanooga Lady Mocs. The match will be held at the North River Complex in Chattanooga, Tenn.

GameTracker - Davidson at Samford