Oct. 8, 2009

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Samford University soccer team earned a thrilling 2-1 double-overtime victory Thursday against the Furman Lady Paladins. The Bulldogs' junior midfielder Melissa Miller tallied the sudden-victory goal with less than five minutes remaining in the critical Southern Conference contest. The unassisted goal was Miller's second of the 2009 campaign.

With the momentous win, Samford (8-1-2, 3-1-1 SoCon) extended its undefeated streak to three consecutive matches. The Bulldogs also remained undefeated against Furman (8-4, 2-3 SoCon). Last season, in the inaugural meeting between the teams, Samford registered a 3-0 victory at Bulldog Field.

Samford jumped out to an early 1-0 lead Thursday as senior Amber Cress scored her fifth goal of the season in the 12th minute of play. Junior Leah Leppert was credited with an assist as Cress fired a shot from the right flank into the left corner of the net.

With the goal, Amber moved within five goals of tying Samford's all-time scoring record. Currently, former Bulldog-great Marian Wagner owns the mark with 26 goals.

Furman's Martha Hall tied the score at 1-1 with a goal at 37:21. The goal, Hall's SoCon-leading ninth of the season, was only the third allowed by Samford this year. The Lady Paladins' Katya Gokhman assisted on the score which was a long-range skidding shot that slipped into the corner of the net.

The Bulldogs' sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead recorded a match-high three saves in Thursday's victory. Samford's native of Hattiesburg, Miss., improved to 8-1-2 with the win. She owns a miniscule 0.26 goals-against average this season.

Miller's game-winning goal was scored 5:25 into the second overtime period. On the goal, she rifled a tailing line-drive kick from the right side into the top left corner of the net. The golden goal occurred on Miller's lone shot attempt of the match.

The teams played a physical contest Thursday at Eugene E. Stone III Stadium. A total of 29 fouls were called in the match and four yellow cards were handed out.

Furman outshot Samford 8-7, but corner kicks were even at 4-4.

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 2 p.m., as the Bulldogs play host to the Wofford Terriers at Bulldog Field.