Dec. 3, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS - The Samford University soccer team finished its 2009 campaign with a school-record 12-1-5 overall mark. The Bulldogs advanced to the Southern Conference Tournament semifinals for a second-consecutive year and completed the season ranked among the nation's top-10 teams in four statistical categories.

"We take great pride in our defense and it's a huge accomplishment for our team to be recognized as one of the best in the nation," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "I'm extremely proud of our players and they definitely deserve this honor. Jay (Yelton) does an outstanding job with our goalkeepers and we are very fortunate to have him on our staff."

En route to shattering the school's all-time record for fewest goals allowed in a season (6), Samford ended the year as the nation's top-ranked team in both goals-against average (0.31) and save percentage (0.92). The Bulldogs' previous school record in the aforementioned category was 13 in 2005.

Samford's sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead, who played a major role in the Bulldogs' defensive success in 2009, finished the season ranked first in the nation in goals-against average (0.31) and third in save percentage (0.91). Samford's 6-foot-3 native of Hattiesburg, Miss., only allowed six goals on 169 shots faced.

As a team, the Bulldogs finished the year ranked sixth in the nation in shutout percentage (0.67). In Samford's 18 matches of the 2009 season, 12 ended with the Bulldogs' defense earning a shutout.

"We've definitely come a long way in eight seasons," Yelton said. "When I first got here, it would have been a dream to be this highly ranked in the national statistics, but it's a huge accomplishment and our players have really worked hard for it. I've been blessed to watch this program grow and be known across the nation as having one of the best defensive units around."

Samford also concluded the campaign with one of the nation's top-10 records. The Bulldogs ended the year with a school-record 12-1-5 mark, with its lone loss of the season occurring in a 1-0 defeat at the College of Charleston.

Senior forward Amber Cress, who finished her illustrious Samford career as the third-place leader in all-time goals scored (23), concluded the year ranked 18th in the nation in assist per game. Cress tallied a team-high nine assists in 2009 and earned the second-place position on the Bulldogs' all-time assists list.

Looking ahead to 2010, the Bulldogs will return seven starters from this season's team that set the school record in winning percentage.