July 15, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -
The Samford University soccer team officially released its 2009 schedule on Wednesday. The Bulldogs' upcoming slate is highlighted by home matches against in-state opponents Auburn and Alabama, as well as a cross-town duel versus budding-rival UAB.
"I'm really happy about our schedule this season," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "I think that we have a good mix of home and away matches, and we're going to face some really tough competition. It's also fantastic to get to play against two in-state rivals at home right off the bat. I'm expecting it to be an outstanding atmosphere for both of those matches."
After opening the fall season with an exhibition contest at Memphis on Aug. 15, Samford will return home to Bulldog Field for home matches against Auburn (Aug. 23) and Alabama (Aug. 28). Samford's season-opening contest versus Auburn will be the fifth all-time meeting between the teams, while the Bulldogs' matchup against the Crimson Tide will be the second all-time meeting.
Last season, Samford dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 decision at Alabama and then suffered a 3-0 loss at Auburn.
In 2004, Samford set its all-time attendance record at Bulldog Field when 1,054 fans witnessed the Bulldogs hosting the 20th-ranked Auburn Tigers for the first time in school history. Since then, Samford also played Auburn at home in 2007.
This year's matchup between Samford and Alabama will be the teams' first all-time meeting held at Bulldog Field.
"Any time we get to play at home here at Samford, it's a huge advantage," Yelton said. "We have a very high winning percentage in matches played at home and that's one of the reasons that scheduling has become kind of a nightmare. It's hard to get teams to come here and play us, but this year we have a lot of good opponents coming to Bulldog Field and we're really looking forward to hosting some tough competition."
Since Yelton took the reins of the Samford soccer program in 2002, the Bulldogs have compiled a phenomenal 45-11-6 record at home. Last season, Samford turned in an undefeated 5-0-2 mark at Bulldog Field, extending its home undefeated streak to 14-consecutive matches.
The Bulldogs' last defeat at home occurred against Auburn on Sept. 21, 2007.
Following its matchup versus Alabama on Aug. 28, Samford will continue its four-game homestand with nonconference contests against Francis Marion (Aug. 30) and Texas State (Sept. 4).
On Sept. 10, the Bulldogs will maintain one of their fiercest young rivalries as they travel across town to UAB for a matchup with the Blazers. This year's meeting will be the third in the new series between the teams. Samford earned a hard-fought 2-1 overtime victory in 2007, while UAB tallied a 1-0 result last season.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to close out their nonconference schedule with road matches at Belmont (Sept. 13) and Kennesaw State (Sept. 18), as well as a home contest against Winthrop (Sept. 20).
In Southern Conference play this season, Samford will face tough road matches at College of Charleston (Sept. 27), Furman (Oct. 8) and UNC Greensboro (Oct. 16). The Bulldogs' key home contests will be against Western Carolina (Oct. 2), Wofford (Oct. 11) and Davidson (Oct. 25).
"The SoCon is a fantastic league," said Yelton. "The quality and depth in this league is extremely difficult to play against week in and week out. Last year, it seemed as if a majority of the matches were very close and it seemed as if every match either went to overtime or was a one-goal contest. On any given day, a team in this league can get a positive result."
The 2009 SoCon Tournament will be held at the home site of the regular-season champion Nov. 6-8. The winner of the four-team competition will earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Samford's expectations are high for the 2009 campaign. The Bulldogs return all 11 starters from last year's team that turned in an 8-1-2 conference record and advanced to the semifinal round of the SoCon Tournament. Samford's talent-laden roster will also boast 10 additional returning players as well as six highly-touted incoming freshmen.
As they head into the 2009 season, the Bulldogs return 95 percent of their goal-scoring production and 83 percent of their assist production from a year ago.
2009 Samford Soccer Schedule
