Aug. 28, 2009

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday as the Bulldogs streaked to a 3-0 triumph in front of 786 fans at Bulldog Field. With the win, Samford evened its all-time record against Alabama at 1-1. The match was also the first time that the Bulldogs played host to the Crimson Tide.

"Once again, it was a fantastic atmosphere out here," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "I thought our players came out strong from the beginning and were ready to go. We did a much better job tonight of connecting passes and that really helped us offensively. It was also nice to get on the board early and take a little pressure off ourselves."

In the victory, Samford (1-0-1) received goals from Sarah Wilkinson, Melissa Miller and Amber Cress. Hilary Samuels, Leah Leppert and Cress also provided assists in the Bulldogs' first all-time win against Alabama (0-2-0).

Samford's Alyssa Whitehead picked up her second shutout of the season Friday. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-3 sophomore from Hattiesburg, Miss., has not allowed a goal in the team's 200 minutes of game action this season.

"Alyssa played great again tonight," Yelton said. "I mean we were up 1-0 early in the first half and (Victoria) Frederick gets through and if Alyssa doesn't make the big-time save, then we're sitting at 1-1 and it's an entirely different half. I also thought that as the game went on our back line got better and better. Mary Shelton Bryant, Paige Lanter, Theresa Henry and Colette Nammour were all fantastic for us."

Samford remained undefeated on the season and will next be in action Sunday at home against Francis Marion. The Bulldogs opened their 2009 campaign on Aug. 23 and fought to a 0-0 draw at home versus the 25th-ranked Auburn Tigers. Against Auburn, Samford set the school's all-time attendance record with 1,286 fans.

"So far this season, we've played against the two schools that most people identify with in this state and we've finished with a draw and a win," said Yelton. "We are a school located in the Southeast and therefore we are often compared with schools from the SEC. When we win a game against those teams, it not only makes our players extremely proud, but also our entire University."

Samford quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead Friday with first-half goals from Wilkinson and Miller.

Wilkinson opened the scoring during the 12th minute of play as she gathered a rebounded shot from Samuels and slammed home the Bulldogs' first goal of the season into the right corner of the net. On the scoring play, Cress moved the ball down the left side of the field and crossed it over to the far side for Samuels.

Samuels gathered the pass, slid by an Alabama defender and rifled a shot attempt towards goal. The Crimson Tide's Justine Bernier made one of her two saves of the match on the ball, but it bounded out of her arms and directly to Wilkinson for the goal.

Samford's Cress and Samuels were both awarded with assists on the play.

The Bulldogs' second goal of the match was scored by Miller during the 40th minute of the opening period. Miller, Samford's junior midfielder from Bradenton, Fla., tallied the score with a laser from 25 yards out into the upper left corner of the net. The goal was the second of Miller's career.

Early in the second half, Samford extended its lead to 3-0 with a dynamic goal from Amber Cress. Cress, the Bulldogs' speedy Preseason All-Southern Conference performer, tallied the score during the 53rd minute of play as she outran the Alabama defenders and beat Bernier one-v-one to the right corner of the net.

Cress's score was set up beautifully by a deep pass from Leppert. The assist was Leppert's first of the 2009 campaign.

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 2 p.m., as the Bulldogs continue their current four-match homestand with a nonconference contest against the Francis Marion Patriots. The matchup will be held at Samford's Bulldog Field.