Sept. 27, 2009
Box Score
CHARLESTON, S.C. -
The Samford University soccer team had its six-match winning streak snapped Sunday in a hard-fought 1-0 road loss against the College of Charleston Cougars. The Southern Conference showdown was held at Patriot's Point.
In the defeat, Samford (6-1-1, 1-1 SoCon) allowed a goal for the first time this season. Prior to Sunday's match, the Bulldogs compiled a school-record mark of 705-consecutive minutes of shutout soccer.
With its victory, the College of Charleston (6-3-1, 2-0 SoCon) extended its winning streak to four-consecutive matches. The Cougars last defeat was a 3-0 setback against Virginia Tech on Sept. 13.
The College of Charleston's Alyssa Bearden scored the game-winning goal during the 55th minute of play. The game-winner proved to be her second of the weekend. On Friday, Bearden also tallied the Cougars' golden goal in a similar 1-0 victory against Chattanooga.
On Sunday's game-winning goal, Bearden tallied the unassisted score at exactly 54:55. The Cougars' true freshman from Cary, N.C., took the shot from the top of the box from 15 yards out. The goal was Bearden's third of the season.
Samford's Alyssa Whitehead tied her career-high with nine saves Sunday, all of which occurred in the first half. The College of Charleston outshot Samford 10-2 in the opening 45 minutes of play, but the shots were tied 4-4 in the final period.
Whitehead's shutout streak was snapped at seven matches and she allowed her first goal of the season in 730 minutes. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-3 sophomore from Hattiesburg, Miss., has faced 76 shots this year and owns a near-perfect 0.12 goals-against average.
Samford's Amber Cress paced the team's offensive attack Sunday with two shot attempts and one shot on goal. The Bulldogs' Kelly Shaffer, Leah Leppert, Sarah Wilkinson and Paige Lanter also rattled off shot attempts.
The College of Charleston earned its first win against Samford. The two-year-old all-time series is now deadlocked at 1-1-1.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m., as the Bulldogs play host to the Western Carolina Catamounts in another key SoCon matchup. The contest will be held at Samford's Bulldog Field.
