Nov. 7, 2010

Box Score

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - In its first appearance in the Southern Conference Tournament championship, the Samford University soccer team fell short against the top-seeded and No. 14-ranked UNC Greensboro Spartans 1-0 on Sunday at the Catamount Athletic Complex on the campus of Western Carolina University.

In a hard-fought defensive struggle, the lone score of the match was tallied by UNC Greensboro's Kristin Schmidbauer in the 58th minute of play. On the game-winning goal, Schmidbauer was on the receiving end of a pair of contributing passes from Jenn Partenheimer and Cat Barnekow. The score was Schmidbauer's ninth of the 2010 campaign.

The goal-scoring play began with Cat Barnekow taking the short corner and sending a pass to Partenheimer outside the box on the right edge. Schmidbauer then volleyed Partenheimer's well-placed pass to give the Spartans the only goal of the afternoon.

With Sunday's loss, Samford (13-6-3) had its 11-match undefeated streak snapped. The Bulldogs concluded their 2010 season with 13 victories, the school's third highest win total in school history. Samford finished SoCon play with an impressive 8-2-1 record and advanced to the championship match of the conference tournament for the first time in three seasons.

UNC Greensboro (19-1-1) earned its 16th-conscutive victory Sunday. The Spartans have constantly climbed to in the national standings and have earned an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Regional play in the Field of 64 will begin Nov. 12, and the Selection Show coverage will be aired live on ESPNU on Monday, at 3:30 p.m. (CST).

UNC Greensboro's lone loss this season occurred at Cal State Fullerton 2-0 on Sept. 5. With their win Sunday, the Spartans took a slight 2-1-1 advantage in their all-time series against the Bulldogs.

The 2010 SoCon Tournament championship proved to be a battle for both teams. Scoring opportunities came at a premium for both squads, as each team recorded just two shots on goal. UNC Greensboro held a slight 6-5 advantage in shots overall.

The Spartans' goalkeeper, Kelsey Kearney, was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player after notching her third consecutive shutout of the tournament. Kearney stopped two Samford shots while the Bulldogs' Alyssa Whitehead tallied one save.

The tournament victory was UNC Greensboro's seventh in 14 seasons as a member of the SoCon. Playing in its ninth tournament final, the Spartans are now 7-1-1 in the title game. UNC Greensboro also equaled a school record for wins in a season, improving to 19-1-1 overall.

Samford senior Colette Nammour and the Bulldogs' true freshmen Michelle Moll and Trine Taule were all named to the 2010 SoCon All-Tournament Team.

Southern Conference
2010 All-Tournament Team

Vanessa Aponte, The Citadel
Nicole Martinoli, The Citadel
Brittany Hallberg, Elon
Alanna Winsper, Elon
Michelle Moll, Samford
Colette Nammour, Samford
Trine Taule, Samford
Lauren Hein, UNC Greensboro
Kelsey Kearney, UNC Greensboro
Morgan Kennedy, UNC Greensboro
Jenn Partenheimer, UNC Greensboro

Tournament Most Outstanding Player - Kelsey Kearney, GK, UNC Greensboro