Aug. 11, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team will begin play in its 2010 competitive schedule Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs welcome the Belmont Bruins to Bulldog Field for an exhibition contest. The meeting will be Samford's lone preseason match of the 2010 campaign. The Bulldogs are scheduled to open the regular season Aug. 20 at Alabama.

Samford heads into Thursday's contest with an 8-1 all-time record against Belmont. The Bulldogs have been victorious against the Bruins in seven consecutive matches and have not been defeated by Belmont since Sept. 5, 1998. In Samford's lone loss of the nine-match series, the Bruins defeated the Bulldogs 6-1 in Nashville, Tenn.

Last season, Samford and Belmont squared off again in Nashville, Tenn., and the Bulldogs rallied for a 1-0 non-conference triumph. In the victory, Samford's Sarah Wilkinson scored the game-winning goal during the 51st minute of play.

The Bulldogs' goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead also picked up a shutout in last year's victory. Samford's talented 6-foot-3 sophomore from Hattiesburg, Miss., made four saves in the win.

Samford scored the game-winning goal of last season's match during the 51st minute of play. Wilkinson, the Bulldogs' shifty forward from Euless, Texas, tallied the score off an assist from midfielder Kelly Shaffer. The goal proved to be one of five scored by Wilkinson in 2009.

Heading into the 2010 campaign, Samford boasts seven returning starters from last year's team that set the school's all-time record with a final 12-1-5 mark. The Bulldogs also returned an additional nine letterwinners from last season's squad, and now include a total of nine highly-touted incoming freshmen.

Belmont concluded the 2009 season with a 10-6-4 overall record. The Bruins finished the year tied for first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference and tallied a 6-1-3 mark against league opponents. Heading into this season, Belmont boasts eight returning starters and an additional 13 returning letterwinners.

Following Thursday's exhibition matchup against the Belmont Bruins, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Aug. 20 at 7 p.m., as the Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa for a season-opening contest against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Samford's season opener will be held at the UA Soccer Complex. Last year, the Bulldogs defeated the Crimson Tide 3-0.

GameTracker - Belmont at Samford