Aug. 27, 2010

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team played its first home match of the regular season Friday and fought to a 2-2 draw against the Mercer Bears at Bulldog Field. In the tie, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with goals from freshmen Katie Proud and Brittany Hoffman, but Mercer rallied with two late scores to force overtime.

Neither team was able to tally a goal in overtime as the non-conference foes finished in a 2-2 draw.

"I know we tied a very good team tonight, but it definitely feels like a loss," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "We had a number of chances to finish off the game, but we didn't convert on our opportunities and I have to give full credit to Mercer. They never quit and they found a way to score and tie the game. I just need to do a better job of coaching."

Samford (0-2-1) opened the match in quick fashion and eventually outshot Mercer (1-0-1) by a final count of 17-8. The Bears' goalkeeper Cristina Guilarte finished the contest with four key saves, while the Bulldogs' goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead registered two critical stops of her own.

Proud, Samford's true freshman from Knoxville, Tenn., tallied the first goal of the match during the 32nd minute of play. The score was assisted by both Colette Nammour and Shanika Thomas. On the goal, Nammour blasted a deep pass 40 yards downfield that the speedy Proud was able to run under.

Mercer's goalkeeper Guilarte gambled to pick off the pass, but Proud beat her to the ball and scatted by her to the left. Once she evaded Guilarte, Proud saw the open net in front of her and rifled the ball in from 15 yards out.

The goal was Proud's first of her collegiate career in her first home match at Bulldog Field.

Less than three minutes later, Samford extended its lead to 2-0 as Hoffman connected on a one-timer into the left corner of the net. On the goal, which was scored in the 35th minute, Proud beat a pair of Bear defenders and sent a pinpoint crossing pass ahead to Hoffman. Hoffman, another of Samford's highly-touted freshmen from Knoxville, Tenn., connected on Proud's pass and fired it into the corner.

The score was Hoffman's first of her collegiate career and Proud registered her first career assist on the goal.

"I don't think our team let up after being up 2-0 early, but I always say that 2-0 is a dangerous lead," Yelton said. "We have a very young squad, and maybe we lack some maturity, but I have to do a better job of coaching."

Midway through the second half of play, Mercer's Jessie Kupstas trimmed Samford's lead to 2-1 with a goal in the 69th minute. Her teammate, Olivia Tucker, then recorded the equalizing goal with only 1:06 remaining in regulation. The scores were the first for both players this season.

"Mercer's a really good team and (head coach) Grant (Serafy) has done a really good job with that program," said Yelton. "His players have a lot of character and they battled hard all night. They never gave up and they showed what can happen when you continue to fight and play your hearts out."

Late in Friday's match, Samford missed out on a couple of good game-winning opportunities. Seven minutes into the first overtime period, the Bulldogs' Leah Leppert rattled off a shot that was saved by Guilarte. Then, with 13 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Samford's true freshman Trine Taule found herself in position to head a shot that barely went over the crossbar.

"We had a very good first half, but then I thought we were poor in the second half," Yelton said. "In the overtime period, I thought we were very good, but we just couldn't find the back of the net. We need to build from this match and continue to get better as a team. Hopefully, we'll get a lot better and continue to grow before the conference season gets here."

Despite Friday's draw, Samford owns a 6-1-2 advantage in its all-time series with Mercer.

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs continue their five-match homestand against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Bulldog Field.