Sept. 23, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team will begin play in its 2010 Southern Conference schedule this weekend as the Bulldogs welcome the third-place Elon Phoenix to Bulldog Field for a league matchup slated to begin at 7 p.m. (CDT) Friday. Samford will then close out the SoCon-opening homestand with a showdown against first-place UNC Greensboro on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Samford (4-3-1) heads into Friday's contest having been victorious in four of its previous five matches. Following a 2-2 draw with Mercer on Aug. 27, the Bulldogs rattled off consecutive home wins against Southern Miss 4-0, UAB 1-0, Kennesaw State 2-0 and Tennessee Tech 2-0, before losing last week at Auburn 2-0.

In Samford's hard-fought defeat at Auburn on Sept. 17, the teams were tied at 0-0 late in the match when the Tigers rallied for a pair of goals in the final five minutes of play.

The Bulldogs' All-SoCon goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead registered a career-high 13 saves against Auburn. Whitehead's record-setting performance topped her previous high of nine, which she tallied versus College of Charleston on Sept. 27, 2009.

Elon (5-2-1) also enters the weekend looking to regain its winning ways. After suffering a season-opening 2-1 loss against 15th-ranked Virginia Tech, the Phoenix registered a five-match winning streak with victories over Campbell 1-0, Gardner Webb 2-1, Coastal Carolina 3-1, UNC Asheville 3-0 and Liberty 2-0.

On Sept. 17, Elon had its five-match winning streak snapped in a 6-0 loss at Longwood. The Phoenix then bounced back with a 1-1 draw against VCU on Sunday.

Elon's leading scorer this season is senior forward Brittany Hallberg. The Phoenix's native of Richmond, Va., has tallied four goals and added a pair of assists this year.

Samford's leading scorers in 2010 have been true freshman Katie Proud and sophomore Kaley Blanton. Both players have registered two goals and added an assist this season. The Bulldogs' offense has been extremely balanced this year with 10 players scoring goals.

Samford owns a 2-0 all-time record against Elon. Since joining the SoCon in 2008, the Bulldogs have registered wins of 3-0 and 1-0 versus the Phoenix.

In last year's shutout victory, Samford's Leah Leppert scored a momentous first-half goal to earn a critical 1-0 win against Elon. The SoCon showdown was held at Elon's Snyder Field. The Bulldogs' Whitehead also picked up her eighth shutout of the 2009 season in the victory.

Following Friday's matchup against Elon, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 2 p.m., as the Bulldogs play host to the first-place UNC Greensboro Spartans in another key SoCon contest to be held at Bulldog Field.

GameTracker - Elon at Samford