Sept. 5, 2010

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team picked up its biggest win of the 2010 season Sunday as the Bulldogs registered a thrilling 1-0 victory against cross-town rival UAB at Bulldog Field. Samford's game-winning goal was scored by sophomore Kaley Blanton in the 13th minute of play, her second of the weekend.

"This was a great win for us tonight," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "This was everything that these players have experienced before arriving at the collegiate level. It was almost like a high school rivalry or an intense club game that really mattered, so this was a great win for us to be able to have the bragging rights."

The Bulldogs' junior goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead recorded her second complete shutout of the season after making four crucial stops in the victory. With the performance, she improved her goals-against average to 1.34 on the season.

"Winning this game tonight was big for us because it gives us more confidence," said Whitehead. "We had a slow start to the season, but right now everybody is coming together and working as a team. This positive outcome against UAB shows that we can beat really good teams if we hang tough and play hard."

Samford (2-2-1) earned its second straight win against a Conference USA opponent Sunday. On Friday, the Bulldogs started the weekend with a 4-0 home triumph over Southern Miss. Samford remained undefeated at Bulldog Field this season and improved its record at home to 1-0-1.

After opening the 2010 campaign with road losses at Alabama and 18th-ranked Memphis, the Bulldogs have rallied back this season with a 2-2 draw with Mercer and a pair of shutout wins against Southern Miss 4-0 and UAB 1-0.

"We've known all along that we've had a talented bunch of players," Yelton said. "We've had to make some changes and move some people around and it just takes a bit of time, but tonight and Friday we really played well and we've really gained a lot of confidence. Right now, we feel good about where we, but we just need to come back on Tuesday to continue to work hard and improve as a team."

With Sunday's loss, UAB (3-3) had its three-match winning streak snapped. Heading into the contest, the Blazers were coming off consecutive victories against Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Western Carolina.

Samford also took a lead in its all-time series record against UAB. With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 2-1 all-time versus the Blazers. The teams have faced each other three times in the previous four seasons, with each team winning on its home field.

Samford's game-winning goal was scored at exactly 12:18 into Sunday's match. On the score, true freshman midfielder Trine Taule battled through a crowd of UAB defenders on the right flank and sent a pinpoint pass up ahead to Blanton in the box.

Blanton, the Bulldogs' sophomore forward from Mandeville, La., gathered the pass 20 yards away from the goal, faked to her left and went around the Blazers' final defender to her right. After evading UAB's last line of defense, Blanton pushed ahead to five yards out and beat the goalkeeper to the bottom right corner of the net.

The goal was Blanton's second of the season and her second of the weekend. She also scored a goal in the Samford's 4-0 victory against Southern Miss on Friday. The Bulldogs' Taule earned her second assist of the season on the play.

"This was a great win for us and I think it will give us some good momentum as we get closer to the conference season," Blanton said. "It was a very good game to get us ready for the rest of the season, because UAB is a really good team. It feels awesome to be able to contribute to the team more now, but I can't take the credit for scoring the goal. Our defenders did an awesome job of getting the ball and then the midfielders did an awesome job of setting me up."

With Sunday's victory against UAB, Samford improved its all-time record against Conference USA opponents to 8-7. So far this season, the Bulldogs have defeated Southern Miss and UAB, but dropped a 3-0 decision at No. 18 Memphis.

"This win will mean a lot for us as we go forward," said Yelton. "This was a win over a really good team and we're really happy, but we also realize that this is a very long season and we still have a lot of tough matches ahead of us."

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs begin play in the 2010 Samford Soccer Tournament against the Kennesaw State Owls at Bulldog Field.