Oct. 1, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team will attempt to extend its 2011 Southern Conference undefeated streak to four-consecutive matches Sunday as the Bulldogs play host to The Citadel Bulldogs at 2 p.m. (CDT) at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.

"This is going to be another tough match and hopefully we'll be rested and recuperated from a pair of hard-fought battles earlier this week," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "We're already working on a short week because of playing on Monday and then we had an overtime match Friday, so tomorrow's match is going to be really tough. I know that (The Citadel head coach) Bob (Winch) will have his team ready to play and they have some great attacking players It's going to be a challenging match for us."

On Friday, Samford (4-5-1, 2-0-1 SoCon) topped the College of Charleston, 2-1, in overtime and remained undefeated in conference play this season. With the thrilling victory, the Bulldogs moved into a tie for first place in the SoCon standings. Both Samford and Furman sit atop the league with identical 2-0-1 records.

Against College of Charleston, the Bulldogs' Sarah Wilkinson tallied the 10th game-winning goal of her storied career as she registered the match's golden goal in the seventh minute of overtime to defeat the Cougars. With her score, Wilkinson became Samford's all-time record-holder in the category with 10.

The game-winning goal Friday was scored in the 97th minute of play. On the decisive score, the Bulldogs' Shanika Thomas stole the ball from a College of Charleston midfielder and drove up the right flank where she found Kaley Blanton just outside the box on the right wing.

Blanton, Samford's junior forward from Mandeville, La., then sped past a pair of Cougar defenders and rifled a crossing pass perfectly into the goalkeeping box. As the ball was touched in from Blanton, Wilkinson made her run from the left flank and perfectly timed her shot into the back of the net.

The Citadel (4-6-1, 2-1 SoCon)also heads into Sunday's showdown in the midst of a two-match winning streak. Last week, the Bulldogs rallied for a 3-2 home victory against Appalachian State before notching a 2-1 triumph Friday at Chattanooga.

In the win over Chattanooga, The Citadel's sophomore forward Mariana Garcia netted a goal in each half at Finley Stadium as the Bulldogs toppled the Lady Mocs to earn their second consecutive conference victory.

Garcia, The Citadel's native of Bogota, Columbia, has already scored five goals this season and is tied for the team's lead in the category along with fellow-sophomore Vanessa Aponte.

Samford owns an unblemished 4-0 record in its all-time series against The Citadel. At home in Birmingham, Samford is 1-0 when playing The Citadel as the Bulldogs tallied a 4-0 triumph over the Cadets in 2008. Last season, Samford earned a 7-0 victory on the road in Charleston, S.C., and then rallied late for a 4-3 win in the semifinal round of the 2010 SoCon Tournament.

In last year's final meeting of the season between Samford and The Citadel, the Bulldogs' Thomas tallied the game-winning goal with only 4:13 left to play in regulation at the Catamount Athletic Complex in Cullowhee, N.C. Earlier in the match, Samford received a key score from Michelle Moll and two goals from Trine Taule.

Fans can watch Sunday's match online via live streaming on the Bulldog Big Screen at www.SamfordSports.com.

Following Sunday's matchup with The Citadel, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Thursday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs complete their current three-match homestand against the Wofford Terriers in another key SoCon contest to be held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.

GameTracker - The Citadel at Samford