Oct. 14, 2011

Box Score

BOONE, N.C. - For the second straight match, the Samford University soccer team tallied a dramatic double-overtime victory in Southern Conference play Friday. After a nearly identical 2-1 triumph at Furman Sunday, the Bulldogs' true freshman Joy Grove scored a golden goal in the 106th minute to lift Samford to yet another sudden victory against Appalachian State in a thrilling SoCon showdown held at the Appalachian Soccer Complex.

"This was another great win, but I have to give full credit to Appalachian State," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "They played their socks off tonight and this is a very difficult place to play. I think it says a lot about our team, because we were able to overcome the early goal and bounce back and fight for the win. I think it shows the character of this team and how they never give up."

With Friday's 2-1 double-overtime victory, Samford (7-5-2, 5-0-2 SoCon) remained undefeated in conference play this season and improved its all-time record against Appalachian State (5-9-1, 1-5-1 SoCon) to 4-0. The Bulldogs also moved into sole possession of first place in the conference standings as UNCG played to a 1-1 draw at Wofford.

On Grove's game-winning goal, which was scored at 105:40 into the match, the Bulldogs' true freshman from Midlothian, Va., gathered a pass from Trine Taule and fired a shot from the left corner of the penalty box that was placed neatly to the side of Appalachian State's goalkeeper Amy Kolowsky.

Grove's goal was her third of the season and Taule's assist proved to be her third of the 2011 campaign.

On Sunday, Taule scored Samford's golden goal in the fifth minute of overtime to defeat Furman. Five of the Bulldogs' seven most recent matches have all gone into overtime with Samford winning three of them in the extra time.

"When we go to overtime now it's like we have the mindset that we're going to win," Yelton said. "We've already won three games in overtime this season and I think it's because of the strong non-conference schedule we played to open the year. Those matches really prepared us well for conference play and we are able to step up when it counts. Our players are courageous, they are fighters and they will do anything it takes to get a win."

Appalachian State jumped out to an early 1-0 lead Friday as Katy Todd scored her fourth goal of the season in the fifth minute. On the score, which was assisted by Sydney Hill, Todd headed home a crossing pass from the right flank.

Samford goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead tied her season-high with nine saves against the Mountaineers. Whitehead, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-3 All-SoCon performer, made a number of key stops and increased her season total in saves to 87. Heading into Friday's match, Whitehead was ranked No. 29 in the nation in saves this season.

"Alyssa was excellent for us tonight and she's been outstanding for us all season long," said Yelton. "She made a couple of great saves for us, but I also thought that our back three were fantastic as well. We had to change some things up a bit, because of the way Appalachian State was playing us, but they adjusted well and did an outstanding job for us tonight."

After Appalachian State's early goal, the teams played 24 minutes of scoreless soccer before redshirt freshman Brittany Hoffman rifled a shot from the top left corner of the penalty box all the way into the top right corner of the net in the 29th minute of play.

"Brittany's goal was one of the best I've ever seen," Yelton said. "It was a huge goal for our team and she just took a pass from Michelle and put a great strike on the ball. She has really done a great job for us this season, she's coming along better than we could have expected and she's been maturing well for us as the year has gone on. Brittany will be a key player for us down the stretch."

On Hoffman's equalizing goal, her first of the 2011 campaign, sophomore Michelle Moll earned the assist. Moll's helper was her second of the season.

The Samford University soccer team will conclude its arduous three-match road trip Sunday at 1 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs travel to Cullowhee for a showdown with the Western Carolina Catamounts to be held at the Catamount Athletic Complex (1,000).