Oct. 26, 2011

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team set a school record Wednesday by extending its undefeated streak to 11-consecutive matches. The Bulldogs earned a 2-1 victory against the Chattanooga Mocs in their regular-season finale and improved their winning streak to seven straight matches.

At the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium, Samford (11-6-2, 9-0-2 SoCon) received first-half goals from Michelle Moll and Lindsay Matern to jump out to a quick 2-0 advantage. In the second half of play, Chattanooga (6-10-2, 1-9-1 SoCon) unleashed an aggressive offensive attack, but the Bulldogs were able to hold on for a 2-1 triumph.

"We played well in the first half, but then Chattanooga's D.K. Henry showed why she's one of the best in this league," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "She's a handful and she's an incredible attacking player. To be honest with you, I'm glad she's graduating, so we don't have to try to mark her anymore. I think she's one of the best who has come through the league."

Chattanooga's D.K. Henry paced her squad offensively Wednesday with seven shot attempts and set up the Mocs' lone goal of the match. On a run midway through the second half, Henry was fouled five yards outside of the box, which allowed Becca Smith to score her conference-leading 16th goal of the season in the 58th minute of play.

On Chattanooga's goal, Smith rifled a shot from 35 yards out into the top right corner of the net. Samford goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead, even with her 6-foot-3 frame, was unable to reach the shot. It was the first goal that the Bulldogs have allowed since playing at Appalachian State on Oct. 14.

"We certainly would have liked to get a shutout tonight," Yelton said. "No one's been able to shut them out all year and that was one of the goals we had going into the match. We were able to rest a few of our players tonight and rotate them in and out more frequently, but I have to give full credit to Chattanooga. They didn't quit, they kept battling and from what I've seen that's what they've done it all year."

Samford's opponent in the first round of the 2011 SoCon Tournament was determined Wednesday as Western Carolina upended Appalachian State 1-0 to secure the No. 8 seed in the eight-team tournament. The Bulldogs are the top-seeded team and will host Western Carolina at 4 p.m. (CDT) on Sunday.

Earlier this season, Samford tallied a 1-0 victory against Western Carolina on the road in Cullowhee, N.C.

"I hope we're starting to peak a bit here with the tournament coming up, but I know we didn't necessarily play our best soccer tonight," said Yelton. "It was a bit ragged out there for us and Western Carolina will be a very tough test for us Sunday. They played us extremely hard last time and we were probably a bit fortunate to get out of there with a win."

In Wednesday's victory, Samford took an early 1-0 lead as Moll notched her fourth goal of the season in the 15th minute.

Moll, the Bulldogs' sophomore from Evansville, Ind., gathered a pass on the left flank, saw an opening in the middle of the field and then unloaded on a line-drive shot that hooked neatly into the right side of the net. Fellow sophomore Trine Taule picked up her team-leading fifth assist on the goal.

Nearly 12 minutes later, Samford's Matern scored a goal on a free kick from just outside the box on the left wing. At exactly 26:24, Matern's low shot bounced a few times and beat Chattanooga's goalkeeper Taylor Morgan to her left side. Several Bulldog players made runs through the goalkeeper's box and distracted Morgan from making the stop. The goal was Matern's second of the 2011 campaign.

Samford outshot Chattanooga, 17-5, in the first half. The Mocs played with a better intensity in the second period and limited the Bulldogs to only seven shot attempts. Samford closed out the match with 24 shots as compared to 11 for Chattanooga.

Late in Wednesday's contest, the Bulldogs' Whitehead made several of diving saves to keep the Mocs from equalizing the match at 2-2.

"Chattanooga certainly had opportunities to score there in the second half and in my mind Alyssa showed why she is one of the best goalkeepers in the country. The last 30 minutes of the match, she was extremely good for us."

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 4 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs host a first-round match in the 2011 SoCon Tournament versus the eighth-seeded Western Carolina Catamounts to be held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.

"I'm sure Sunday's match will be a tough test for us," Yelton said. "All you have to do is look at the scores from last season's first round. All of the matches were one-goal games and then we went to penalty kicks against Davidson. Nothing about the rest of the season will be easy. It will all be hard."

2011 SoCon Tournament Bracket