Sept. 29, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team will play its first home match in three weeks Friday as the Bulldogs return to the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium for their Southern Conference home opener against the College of Charleston Cougars. The early-season SoCon showdown is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (CDT).

Samford (3-5-1, 1-0-1 SoCon) returns home to Birmingham after compiling a 1-1-1 record on a grueling three-match road swing which featured matches at Vanderbilt, Elon and UNCG. The Bulldogs lost to Vanderbilt, 2-0, played to a 1-1 draw with Elon and then earned a momentous 1-0 victory at preseason-favorite UNCG on Sunday.

Against UNCG, Samford's Michelle Moll scored the game-winning goal in the 70th minute of play. Moll, the Bulldogs' sophomore All-SoCon Preseason performer, notched her first goal of the 2011 campaign following a crossing pass from freshman Brittany Hoffman.

On the decisive score, Moll gathered Hoffman's cross from the right wing and curled a shot neatly into the bottom left corner of the net. The assist was Hoffman's second of the season.

Samford's Michelle Moll scored the key game-winning goal against the Spartans. The Bulldogs' last home match was Sept. 9, versus Auburn in which Samford set its all-time attendance record of 1,321 fans.

College of Charleston (6-4, 2-0 SoCon) enters Friday's meeting in the midst of a two-match winning streak. Last week, the Cougars opened SoCon play with a pair of thrilling home wins against Appalachian State, 2-1, and Western Carolina, 3-2.

In its home match versus Western Carolina, College of Charleston jumped on the Catamounts early and took a 3-0 lead into the locker room. Western Carolina then scored twice in the second half, but the Cougars held on to preserve the win and remain without a blemish in the SoCon.

College of Charleston's goals against Western Carolina were scored by Sarah Schaidle, Francesca Kentimenos and Megan Hilbert. Schaidle, the Cougars' junior midfielder from Simpsonville, S.C., currently leads her squad with four goals this season. She has also compiled a team-best nine points.

The Bulldogs own a 2-1-2 all-time record on the pitch against College of Charleston. When playing at home in Birmingham, Samford holds a 1-0-1 mark versus the Cougars. The teams first met in 2008 as the Bulldogs tallied a 1-0 victory at Bulldog Field.

In last season's matchup, Samford used a pair of goals from Sarah Wilkinson to earn a pivotal 2-0 SoCon road victory in a matchup held at the Patriots Point Soccer Complex. The triumph proved to be the Bulldogs' first victory against the Cougars at Patriots Point.

Samford goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead tallied her fifth shutout of the 2010 campaign in last season's victory at College of Charleston. She registered five key saves en route to the win. Whitehead holds the school's all-time record in career shutouts with 28.

Head Coach Todd Yelton is Samford's all-time winningest coach with 113 career victories. The Bulldogs' Wilkinson currently leads the team with four goals this season. She now has a total of 19 in her career, which is tied for fifth place in school history.

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

Following its matchup with College of Charleston, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 2 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs continue their three-match SoCon homestand against The Citadel Bulldogs at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.

GameTracker - College of Charleston at Samford