CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Samford University soccer team will begin play in a critical two-match Southern Conference road swing Friday at 3 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs square off against The Citadel Bulldogs in a key conference showdown to be held at WLI Field.
Samford (7-5-2, 4-0-2 SoCon) heads into the contest as the first-place team in the SoCon standings. The Bulldogs have already compiled 14 points this season and hold a slight one-point advantage over both UNCG and Appalachian State.
On Sunday, Samford played host to Appalachian State and battled to a 1-1 draw in a hotly-contested duel held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
The Bulldogs'
Adrianne Mancino notched her third goal of the season at 65:59 to even the score at 1-1. Appalachian State's first-half tally was scored by Kebrina Keys in the 38
th minute, her first of the season.
In Sunday's draw, Samford dominated the time of possession and outshot Appalachian State, 27-5. The Bulldogs rattled off 11 shots in the first half, 13 attempts in the second period and a trio of shots in extra time.
Samford out-tallied the Mountaineers in corner kicks, 4-2, while Appalachian State was whistled for four more fouls, 17-13. The Bulldogs' starting goalkeeper
Melissa Montgomery moved her record to 5-1-2 with Sunday's result. Samford's native of Georgetown, Texas, finished with two key saves, while Appalachian State's Megan Roberson registered a career-high 15 stops.
Of Samford's 27 shot attempts against Appalachian State, 16 were on goal.
The Citadel (4-8-1, 2-3-1 SoCon) enters Friday's match with a full head of steam after the Bulldogs defeated Georgia Southern, 4-2, on the road Sunday.
In its key victory, The Citadel's Mariana Garcia scored two goals on five shots to record her ninth and tenth scores of the season. With her pair of goals against the Eagles, Garcia moved just two scores shy of tying the program's all-time career record of 28 set by Kelly Pesterfield in 2003. Her four shots on goal gave her 88 during her three-year career, six shy of The Citadel's all-time leader.
Goalkeeper Sarah Katchen played another gem between the posts Sunday, racking up seven saves for The Citadel to leave the junior with a conference-leading 73 stops on the season. She also improved her record to 4-8-1 on the year.
The Citadel's Katchen is currently tied for 43rd in the country with 73 saves. Katchen, who has recorded 1,031:06 minutes in goal this season, holds a goals-against average of 2.18.
Samford will square off against The Citadel for only the sixth time in school history Friday. Samford owns a 4-0-1 all-time record in the series, with its lone blemish of the rivalry occurring last season in Birmingham, Ala.
In last year's physical, hard-fought matchup, the two teams played to a 0-0 double-overtime draw at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
Following Friday's pivotal SoCon battle at The Citadel, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at noon (CDT) as the Bulldogs continue their tough conference road trip against the College of Charleston Cougars. Sunday's contest will be held at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, S.C.
