Box Score BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University soccer team's 2012 season came to an abrupt ending Sunday as the second-seeded Bulldogs were defeated by the seventh-seeded College of Charleston Cougars, 2-1, in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament being held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
“I thought that Charleston played well today,” said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. “We hit the post a couple times and they cleared two or three off the back line, and then we gave up one huge mistake at the end. If you make that mistake at the end, then you better make sure you score the early ones.”
 
With Sunday's loss, Samford (11-7-2) was knocked out of the 2012 SoCon Tournament and concluded its season at home in Birmingham. The Bulldogs played nine matches at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium this season and registered a 3-4-2 record.
 
College of Charleston (7-11-1) advanced to the semifinal round of the SoCon Tournament and will face either third-seeded Furman or sixth-seeded Davidson at 7:30 p.m. (CDT) on Friday. The Cougars entered the eight-team tournament as the No. 7 seed Sunday as both of the top two seeds were upset in opening-round action. Top-seed UNCG was knocked off at home by No. 8-seed Georgia Southern, 1-0.
 
College of Charleston's game-winning goal Sunday occurred late in the second half as Michaela Herrmann knocked home her second score of the season in the 84^th minute.
 
On the decisive goal, the Cougars' Jackie Weston gathered an errant pass from a Samford defender and sent a pass ahead to Herrmann in the middle of the field. Herrmann took the ball, faked to her left and ran down the left flank. She then stopped and sent a right-footed attempt back to the far side and towards the right post. The ball fit neatly inside the far post for her second goal of the season.
 
College of Charleston's victory snapped a five-match winless streak against Samford. Prior to Sunday's 2-1 win, the Cougars' previous triumph in the series occurred Sept. 27, 2009. Last season, the Bulldogs defeated College of Charleston, 1-0, in the championship match of the 2011 SoCon Tournament.
 
The Cougars took an early 1-0 lead in Sunday's opening-round contest as Haley Hutchens headed home her first goal of the season in the 20^th minute of play. Hutchens' goal was assisted by McCallie Jones.
 
“In the beginning, Charleston came out and did quite well,” Yelton said. “They had a lot of momentum, but I thought that after we gave up the goal, we answered it pretty well.”
 
Approximately 13 minutes later, Samford equalized the match at 1-1 as sophomore Katie Danehy headed home a goal of her own in the 33 minute of play. At exactly 32:43 into the match, the Bulldogs' Adrianne Mancino sent a high, floating centering pass into the box. Danehy, at 5-foot-10, skied far above the College of Charleston defenders to head the ball into the back of the net.
 
The goal was Danehy's first of the season, while Mancino's assist was her team-high sixth of the campaign.
 
Samford and College of Charleston went into the half tied at 1-1. The Cougars outshot the Bulldogs, 10-5, in the opening 45 minutes, while Samford took one more corner kick, 2-1.
 
The Bulldogs' offensive attacked stepped up in the first 20-30 minutes of the second half and fired off a barrage of shots towards College of Charleston's goalkeeper Eli Sarasola. The Cougars' junior goalkeeper from San Sebastian, Spain, registered four key saves in the match, while three of Samford's attempts hit the post. College of Charleston also received a crucial team save from a defender on the back line.
 
“It's a cruel game that we play,” said Yelton. “Sometimes you create tons of chances and you come away with nothing from them. That's what happened today, but I definitely have to give fair play to Charleston. I thought they played well and that (Head Coach) Christian (Michner) did a good job. Right now, we have to turn to next year, because this one's over.”
 
Samford controlled the second half of play and outshot College of Charleston, 15-5, in the final period. The Bulldogs also outnumbered the Cougars, 7-0, in second-half corner kicks.
 
Sophomores Brittany Hoffman and Amanda Abbott paced Samford's offensive attack with five shots apiece. Hoffman, the Bulldogs' talented native of Knoxville, Tenn., registered a trio of shots-on-goal, while Abbott tallied one.
 
“I'm proud of our players this season,” Yelton said. “Overall, I thought they battled. Certainly, I would have liked to have gotten more out of this year, because we really had a talented bunch of players. Hopefully, the sting of this loss motivates us to be better next season.”
 
The Samford University soccer team concluded its 2012 campaign with an 11-7-2 overall record, including an 8-1-2 mark against SoCon opponents. The Bulldogs will return eight starters next season, but will be without the play of graduating seniors Sabbath McKiernan-Allen, Kaley Blanton and Adrianne Mancino.