Box Score BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University soccer team played to its first draw of the 2012 season Thursday as the Bulldogs and Furman Paladins battled to a 2-2 tie after 110 minutes of hard-fought Southern Conference action held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
“It was unfortunate for us tonight, especially giving up the tying goal with only 25 seconds remaining, but that's just how it goes in a typical Samford-Furman game,” said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. “The only difference with tonight was that neither team scored in overtime. This was a big rivalry match and I thought Furman played their hearts out. I also thought our players did a very good job.”
 
Samford (5-5-1, 2-0-1 SoCon) jumped out to a 2-0 advantage following goals from Brittany Hoffman and Adrianne Mancino. The Bulldogs were still leading by a two-goal margin at the 53-minute mark in the contest before Furman (8-2-1, 1-1-1 SoCon) tallied its first goal of the night at exactly 53:14 off the head of Hannah Stanifer.
 
Stanifer's goal, her third of the 2012 campaign, was knocked home cleanly off of a perfectly-placed corner kick from India Robinson.
 
Despite Stanifer's score trimming Samford's lead to 2-1 in the second half, it still appeared as if the Bulldogs would hold on for their 13^th-consecutive victory in SoCon play.
 
Late in regulation, Furman stepped up their offensive attack and sent a barrage of shot attempts at Samford's sophomore goalkeeper Melissa Montgomery. Montgomery, the Bulldogs' native of Georgetown, Texas, finished with a career-high 10 saves, eight of which occurred after halftime.
 
“I thought that Melissa did a great job for us tonight and she's really come a long ways this season,” Yelton said. “Tonight was a very difficult task for her by playing against a really good Furman team, but I don't think there was a single thing she could have done on either of the goals. At the end of the day, I think that Melissa has to be proud of her performance.”
 
With 25 seconds remaining in regulation, Furman's Catie Moore heaved a throw-in from the right sideline to Stephanie DeVita's feet on the flank. DeVita, the nation's leader in game-winning goals, gathered Moore's pass with her left foot, quickly took a pair of steps to her right with her back to the goal, then turned back around to her left and hooked a shot neatly into the far corner of the goal.
 
The score was DeVita's 11^th of the 2012 campaign.
 
After DeVita's goal sent the match into overtime, neither team was able to find separation in the extra periods and finished Thursday's showdown knotted at 2-2.
 
The tie snapped Samford's 12-match winning streak against SoCon opponents, but the Bulldogs' stretch of undefeated conference matches was extended to 17 straight.
 
“I thought it was a fair result,” Yelton said. “I felt like we obviously could have gotten more out of it by not allowing the late goal, but I'm proud of my players and I'm very happy with my players. We were disappointed that we didn't get the win, but I told them that they played their hearts out and in the end if we keep giving this type of effort then we'll be in good shape.”
 
Samford opened up the scoring in the first half with Hoffman's third goal of the season in the 14^th minute of play. On the score, which was assisted by Trine Taule, Hoffman took control of the pass in the center of the box, slid her way through a pair of defenders and beat the goalkeeper to the right post. The key assist was Taule's third of the 2012 campaign.
 
With Samford leading 1-0 at the half, the Bulldogs outshot Furman 8-4 in the opening 45 minutes of play. Samford also held a slight 2-1 advantage in first-half corner kicks.
 
The Bulldogs increased their lead to 2-0 early in the second period as Mancino registered her second score of the 2012 campaign. Just 2:24 after halftime, Mancino rifled a shot from the right flank that zipped its way directly into the top left corner of the net. Mancino's shot was a laser and never got higher than 10 feet in the air.
 
Samford's Hoffman earned the assist on the goal, her first of the season.
 
Following the Bulldogs' second score of the night led to a 2-0 lead, Furman continued to heighten its offensive attack and outshot Samford 17-8 after the intermission. The Paladins' relentless pressure eventually led to their equalizing goals.
 
“Furman really made it hard on us,” Yelton said. “They were way more direct than they normally are and that's always difficult. We certainly had some chances in the first half to kill off the game and we didn't do it. I have to give full credit to Furman. Both of their goals were great goals and it was just two very good soccer teams having a great match.”
 
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 1 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs return to the road for another key conference matchup against the Wofford Terriers to be held at Snyder Field (2,250) in Spartanburg, S.C.