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CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- The Samford University soccer team will return to the road for another critical Southern Conference match Friday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs challenge the Western Carolina Catamounts in an early-league contest held at the Catamount Athletic Complex (1,000).
Samford (8-3-1, 2-1-1 SoCon) heads into the matchup with aspirations of bouncing back from its first road conference defeat in over three years Sunday. Against the first-place Furman Paladins, the Bulldogs suffered a hard-fought 2-1 loss held in Greenville, S.C. The defeat was Samford's first SoCon road defeat since a 1-0 setback at UNCG on Sept. 26, 2010.
During the Bulldogs' impressive three-year undefeated road streak, Samford compiled a stellar 15-0-2 record while playing at SoCon opponents.
Western Carolina (6-5-1, 1-3 SoCon) enters Friday's match riding the positive momentum of a 2-1 win at Georgia Southern on Oct. 6, which proved to be its first SoCon victory of the season. The Catamounts' win snapped a three-match losing streak.
So far this season, Samford is being paced offensively by senior
Trine Taule and junior
Amanda Abbott, who have each scored five goals on the season.
Taule, the Bulldogs' native of Frekhaug, Norway, has scored a total of 21 goals in her illustrious career. With seven matches remaining in the regular-season, the Bulldogs' impressive midfielder finds herself just five goals behind former Samford-great Marian Wagner for the all-time school record.
Western Carolina is currently being led in scoring by sophomore forward Kelly Pannell, who has scored five goals and added four assists this season. She is followed by junior forward Caitlyn Bradham, who has scored four goals in 2013. The duo combined to tally nine of the Catamounts' 16 goals this year.
Samford leads the overall series between the teams by a record of 3-1-1. Western Carolina's lone win against the Bulldogs came in the second round of the 2008 SoCon Tournament, a 1-0 victory, which was held in Charleston, S.C.
In last season's annual matchup, Samford used goals from
Michelle Moll, Abbott and Taule to defeat the Catamounts, 3-2, in a key SoCon tilt held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
Midway through the second half of last year's contest, the score of the match was knotted at 2-2. Samford's
Abbott had just given the Bulldogs a 2-1 advantage in the 59th minute of play, but Western Carolina quickly answered with a goal from McKenzie Hallstrom at 62:14 to equalize the score.
The second half continued to be a back-and-forth battle featuring quality scoring chances from both sides when Samford's Taule headed home the game-winning goal with less than 21 minutes remaining. On the Bulldogs' pretty, decisive score,
Ariane Lukens sent in a deep centering pass from the right flank that Taule perfectly timed and headed home to the left of the goalkeeper.
Following Friday's SoCon road test at Western Carolina, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 1 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs conclude their three-match road stretch against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at the ASU Soccer Stadium (1,000) in Boone.
For the most up-to-date information on Samford soccer please follow
@Samford_Sports and
@SamfordSoccer on Twitter.
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Samford Media Guide
