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ELON, N.C. -- In a physical slugfest held at Rudd Field Sunday, the Samford University soccer team played to a 1-1 draw with the Elon Phoenix in a critical Southern Conference showdown that began the final week of action in the 2013 regular season.
 
In Sunday's draw, Samford (11-5-2, 4-3-2 SoCon) received its lone goal of the match midway through the second half as true freshman Malcanisha Kelley tallied the score in the 63^rd minute of play. Kelley's goal proved to be her sixth of the season and came off a corner kick at 62:32.
 
Elon (11-2-5, 5-1-3 SoCon) scored its only goal of the match 14 minutes later as Catherine Brinkman connected on a penalty-kick opportunity. Brinkman's score was her fifth of the 2013 campaign.
 
In what can generously be called a questionable whistle, Elon received its penalty-kick opportunity when Samford was called for a foul inside the 18-yard box. Fouls were aplenty in Sunday's matchup as the teams combined for a total of 31. Elon finished with a game-high 16 fouls, while the Bulldogs were called for 15.
 
With huge seeding implications involved for the upcoming SoCon Tournament, Samford and Elon also combined to receive five yellow cards.
 
The Bulldogs will take their point for Sunday's draw and improve to 14 in conference play this season. Elon, which entered the contest as the second-place team in the league, garnered its 18^th point of the year, but first-place Furman clinched the SoCon regular-season title with 22.
 
Samford will close out its 2013 regular-season schedule Wednesday as the Bulldogs return home to face the Chattanooga Lady Mocs. The contest will begin at 7 p.m. (CDT) at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
With a victory against Chattanooga, as well as losses or ties from both Wofford and Appalachian State, Samford would finish as the fourth-place team in the final SoCon standings. In that three-pronged scenario, the Bulldogs would earn the right to host their first-round matchup in the 2013 SoCon Tournament.
 
On Wednesday, Wofford squares off against first-place Furman on the road in Greenville, S.C., while Appalachian State will wrap up its 2013 regular season at ninth-place Western Carolina (6 p.m. CDT).
 
Samford outshot Elon in Sunday's battle, 13-10, including a 12-7 disparity after halftime. True freshman Olivia Cole came off the bench to lead the Bulldogs with four shot attempts, while Kelley followed with three. The Phoenix was paced offensively by Sarah Henson, Nicole Dennion and Brinkman, who all finished with two shot attempts each.
 
Junior goalkeeper Melissa Montgomery started in goal for Samford Sunday and finished with two key saves. She also faced 10 shot attempts and played the entire 110 minutes for the Bulldogs.
 
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs face the Chattanooga Lady Mocs in a key SoCon regular-season finale to be held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Samford soccer please follow @Samford_Sports and @SamfordSoccer on Twitter.

Box Score
Updated SoCon Standings