2013 Samford Media Guide
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - - The Samford University soccer team will conclude play in its first homestand of the 2013 season tonight at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs welcome the Auburn Tigers to the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium for a key in-state contest.
Samford (1-1) heads into the matchup with a full head of steam after knocking off Tennessee, 1-0, in its home opener Sunday. In the Bulldogs' momentous win, true freshman Malcanisha Kelley scored the game-winning goal in the 10th minute of play.
On the game-winning goal, Kelley, Samford's dynamic 5-foot-10 forward from Childersburg, raced under a perfectly-placed pass from Jordan Johnson and beat Tennessee's defender to the box. Kelley was then one-on-one with goalkeeper Julie Eckel and beat the Lady Vols' junior into the inside left post. The goal was Kelley's first of her collegiate career.
Additionally, Samford true freshman goalkeeper Katie Peters made five critical saves en route to the first shutout of her up-and-coming collegiate career. With 12:07 remaining in the match, Peters secured the victory for the Bulldogs as she made a diving one-on-one stop against Tennessee's Caroline Brown.
On Tuesday, Peters was named the Southern Conference's Player of the Week by College Sports Madness.
The Bulldogs have now defeated four Southeastern Conference opponents in their history; a list that includes Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Tennessee. Although Samford has never defeated Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs advanced past the Commodores via penalty kicks in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
Auburn (0-1-1) enters Friday's match with aspirations of picking up its first victory of the young 2013 campaign. On Aug. 23, the Tigers opened their season with a 0-0 draw at Clemson before falling 4-1 at No. 3-ranked Florida State on Sunday. Auburn's Haley Roberson leads the Tigers in scoring this season with one goal.
The Bulldogs will face Auburn for the eighth time in school history Friday. The Tigers own a 6-0-1 all-time record in the series and have been victorious in three straight matches against Samford. On Aug. 23, 2009, the Bulldogs battled Auburn to a thrilling 0-0 draw. The Tigers were the No. 25-ranked team in the nation at the time.
Last season, the teams squared off in Auburn and Samford dropped a 2-0 decision to the Tigers. In the annual matchup, the Bulldogs allowed an early goal and a late score in a hard-fought road loss held at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
Following Friday's home contest against Auburn, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs begin a two-match road trip versus the Texas Longhorns in a pivotal non-conference contest to be held at Mike A. Myers Stadium (20,000) in Austin, Texas.
For the most up-to-date information on Samford Athletics please follow Samford_Sports and SamfordSoccer on Twitter.
2013 Samford Media Guide
FREE Live Video
Live Stats
