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AUSTIN, Texas -- The Samford University soccer team will take its momentum on the road this weekend as the Bulldogs begin a tough two-match road stretch Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) against the Texas Longhorns. The pivotal non-conference contest will be held at Mike A. Myers Stadium (20,000) and will be broadcast live on the Longhorn Network.
 
Following its marquee matchup at Texas (1-2-1), Samford (2-1) will conclude its two-match stretch Sunday at 1 p.m., against UTSA.
 
The Bulldogs head into Friday's contest with a full head of steam after recording back-to-back home victories against Southeastern Conference opponents Tennessee, 1-0, and Auburn, 1-0. Both of the aforementioned wins proved to be Samford's first in the series.
 
Additionally, the Bulldogs' dynamic true freshman forward, Malcanisha Kelley, scored the game-winning goals in each of the historic victories.
 
Against Auburn, Kelley's score was initiated by Samford's Trine Taule as she stole an errant Auburn pass and sent the ball up ahead to Kelley at midfield. During the pass, Kelley shielded the Tiger defender from the ball and run under Taule's assist on the left flank. She then outran one Auburn back and shifted past the final defender with a smooth crossover move 35 yards out.
 
After gaining an edge on the last Tiger defender, Kelley rifled a shot from 25 yards out that snaked its way into the left-hand corner of the net.
 
Samford's Taule, the Bulldogs' senior midfielder from Frekhaug, Norway, is ranked ninth on the school's all-time scoring list with 16 career goals. Taule only trails current leader and former Bulldog-great Marian Wagner by 10 goals.
 
Texas, under the tutelage of second-year head coach Angela Kelly, enters Friday's matchup with aspirations of snapping a two-match losing streak. The Longhorns opened the season with a 2-0 victory over Georgia, but subsequently tied USF, 1-1, and then suffered consecutive road losses to Oregon State, 1-0, and Oregon, 2-1, last weekend.
 
The Bulldogs will face Texas for the second time in school history Friday. The first meeting between the teams occurred Aug. 22, 2008, in Austin, Texas, as the eighth-ranked Longhorns posted a 4-0 season-opening win.
 
Including its loss to Texas, Samford owns an 0-2 all-time record against Big 12 opponents. In 2006, the Bulldogs lost at Baylor, 1-0.
 
Two seasons ago, in Kelly's final season as the head coach at Tennessee, Samford played host to the Lady Vols in an exhibition match and the teams battled to a 0-0 draw held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
The Bulldogs dictated the pace of the match for a predominant portion of the first half and led Tennessee, 5-3, in opening-half shot attempts. The teams finished the preseason contest tied 11-11 in total shots.
 
In Samford's record-setting 1-0 home victory against Auburn on Friday, the Bulldogs listed five true freshmen in the starting lineup, all of which played at least 78 minutes in the contest. Samford's five true freshmen that have been tabbed as starters this season are:  Peters, Taylor Borman, Kelley, Anna Allen and Molly Pittman.
 
Samford's Kelley has scored both of the Bulldogs' goals this year. Kelley's first goal lifted Samford to a 1-0 home victory over Tennessee on Aug. 25, while her second score was tallied in the Bulldogs' historic 1-0 win against Auburn on Aug. 30.
 
On Tuesday, Kelley was named to the CS360 National Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll, as presented by College Soccer 360.com. Samford's 5-foot-10 forward currently leads the team in goals (2), points (4) and shot attempts (10) this season.
 
The Bulldogs' Peters has not allowed a goal in the last 244:25 minutes of playing time. Since allowing a pair of first-half goals at Memphis in her first collegiate match, she has registered back-to-back shutouts against SEC foes Tennessee and                 Auburn. Peters currently owns a stellar 0.67 goals-against average this season.
 
Peters earned Southern Conference Player of the Week honors on Aug. 27, as College Sports Madness released its national weekly honors. Peters earned the award after she registered five key saves in Samford's huge 1-0 home victory against Tennessee. The shutout was Peters' first as a Bulldog.
 
Head Coach Todd Yelton is Samford's all-time winningest coach with 137 victories. The Bulldogs' highly-decorated skipper has led Samford to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2005, 2007 and 2011. Since joining the SoCon in 2008, Yelton and the Bulldogs have compiled a stellar 46-6-12 league record.
 
Samford's senior midfielder and two-time team captain, Shanika Thomas, has only missed one match in her career. She has started in 66 of the team's 67 contests, including 60 straight dating back to Sept. 17, 2010.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Samford Athletics please follow @Samford_Sports and @SamfordSoccer on Twitter.

Live Stats
Samford Match Notes
Samford Media Guide