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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University soccer team will play at home for the first time in nearly three weeks Friday as the Bulldogs return to the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium for a critical Southern Conference contest against The Citadel Bulldogs slated to begin at 7 p.m. (CDT) on Senior Night.
 
Fans are encouraged to arrive early to Friday's match as Samford's talented senior class comprised of Amanda Abbott, Katie Danehy, Brittany Hoffman and Melissa Montgomery will be honored with a special pre-game Senior Night Presentation.
 
Samford (10-7, 5-2 SoCon) heads into the contest as one of the hottest teams in the conference. The Bulldogs have been victorious in four of their last five matches and are coming off a 2-0 shutout victory at Wofford on Sunday.
 
With their most recent triumph, which was held at Snyder Field in Spartanburg, S.C., Samford improved to 8-3 in road matches this season and concluded its arduous four-game road stretch with a solid 3-1 record. The Bulldogs completed their trip with SoCon wins against VMI, 5-0, UNCG, 1-0, and Wofford. Samford's lone loss on the 11-day trip occurred at Furman Friday, 1-0.
 
In Sunday's victory, the Bulldogs received goals from Abbott in the 50^th minute and sophomore Malcanisha Kelley in the 82^nd. Abbott's game-winning goal proved to be her seventh of the season, while Kelley's score also proved to be her seventh of the 2014 campaign.
 
Samford goalkeeper Anna Maddox recorded her fourth shutout of the season at Wofford. Maddox, the Bulldogs' talented 6-foot native of Warner Robins, Ga., tallied three huge saves against the Terriers.
 
Heading into the final weekend of SoCon play, there is still much to sort out in the league standings. The Bulldogs are currently listed in third place and are one of five teams; ETSU, Mercer, Samford, Furman and UNCG, that are still mathematically alive for the regular-season title.
 
With wins against The Citadel (5-12, 1-6 SoCon) and Mercer this weekend, coupled with an ETSU loss at Western Carolina on Sunday, Samford would win the SoCon regular-season championship.
 
Before looking ahead to Sunday's regular-season finales for all 10 league teams, the Bulldogs hope to take care of business Friday against The Citadel.
 
The Citadel heads to Birmingham with aspirations of snapping a four-match losing streak. The Cadets have been defeated in seven of their last eight outings and have dropped consecutive contests against Wofford, 3-0, Western Carolina, 3-1, ETSU, 5-3, and Mercer, 3-0. The Citadel's most recent victory occurred Oct. 3 at Furman, 2-1.
 
The Cadets' sophomore goalkeeper Naomi Carter is currently ranked second in the nation in total saves and boasts 116 stops heading into the final week of the regular season.
 
Samford owns a 5-1-1 lead in its all-time series with The Citadel, but is coming off a 3-2 home setback to the Cadets last season. Samford opened its rivalry against The Citadel with a 4-0 triumph on Oct. 14, 2008 and went on to win the first four meetings of the series before playing to a 0-0 draw in 2011. Two seasons ago, Samford earned a 2-0 victory in Charleston, S.C.
 
The Bulldogs' 2014 senior class has already compiled a remarkable 58-26-6 overall record, a 27-6-6 mark in SoCon play, as well as a stellar 5-1 record against Southeastern Conference opponents in their last six outings. They have also helped lead Samford to a SoCon regular-season championship, a SoCon Tournament title and a trip to the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

 
Amanda Abbott, the Bulldogs' senior forward from Marietta, Ga., has proven to be one of the top goal-scorers in Samford history. With seven goals this year alone, she currently leads the Bulldogs in scoring this season and has compiled 20 goals throughout her illustrious four-year career.
 
Abbott enters Friday's match ranked sixth in the school's all-time scoring list and only needs three more goals to move into a tie for third place. In 2011, she quickly garnered playing time as a true freshman and has been a key cog in the Bulldogs' offensive attack ever since.
 
Despite battling some nagging injuries last season, Abbott tallied seven goals, two assists and finished the season ranked second in the SoCon in game-winning goals.

 
Katie Danehy, Samford's senior defender from Memphis, Tenn., has been a staple in the starting lineup since her freshman campaign in 2011. As a true freshman, she started in all 22 of Samford's matches and played a key role in the team's SoCon championship title and its subsequent trip to the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
 
Despite playing a majority of her time on Samford's defensive back line, Danehy has come up to score four goals in her career, including a brilliant two-goal performance earlier this season at VMI. Last year, she was named to the Preseason All-SoCon Team and proved to be one of only 11 players in the league to receive the prestigious honor.
 
Danehy also excels in the classroom and was a member of the Fall Academic All-SoCon Team with a brilliant 3.70 grade-point average in mathematics.

 
Brittany Hoffman, the Bulldogs' senior forward from Knoxville, Tenn., has grown to become the heart and soul of the Samford soccer team. Despite suffering an array of season-ending injuries throughout her career, she has never backed down and continues to be one of the Bulldogs' top athletes.
 
Already this season, the fifth-year senior has handed out a trio of assists and has played a key role in Samford's 10-win campaign. As a Bulldog, Hoffman's squad has compiled a brilliant 71-32-9 overall record, as well as an unimaginable 35-8-7 mark against SoCon opponents.
 
Additionally, Hoffman has scored eight goals in her career and was named to the Preseason All-SoCon Team in 2013. She was also a member of the Second-Team All-SoCon Team in 2012 and the SoCon All-Freshman Team in 2011.

Melissa Montgomery, Samford's senior goalkeeper from Georgetown, Texas, served as the Bulldogs' starter in goal for a majority of the 2013 campaign. Nine matches into the season, she stepped right into the starting goalkeeper role and proved to be a key performer for the Bulldogs. In 11 matches, Montgomery only allowed a total of 11 goals and finished the year with a 6-3-2 overall record.
 
Additionally, she compiled a solid 1.10 goals-against average and finished the year ranked fourth in the SoCon in the category. This season, Montgomery has yet to allow a single goal and is owns a 1.05 career goals-against average, which is ranked third on the conference's active leaders' list.
 
In 2012, she was named the SoCon's Player of the Week on Oct. 16 after posting shutout victories at The Citadel and College of Charleston.
 
Following Friday's Senior Night showdown against The Citadel, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 2 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs close out their regular-season schedule at home against SoCon-newcomer, the Mercer Bears, in a huge league showdown to be held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
Mercer heads into the weekend undefeated in SoCon play and as the second-place team in the conference standings with a 5-0-2 record.
 
For quick score updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @Samford_Sports on Twitter.

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