Box Score
Updated Samford Stats

CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- The Southern Conference regular-season champion Samford University soccer team scored two goals in 23 minutes Friday to defeat the ETSU Buccaneers in the semifinal round of the SoCon Tournament being held at the Catamount Athletic Complex. The late rally propelled the Bulldogs to Sunday's SoCon Tournament championship, which is slated to begin at noon (CST) on ESPN3.
 
With the victory, Samford (14-7) extended its winning streak to five-consecutive matches and proved to be triumphant in eight of its last nine matches. Since Oct. 3, the Bulldogs have outscored the opposition by a total of 24-4.
 
Samford also improved to 2-1 all-time against ETSU (15-6).
 
"I'm proud of this team and how they never gave up," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "We honestly didn't play our best soccer, but our seniors refused to lose and they didn't want their college careers to come to an end tonight. I have to give ETSU and lot of credit, because they are a very good, well-coached team, but in the second half, we came together and got the job done."
 
Both of Samford's goals Friday were scored by seniors and assisted by sophomore speedster Jermaine Seoposenwe.
 
The Bulldogs trailed for a majority of the match after ETSU's Hannah Short scored her nation-leading 27^th goal of the season in the seventh minute. Short's tally was assisted by Jasmin Dutton and occurred on a set play from the left side of the box.
 
After trailing 1-0 at the half, Samford's Amanda Abbott quickly shifted the momentum of the match with a brilliant equalizing goal in the 62^nd minute. Abbott, the Bulldogs' talented senior from Marietta, Ga., has really caught fire late in the season and registered four of her team-leading 10 goals in the last five matches.
 
Abbott's score Friday occurred at exactly 61:32 and evened the match at 1-1. Her goal was set up by Seoposenwe to the left side of the box where she rifled a shot home from 10 yards out.
 
With her key momentum-shifting goal, Abbott moved into a four-way tie for third place on Samford's all-time scoring list with 23.
 
The Bulldogs' game-winning goal occurred in thrilling fashion as senior Katie Danehy skied through the air with just under six minutes remaining in the match to head home a corner kick from Seoposenwe. Danehy's game-winning goal sent the Samford squad into a frenzy as the Bulldogs garnered their first lead of the match with exactly 5:59 left to play.
 
The score proved to be Danehy's fourth of the season and her first game-winning tally of the 2014 campaign.
 
With Seoposenwe's two assists Friday, Samford's dynamic sophomore native of Cape Town, South Africa, set the school record for single-season assists with 13. Seoposenwe, in just her first year as a Bulldog, has already registered 29 points, which also ranks first in the school's single-season record book.
 
Samford ended up outshooting ETSU, 14-13, and received five outstanding saves from true freshman goalkeeper Anna Maddox. The Bulldogs' 6-foot native of Warner Robins, Georgia, has started every match for Samford this season and owns a stellar 14-7 overall record.
 
In Sunday's championship match, Samford will square off against either No. 2-seed Furman or No. 3-seed Mercer. In regular-season play, the Bulldogs fell at Furman on Oct. 17, 1-0, but then defeated Mercer at home on Oct. 26 to secure the regular-season title, 1-0.

Box Score
Updated Samford Stats