Box Score Box Score
Samford Stats

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The Samford University soccer team's four-match winning streak against Southeastern Conference opponents came to an end Sunday as the Bulldogs dropped a hard-fought 2-0 decision on the road versus the 14^th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks.
 
"South Carolina is a very good team and I thought we played them pretty tough," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "They are honestly the best team that we've faced since we played at Florida State in the NCAA Tournament a few years ago, and we stood toe-to-toe with them in the first half. I was extremely pleased with how we competed in the first half, but then I thought we started to run out of gas there in the second."
 
Heading into Sunday's regionally-televised showdown, Samford (0-2) held a four-game winning streak against SEC opponents. Dating back to a 3-1 victory over Kentucky on Sept. 9, 2012, the Bulldogs also registered consecutive home wins against Tennessee, 1-0, Auburn, 1-0, and Vanderbilt, 3-2, last season.
 
South Carolina (2-0) rattled off 19 shot attempts Sunday, but Samford's true freshman goalkeeper Anna Maddox registered a career-high 10 saves. The Bulldogs' talented 6-foot native of Warner Robins, Ga., made a number of phenomenal stops against the nationally-ranked Gamecocks as the teams entered halftime knotted at 0-0.
 
"I thought that Anna, Olivia (Cole) and Katie (Danehy) were all outstanding today," Yelton said. "This was a very difficult situation for us. We played a very hard match against Cincinnati on Friday night and then we traveled all day yesterday, so I was really proud of how hard they battled out there. Ultimately, South Carolina was able to wear us down and get a couple goals there at the end."
 
In the 57^th minute, South Carolina's Raina Johnson tallied the game-winning goal of the match as she scored her first goal of the season. On the play, Andie Romness fed a service deep into the box that Johnson was able to control approximately 10 yards out. After cleanly gathering the pass, she was finally able to sneak a shot past Maddox.
 
Despite being down a goal, Samford's offensive attack never relented and battled hard to equalize the match. The Bulldogs' Taylor Borman rattled off a shot from 20 yards away, but it drifted off to the right midway through the second half.
 
"These are the kinds of matches that will help us get better," said Yelton. "Both South Carolina and Cincinnati are very good NCAA Tournament-type teams and this tough competition is what's going to go a long way during the conference season. All we need to do is to continue to get better each and every day."
 
Late in Sunday's contest, South Carolina's Paige Bendall tacked on a goal in the 76^th minute of action. On the score, she collected a rebounded shot and was able to find the back of the net. The Gamecocks' Stevi Parker and Lauren Jankowski were both awarded assists on the play.
 
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs travel to Jacksonville, Ala., for an in-state matchup with the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
 
For quick score updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @Samford_Sports on Twitter.

Box Score
Samford Stats