Box Score Box Score
Updated Samford StatsJACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- The Samford University soccer team picked up its first victory of the young 2014 season Friday as the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and then hung on for a 3-2 road triumph in a key intrastate contest held at the JSU Soccer Field.
Samford (1-2), which perennially competes against some of the toughest competition in the nation, opened its 2014 campaign with hard-fought losses to Cincinnati and No. 14-ranked South Carolina.
At
Jacksonville State (1-2) on Friday, the Bulldogs quickly jumped out to a 3-0 first-half lead, but slipped into a lull midway through the second period as the Gamecocks added two goals in 11 minutes to trim Samford's late advantage to 3-2.
Down the stretch, Jacksonville State kept applying the offensive pressure and finished the match with a game-high 16 shot attempts. The Bulldogs' goalkeeper
Anna Maddox concluded the contest with five huge saves as Samford's true freshman played a critical role in the victory.
Maddox faced 16 shot attempts from the Gamecocks on Friday and turned in a valiant effort en route to her first collegiate win.
In the 26
th minute, Samford jumped out to a 1-0 lead as sophomore
Emily Jones scored her first career goal as a Bulldog. A transfer from the University of Tampa this season, Jones has added an offensive spark for the team and gave Samford its early advantage with an unassisted goal at exactly 25:43.
Jones' score occurred on a blazing shot from 20 yards out that deflected off Jacksonville State goalkeeper Meara Johnson's hands and into the back of the net.
Less than seven minutes later, the Bulldogs extended their lead to 2-0 with a goal from sophomore
Heather Lacy. The score was Lacy's first at Samford since she transferred to the Valley from Ole Miss this summer.
Lacy's goal was set up by sophomore
Taylor Borman who sent a direct kick perfectly in the box. On the play, Lacy skied past a pair of Gamecock defenders and headed the ball neatly into the back of the net. Borman's assist was her first of the 2014 campaign.
All three of Samford's goals Friday were scored by sophomore transfers.
The Bulldogs' third, and ultimately its most important goal, was added by South African standout
Jermaine Seoposenwe. In the 35
th minute of action, Seoposenwe tallied the decisive goal to give Samford a lopsided 3-0 advantage in the match, but her goal would eventually prove to be the game-winner as Jacksonville State tacked on two late second-half scores.
Seoposenwe's shot occurred directly from the top of the box as she rifled home a crossing pass from senior forward
Amanda Abbott past the Gamecocks' diving goalkeeper Johnson. The score was her first of the 2014 campaign.
Despite falling behind 3-0 in the first half, Jacksonville State never relinquished its fight and battled back to trim Samford's lead to 3-2 behind scores from Courtney Hurt and Kelsey Bright in the 65
th and 76
th minutes, respectively.
With the Bulldogs' win Friday, Samford improved to 10-5-1 against Jacksonville State. The Bulldogs have also been victorious in seven of their last eight meetings with the Gamecocks.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 5 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs conclude their arduous three-match road swing in Atlanta, Ga., for a non-conference matchup against the Georgia State Panthers to be held at the GSU Soccer Complex.
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
Updated Samford Stats
