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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University soccer team will begin play in its 2014 Southern Conference schedule Sunday at 1 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., for a key league matchup against the Chattanooga Mocs to be held at Finlay Stadium.
 
Samford (5-5) heads into its conference opener with aspirations of bouncing back from a 4-2 setback against Kennesaw State on Sunday. In the defeat, the Bulldogs opened the scoring with a penalty kick goal from sophomore Jermaine Seoposenwe in the 18^th minute of play.
 
Seoposenwe's goal was setup when she was dragged down in the box by a Kennesaw State defender. The score proved to be her third of the 2014 campaign and gave the Bulldogs an early 1-0 advantage.
 
Kennesaw State outshot Samford, 17-8, and progressively amped up its offensive attack throughout the opening half. The Owls rattled off nine shot attempts in the first 45 minutes of action and deposited a pair of goals in a five-minute span from 35:15 to 40:10.
 
Brittney Reed evened the score at 1-1 with a goal in the 36^th minute of play, while Marit Sandtroeen gave Kennesaw State a 2-1 advantage with her second goal of the season in the 41^st minute.
 
With less than three minutes remaining in the opening stanza, Samford's Sara Smeltzer equalized the match at 2-2 with a goal set up brilliantly by both Anna Allen and Malcanisha Kelley.
 
On the scoring play, Allen found Kelley neatly on the right sideline as she was darting towards midfield. Kelley quickly took two touches on the ball and then sent a pinpoint-precise crossing pass up ahead to Smeltzer. Smeltzer, who was completing her fun directly down the middle of the field, ran onto the pass exactly five yards in front of the goal and slammed home the score.
 
Smeltzer's goal was her first of the 2014 season and tied the match at 2-2 heading into halftime.
 
Against Kennesaw State in the second half, Samford stepped up defensively and held the Owls scoreless for a majority of the period. Then, in the 81^st minute of action, Kennesaw State's Maggie Gaughan tallied the game-winning goal off a crossing pass from Ashtah Das. The goal was Gaughan's first of two on the night and her fourth of the season.
 
Gaughan also gave the Owls their decisive 4-2 score with 25 seconds remaining when she rifled home an empty-netter from the midfield line.
 
Chattanooga (1-7-1) enters Sunday's match with a bit of positive momentum after playing to a 3-3 draw versus Alabama A&M on Wednesday. With their midweek tie, the Mocs snapped a five-match losing streak in which they were outscored by a total of 24-3. Chattanooga's five-game losing skid included defeats against Gardner-Webb, 7-2, Lipscomb, 2-0, Tennessee Tech, 2-1, Vanderbilt, 6-0, and UAB, 7-0.
 
The Mocs' have also posted a lopsided victory this season as they topped Tennessee-Temple on Aug. 29, 7-0. Despite its dominant win against Tennessee-Temple, Chattanooga has been outscored by its opposition, 34-16, this season.
 
Samford owns a 7-1 advantage in its all-time series against Chattanooga. The Bulldogs are in the midst of a six-match winning streak over the Mocs, dating back to Sept. 21, 1999. Since then, Samford has outscored Chattanooga, 22-5, in the last six meetings.
 
Last season, the Bulldogs improved to 4-0 against Chattanooga when playing in Birmingham, Ala., as they posted a definitive 7-1 triumph over the Mocs.
 
In last year's victory, Samford received two goals apiece from Kelley and Trine Taule, while senior Michelle Moll kicked off the scoring with her lone score of the night in the ninth minute. The Bulldogs also received goals from Smeltzer and Olivia Cole. Their scores were each the first of their young collegiate careers.
 
Also in the win, Samford registered seven goals in a match for the first time since Oct. 3, 2010, when the Bulldogs defeated The Citadel, 7-0.
 
Samford's Melissa Montgomery earned last season's start in goal and played a majority of the contest. She tallied the win for the Bulldogs and moved to 5-2-2 in 2013. Dale Steinagle came in at the end of the second half and logged just under 10 minutes of playing time, while registering a pair of key saves.
 
Following Sunday's critical SoCon opener at Chattanooga, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs welcome new league member ETSU to the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium for a momentous conference showdown.
 
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