Box Score
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University soccer team opened its 2015 campaign in impressive fashion Friday as the Bulldogs breezed to a 2-0 home victory against the Boise State Broncos in a highly anticipated contest held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
"I thought we played very well tonight," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "I'm especially happy that we were able to keep a clean sheet and that we battled throughout the match. I think Boise is a very well-coached team. They were hard to break down and they really stretch you out. It was a challenging first match for sure."
 
With the win, Samford (1-0) improved to 1-0 all-time against Mountain West Conference opponents and 1-0 versus Boise State (0-1). The Bulldogs will next be in action Sunday at 6 p.m., as they play host to South Alabama.
 
On Friday, both of Samford's goals were set up by junior forward Jermaine Seoposenwe. After a scoreless first half in front of a raucous home crowd of 1,189 blue-clad fans, the Bulldogs struck quickly in the second period as Seoposenwe sent a pretty forwarding pass ahead through three Boise State defenders and directly to Malcanisha Kelley's feet.
 
Kelley, Samford's speedy junior from Childersburg, then faced a one-on-one with the Broncos' goalkeeper, Janelle Flores, and beat her to the right side for the game-winning goal.
 
"The fan support was great tonight," Yelton said. "It was a fantastic crowd and a fantastic environment and then for the students to stick around after the lightning delay really showed that this place is a special place."
 
The Bulldogs' decisive score was tallied in the 47^th minute of action at exactly 1:23 into the second half.
 
Just minutes later, lightning was detected in the area and the match was paused for a 30-minute safety delay.
 
Following the break, Samford stormed ahead offensively and notched its second goal of the contest in the 74^th minute of action as Seoposenwe fed true freshman Ella Baggett for her first collegiate score.
 
Baggett collected the pass in the middle of the field near the top of the box and quickly juked past Flores to the left. She then faced an open net and easily fired home the goal to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
 
"Jermaine played two lovely balls tonight and Mac was able to finish one, while Ella was able to get on the sheet for her first ever goal as a freshman and that was fantastic," Yelton said. "When Jermaine and T (Taylor Borman), and Mac get rolling up there, it's a really special group. I didn't think they got off to a great start, but coming out of the half, I thought they were clicking on all cylinders."
 
With Seoposenwe's two assists Friday, she moved into a tie for eighth place on Samford's all-time assists list with 15.
 
The Bulldogs' defense played outstanding against Boise State and only allowed a total of eight shots, with zero coming on goal. Samford goalkeeper Katie Peters registered the shutout victory and made a number of quality plays, but wasn't forced to make a save.
 
"We have a couple of new faces in our defensive rotation this year, but I thought Alissa Hansen was great," Yelton said. "The transformation that she's made from last year to this year has been phenomenal and I thought she had an amazing match for us. Olivia (Cole) was so composed and she's also just a great player for us. Virginia (McNeill) also battled hard for us and you know she's always going to give 100 percent."
 
Samford outshot the Broncos, 13-8, and outnumbered Boise State in corner kicks, 6-2.
 
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs welcome the South Alabama Jaguars to the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium for a key in-state matchup between reigning conference champions.
 
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Box Score
Samford Stats