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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Against one of the premier squads in the nation Sunday, the Samford University soccer team knocked off the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 2-1, in a thrilling non-conference contest held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
"This was a great result for us today," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "The ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) is perennially ranked as the top conference in the nation, so to get the result that we did, and in the fashion that we did, really says a lot about our team and our program."
 
With the victory, Samford (3-1) moved to 1-0 all-time against Wake Forest (1-1-1) and picked up its second triumph over an opponent from the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 2005, the Bulldogs traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, and topped NC State, 1-0.
 
Sunday's win wasn't a fluke for Samford. The Bulldogs outshot the Demon Deacons, 18-11, and dictated the pace of play throughout the second half of action. Seven of Samford's shot attempts proved to be on goal.
 
"Sometimes when you get a win over a big-time opponent, you typically squeak it out 1-0, but today we led them, 18-11, in shots and I thought our players gave a fantastic effort," Yelton said. "I think our nerves were there a little bit in the beginning and Wake Forest is a very good team."
 
Wake Forest jumped out to an early 1-0 advantage Sunday as Sarah Teegarden notched her first goal of the season in the seventh minute of action.
 
Teegarden's goal came from the middle of the field where she chipped a 25-yard shot over Samford goalkeeper Katie Peters' head and into the back of the net. The Demon Deacons' lone goal of the match was assisted by Bayley Feist.
 
Midway through the first half, Samford equalized the match at 1-1 as junior forward Malcanisha Kelley registered her team-leading sixth goal of the season in the 28^th minute.

 

At exactly 27:16 into the contest, Kelley collected a long forwarding pass from Taylor Borman and rifled a quick shot high over the goalkeeper's head from 15 yards out. Kelley's score proved to be her sixth in four matches this season as she sits in sole possession of seventh place in Samford's all-time goals-scored list with 21.
 
"We felt like we really earned our goals today," said Yelton. "I think we could have been a lot sharper when we gave up their goal, but I thought Mac's (Malcanisha) goal was outstanding. She's a very special player and right now we're scoring goals in bunches, but you have to give a great deal of credit to our defensive group, because they kept a very good Wake Forest team at bay in the second half."
 
Samford and Wake Forest entered halftime knotted at 1-1, but the Bulldogs outshot the Demon Deacons, 9-5, in the first 45 minutes of play.
 
In the 67^th minute, Samford's Courtney Hendrickson turned in the outstanding play of the match by powering home a goal-scoring shot from 40 yards out that proved to be the game-winner.
 
Hendrickson, the Bulldogs' talented true freshman from Kennesaw, Georgia, picked off an errant pass from a Wake Forest midfielder, didn't hesitate and drilled a perfectly-placed shot from long range and carried over the goalkeeper's head and into the back of the net.

 

"It was a great shot and I don't think anybody was more surprised than Courtney," Yelton joked. "She struck it well and she can definitely hit a ball from distance. Goal-wise, I think we also left a few out there that we should have gotten as well, but ultimately both of our goals were spectacular today and sometimes you need that against a team as talented as Wake Forest."
 
Samford's second goal of the afternoon occurred at exactly 66:02 and ended up being the game-winning score for the Bulldogs.
 
Junior forward Jermaine Seoposenwe paced Samford's offensive attack with nine shot attempts Sunday, while Kelley followed with four. Wake Forest's Lizzy Kinkler and Teegarden both finished with two.
 
The Demon Deacons' goalkeeper Lindsay Preston recorded four saves, but allowed two goals, while the Bulldogs' Peters notched three saves and only allowed one score.
 
"I thought Anna Allen was outstanding today," said Yelton. "She went for the entire 90 minutes in the midfield and never stopped battling. We put a ton of pressure and responsibility on her shoulders and she handled it brilliantly."
 
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs travel to Auburn for their first road test of the regular season against the 16^th-ranked Auburn Tigers to be held at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
 
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Box Score
Samford Stats