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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University soccer team will attempt to extend its home winning streak to five-consecutive matches Sunday at 2 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs welcome The Citadel Bulldogs to the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium for a key early-season league matchup.
 
Samford (6-3-2, 2-1 SoCon) enters the contest with a full head of steam after shutting out Mercer at home Friday, 2-0. With the victory, the Bulldogs improved to 5-1 this season and extended their home winning streak to four straight. Since dropping a 4-3 loss to No. 24-ranked Auburn on Aug. 28, Samford has rattled off consecutive home wins against Baylor, Alabama, Kennesaw State and Mercer.
 
At home this season, Samford is outscoring its opponents by a total of 12-5.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - - BULLDOGS BLANK MERCER AT HOME, 2-0
On Friday, Samford earned a demonstrative 2-0 shutout victory over the Mercer Bears in a pivotal SoCon showdown held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
With their victory, the Bulldogs avenged a setback against Mercer from the 2015 SoCon Tournament. Last year, in the semifinal round of the postseason tournament, the teams played to a 1-1 draw, but the Bears advanced to the championship match with a 4-3 triumph in penalty kicks.
 
Samford outshot Mercer, 18-4, on Friday and rarely allowed the Bears into their scoring third. The Bulldogs lit up the scoreboard first with a goal from Jermaine Seoposenwe in the 19^th minute. On the goal, Seoposenwe gathered an errant Mercer pass at midfield and quickly raced down the left sideline, leaving a trio of Bear defenders in her wake.
 
Once at the corner of the box, Seoposenwe darted to her right and split another pair of Mercer players. She then found herself one-v-one with goalkeeper Cristina Mursuli and chipped the shot over her head and into the right corner of the net for the score.
 
In the second half, the Bulldogs maintained their offensive pressure and senior Sara Smeltzer gave her squad a decisive 2-0 lead with her first goal of the season in the 59^th minute. Smeltzer earned 47 minutes of playing time Friday and notched the 10^th goal of her career. Seoposenwe set up Samford's second goal of the match with a pretty through-pass ahead to Smeltzer.
 

Samford goalkeeper Anna Maddox played all 90 minutes in goal and finished with three saves. The Bulldogs' 6-foot junior from Warner Robins, Georgia, owns a perfect 5-0 record this season and a miniscule 0.56 goals-against average. Maddox boasts a 26-9 record in goal at Samford.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Citadel (3-7, 0-3 SoCon) heads into Sunday's matchup with aspirations of snapping a seven-game losing streak. Since opening the season with identical 2-0 wins against UNC Asheville, Alabama A&M and LIU Brooklyn, The Citadel has suffered consecutive losses to Charleston Southern, 4-0, College of Charleston, 1-0, Vermont, 1-0, Jacksonville State, 2-1, ETSU, 4-1, Western Carolina, 3-0, and Chattanooga, 1-0.
 
The Citadel's loss at Chattanooga on Friday marked the Bulldogs' fifth scoreless match this season. Heading into Sunday, The Citadel has been outscored by its opponents, 16-8, including 8-1 in SoCon play.
 
The Bulldogs' leading goal-scorers this season are Samara Nche, Katherine Arroyo and Mady Reigel, who have all found the back of the next twice in 2016. Additionally, Sam Waarum is pacing the squad with a pair of assists this year.
 
The Citadel's starting goalkeeper this season has been Logan Leask. The Bulldogs' freshman native of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, owns a 3-5 record in goal with a 1.36 goals-against average. Leask has already tallied 45 saves this season, while allowing 11 goals in nine matches.
 
THE CITADEL'S LAST TIME OUT - - BULLDOGS FALL AT CHATTANOOGA, 1-0
Chattanooga scored the lone goal of the contest in the 26th minute and The Citadel, despite tallying nine shots, was unable to mount a comeback in the SoCon matchup held in Chattanooga on Friday.
 
Nche and Emilie Valenciano finished with three shots each in the game while Nche tallied three shots on goal. Tori Zeltner, Riegel and Caroline Cashion tallied one shot a piece.
 
Leask made her eighth start in goal this season, tallying three saves in 90 minutes of play. Eight Bulldogs played the entirety of the match.
 
SAMFORD vs. THE CITADEL - - THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Samford owns an 8-1-1 all-time record against The Citadel and is in the midst of a three-match winning streak in the series. Since being shocked at home versus The Citadel in 2013, 3-2, Samford has outscored the Cadets, 14-1, including back-to-back shutout triumphs of 6-0 and 5-0 in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Samford holds a 3-1-1 record against The Citadel when playing at home.
 
DATE                          RESULT                                                       LOCATION
Oct. 19, 2008              Samford def. The Citadel, 4-0                      Birmingham, Ala.
Sept. 25, 2009             Samford def. The Citadel, 1-0                      Charleston, S.C.
Oct. 3, 2010                 Samford def. The Citadel, 7-0                      Charleston, S.C.
Nov. 5, 2010               Samford def. The Citadel, 4-3                      Cullowhee, N.C.
Oct. 2, 2011                 Samford tied The Citadel, 0-0                        Birmingham, Ala.
Oct. 12, 2012              Samford def. The Citadel, 2-0                      Charleston, S.C.
Oct. 18, 2013              The Citadel def. Samford, 3-2                       Birmingham, Ala.
Oct. 24, 2014              Samford def. The Citadel, 3-1                      Birmingham, Ala.
Nov. 1, 2014               Samford def. The Citadel, 6-0                      Birmingham, Ala.
Oct. 2, 2015                 Samford def. The Citadel, 5-0                      Charleston, S.C.
 
LAST SEASON'S MEETING BETWEEN THE TEAMS
Samford breezed to a 5-0 SoCon road victory against The Citadel Bulldogs in an early-league contest held at Summerall Field. Five different players scored goals for Samford as the Bulldogs equaled their highest score total of the season. Also in 2015, Samford scored five goals in wins against Memphis, 5-1, and Kennesaw State, 5-2.
 

Malcanisha Kelley opened the scoring with the game-winning goal in the 14^th minute, while Taylor Borman, Kinsey Sessions, Hallie Georgi and Virginia McNeill also added scores.
 
Samford outshot The Citadel 14-7 in the opening period of play and ended the contest with a 25-12 advantage in the category. The Bulldogs also topped the Cadets in shots on goal by a 17-6 clip.
 
Samford's Katie Peters earned the complete-game shutout in goal for the Bulldogs and improved her goals-against average to 0.94 in 2015. She registered six key saves in the victory.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Sunday's home matchup against The Citadel, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs travel to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for a Southern Rail Rivalry contest against the Chattanooga Mocs to be held at Finley Stadium.
 
For quick score updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @SamfordSoccer and @Samford_Sports on Twitter.

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