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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University soccer team used a pair of penalty-kick goals from senior forward Jermaine Seoposenwe on Friday to defeat the Western Carolina Catamounts, 2-1, in a pivotal Southern Conference contest held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium. The Bulldogs' victory occurred on Senior Night as Samford honored its record-breaking, seven-member senior class.
 
"This was a gritty one," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "Western Carolina's head coach Chad Miller is one of my good friends, but he certainly makes it tough on us. He beat us last season and then for about 10 minutes there in the second half, they made it very hard on us. Western Carolina is a class act and their players are certainly true competitors. We're happy with the victory, because it was definitely well-earned."
 
With the triumph, Samford (9-3-2, 5-1 SoCon) extended its winning streak to four-consecutive matches and took sole possession of first place in the league standings.
 
Also on Friday, ETSU and Chattanooga played to a 2-2 draw in Chattanooga, Tennessee. ETSU entered the weekend tied for first place with the Bulldogs. Samford will square off against ETSU on Sunday at 2 p.m. (CDT).
 
"At this point in the conference race, everybody wants to control their own destiny," Yelton said. "You don't want to have to depend on other people, so this was a big one for us here tonight. Another thing now is that we have to turn right around and face a really good team in ETSU here on Sunday."
 
Since September, Samford has compiled an 8-1-1 overall record. The Bulldogs' only losses this year have occurred at Georgia, 3-1, No. 24-ranked Auburn, 4-3, and Furman, 3-2. Since a season-opening 0-0 draw on the road at South Alabama, Samford has scored at least one goal in its last 12 matches.
 
Samford took a 1-0 lead in the first half as Seoposenwe tallied her second penalty-kick goal of the season. The penalty kick was awarded to the Bulldogs after senior Taylor Borman was blatantly pulled down in the box.
 
On the attempt, Seoposenwe rifled her right-footed shot into the bottom left corner of the net in the 41^st minute of action.
 
Samford took its 1-0 lead into the half without allowing an attempted shot by Western Carolina (6-9, 3-3 SoCon) in first 45 minutes of play. At the intermission, the Bulldogs led 7-0 in shots, 5-0 in corner kicks and 3-0 in shots on goal.
 
Seoposenwe initiated her second penalty-kick attempt of the match, this time in the 18^th minute of the final stanza.
 
The play occurred as Seoposenwe gathered a pass at midfield and split a pair of Catamount defenders en route to the far corner of the field. As she reached the left portion of the box, Seoposenwe cut sharply to her right and was tripped up by a Western Carolina defender. Referee Brandon Cohen was in the correct position to make the call and Samford was awarded its second penalty kick.
 
Seoposenwe connected on the second attempt as she fired a shot high into the top left corner of the net.
 
"I don't think I've ever had a player score two penalty kicks in the same match," said Yelton. "I almost didn't let Jermaine take the second one to be honest with you, but she really wanted it and I'm a Liverpool supporter and they had a guy make two in the same game the other day, so I guess it worked out."
 
With Seoposenwe's pair of goals Friday, she remained in ninth place on Samford's all-time goals-scored listing with 22 in her three-year career. She is just one goal shy of moving into a tie for fourth place on the list.
 
Malcanisha Kelley, the Bulldogs' talented senior forward from Childersburg, holds the record in goals scored with 32.
 
Kelley also owns the single-season record in goals scored with 13, but Seoposenwe now boasts 12 this year and sits in second place on the list.
 
"Jermaine is playing with a ton of confidence," said Yelton. "If you're around her, you'll certainly know that and she's a true competitor. Because of that, she's not scared of tough situations and has really thrived in the penalty-kick situations this season."
 

Samford honored its 2016 senior class comprised of Kelley, Seoposenwe, Borman, Sara Smeltzer, Anna Allen, Olivia Cole and Emily Jones prior to Friday's match. The Bulldogs' seniors have already compiled a remarkable 51-22-5 overall record, a 25-6-2 mark in SoCon play, as well as high-profile victories against Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Baylor, Wake Forest, Memphis and Auburn (twice).
 
The talented, seven-member senior class has also helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back SoCon regular-season championships and is currently in first place in the conference standings again this year. Additionally, the Bulldogs are ranked in the top 15 nationally this season in shutout percentage, assists per game, points per game and total assists.
 
"I love all of them and will definitely miss them," said Yelton about his seniors. "They are all wonderful human beings and they are going to represent our university and our program in such a fantastic manner once they leave here. We're certainly going to miss them, but we want this season to last as long as it possibly can, so we're going to try to keep winning games."
 
Additionally on Friday, Samford raised over $13,000 for Shauna's House, an endearing charity honoring Yelton's late wife, Shauna, who lost her battle with cancer last year.
 
For three years, Shauna fought against cervical cancer until she passed away almost a year ago in November 2015. She was just 45 and left behind a husband and two teenage children, daughter MacKenzie and son Colin, as well as a lasting impact with her Christian faith and servant's heart.
 

Friends and family honored Shauna on Friday through one of her favorite causes, the orphans of Ukraine, a country where an estimated 70 and 80 percent of young adults suffer through issues with crime, prostitution, suicide or drug overdose when they age out of orphanages. Funds are being raised for Shauna's House in Ukraine, a transition home for young girls.
 
"I think Shauna would have been like me and just blown away by all of the love shown tonight," Yelton said. "When I started this, I would have been happy to raise just $3,000, but to raise over $10,000 past that is amazing and I'm so thankful that we're so close to making this a reality."
 
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 2 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs remain at home to challenge the ETSU Buccaneers in a huge SoCon showdown to be held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
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