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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University soccer team will compete in its final home match of the 2016 regular season Sunday at 2 p.m. (CDT) as the first-place Bulldogs play host to the third-place ETSU Buccaneers in a monumental Southern Conference showdown to be held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium. Sunday's winner will hold sole possession of first place in the SoCon standings.
 
Samford (9-3-2, 5-1 SoCon) enters the contest with a full head of steam after earning a 2-1 home victory against Western Carolina on Friday. With the triumph, the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to four-consecutive matches and improved to 6-1 at home this season.
 
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.
 

THE LAST TIME OUT - - SEOPOSENWE'S PKs PROPEL 'DOGS PAST WESTERN CAROLINA
Samford used a pair of penalty-kick goals from senior forward Jermaine Seoposenwe on Friday to defeat the Western Carolina Catamounts in a pivotal SoCon 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.
 
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.
 
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.
 

MOVING UP THE CHARTS
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 advanced to second place on the list.
 
SAMFORD'S STELLAR SENIORS
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.
 
BULLDOGS RAISE OVER $13,000 FOR SHAUNA'S HOUSE
Additionally on Friday, Samford raised over $13,000 for Shauna's House, an endearing charity honoring Head Coach Todd 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 been blown away by all of the love shown tonight," said Yelton following the match. "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."
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
ETSU (9-4-2, 4-1-1 SoCon) heads into Sunday's game riding the positive momentum of a four-match undefeated streak. Since coming up short at Mercer on Sept. 25, 3-2, the Buccaneers have rattled off three-consecutive victories against Western Carolina, 3-2, UNCG, 1-0, and VMI, 3-0, and then played to a 2-2 road draw at Chattanooga on Friday.
 
Against the Mocs, ETSU rallied in the second half, scoring two goals to earn a 2-2 draw versus Chattanooga. The Bucs outshot the Mocs, 15-12, including 5-0 in the two overtimes.
 
With a goal in the 58th minute, sophomore Eleonora Goldoni has now recorded a goal in seven straight games and eight straight SoCon games. Freshman Georgia Allen netted the equalizer for her second goal of the year in the 66th minute.
 
ETSU owns a perfect 6-0 record at home this season, but is 3-4-2 when playing on the road. The Bucs lone SoCon loss of the year occurred at Mercer on Sept. 25.
 
SAMFORD vs. ETSU - - THE ALL-TIME SERIES
The Bulldogs will square off against the Bucs for only the fifth time in school history Sunday. The all-time series between the teams started in 2002 as Samford posted a 1-0 win at home. In 2014, ETSU rejoined the SoCon and ended a 12-year hiatus in the series by defeating the Bulldogs in Birmingham, 3-1. Since then, Samford has tallied back-to-back victories in 2014 and 2015 to garner a 3-1 lead in the series.
 
DATE                           RESULT                                               LOCATION
Sept. 16, 2002            Samford def. ETSU, 1-0 (OT)             Birmingham, Ala.
Oct. 3, 2014                 ETSU def. Samford, 3-1                     Birmingham, Ala.
Nov. 7, 2014               Samford def. ETSU, 2-1                     Cullowhee, N.C.
Oct. 23, 2015              Samford def. ETSU, 1-0                     Birmingham, Ala.
--- Samford leads the all-time series 3-1; 2-1 when playing in Birmingham.
 
LAST YEAR'S MEETING - - KELLEY'S GAME-WINNER CLINCHES SOCON CHAMPIONSHIP
With only 3:30 remaining in last season's SoCon showdown at ETSU, Samford's Kelley provided the heroics for the Bulldogs as she headed home a crossing pass from Borman to earn the thrilling 1-0 road victory held at Summers-Taylor Stadium. Kelley's goal clinched Samford's second straight SoCon regular-season championship.
 

Additionally, Samford set the school's record for longest shutout streak by extending its mark to 763-consecutive minutes without allowing a goal. The Bulldogs snapped the school's previous record of 730 minutes, which was set in 2009 when current Assistant Coach Alyssa Whitehead was starring in goal.
 
Anna Maddox, the Bulldogs' talented 6-foot native of Warner Robins, Georgia, played all 90 minutes in the shutout win over ETSU and registered three big-time saves in the triumph. With the victory, Maddox improved to 7-1 on the season and notched her fourth shutout.
 
After nearly 87 minutes of a high-action, well-played, back-and-forth contest between two of the SoCon's best teams, Samford's Kelley quieted the home crowd of 350 fans with her decisive goal at 86:30. The score lifted the Bulldogs to victory and will go down in Samford lore as one of the biggest goals in school history.
 
Borman initiated the game-winning goal by sending a perfectly-placed crossing pass on the right side to Kelley. The Bulldogs' high-flying junior forward from Childersburg, Alabama, then skied over ETSU's goalkeeper Jasmine Elliott to head home the winner.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Sunday's battle for first place with ETSU, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs begin a regular-season ending, two-match road trip against the UNCG Spartans to be held at the UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina.
 
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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