Live Video ($6.95)  |  GameTracker  |  Tickets

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Samford University soccer team will take to the road for its second away contest of the 2016 regular season Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs challenge the Rice Owls in a non-conference contest to be held at Holloway Field.
 
Samford (1-2-1) heads into Friday's showdown looking to bounce back from a pair of losses to Southeastern Conference opponents last week. After earning a solid 2-0 home victory against Troy on Aug. 21, the Bulldogs dropped back-to-back decisions to Georgia, 3-1, on Friday and versus No. 24-ranked Auburn, 4-3, on Sunday.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - - SAMFORD HOSTS NO. 24 AUBURN
Samford registered its best scoring performance of the 2016 campaign Sunday, but the No. 24-ranked Auburn Tigers were able to find the back of the net one more time as the Bulldogs dropped an exciting 4-3 home decision held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 

Samford scored first-half goals from seniors Taylor Borman and Jermaine Seoposenwe, but found itself trailing Auburn, 3-2, at the intermission. The Tigers' first-half strikes were tallied by Kristen Dodson, Ellie Leek and Casie Ramsier. All three goals were their first of the season.
 
Sunday's intermission proved to be a bit longer than the usual 15 minutes allotted for each match. With constant lightning strikes and intermittent rain in the area, halftime last two hours and 15 minutes.
 
Early in the second half, Auburn's Dodson scored to give the Tigers a 4-2 advantage in the match. Not to be deterred, less than a minute later, Samford answered with a goal of its own as the Bulldogs' Kelley notched her school-record 30^th score of her career.
 
The goal occurred at exactly 52:37 in the match and was slammed home by Kelley after Borman sent a high, deep ball into the goalkeeper's box.
 
Auburn's goalkeeper Sarah Le Beau mistimed her jump on the play and Kelley was able to take advantage as the ball dribbled in front of net.
 
With Samford in striking distance at 4-3, the Bulldogs' offensive attack kept rattling off shot after shot at the Tigers' net, but Auburn's grisly defenders were able to hold tight and keep the advantage.
 
Samford led the Tigers in shots, 18-16, while shots on goal were knotted at 9-9. The Bulldogs' Kelley and Borman paced the offensive attack with five and three shot attempts, respectively, while Auburn's Leek led the way for her squad with four.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Rice (1-1) enters Friday's contest with a bit of positive momentum after topping Houston Baptist on Friday, 2-1, at home at Holloway Field. In the Owls' victory, junior Mary Claire Danilevics scored her first career goal in the 86th minute to help lift Rice to its win over crosstown foe Houston Baptist in its 2016 home opener.
 
With the match deadlocked 1-1 and the game winding down in its final minutes, the 5-foot-11 Danilevics headed in a corner kick from senior Jenny Fichera to put the Owls in front. It was Rice's first goal off a set piece this season and, better late than never, was on the team's 11th and final corner of the night after holding possession and controlling the tempo on the Huskies for most of the contest.
 
Danilevics, a defender by trade but who can also use her height as an offensive option, became the 18th player in school history to have her first career goal also be the Owls' game-winning goal.
 
The Owls proceeded to have four solid shots with good looks at the goal before Danilevics broke the tie. Rice true freshman goalkeeper Samantha Colley made her collegiate debut midway through the second half and finished the night with a pair of key saves, including a diving stop on the ball with just 11 seconds left.
 
On Aug. 21, Rice opened its season with a tough road match at No. 8-ranked Texas A&M. The Owls opened the game with an early goal to take a 1-0 advantage over the Aggies, but homestanding Texas A&M responded with four unanswered scores to tally a 4-1 triumph.
 
SAMFORD vs. RICE - - THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Friday's match will mark the first all-time meeting between Samford and Rice on the pitch. Rice is a member of Conference USA and the Bulldogs own a 10-9 all-time record against members of the conference, but a 10-13-1 mark against teams currently in the league.
 
Here is a breakdown of Samford's record against current C-USA squads:  Florida Atlantic (1-4), Florida International (1-0), Marshall (1-0), Middle Tennessee (0-3-1), Southern Miss (2-3), UAB (3-2), UTSA (1-0) and Western Kentucky (1-1).
 
RICE PICKED SECOND IN C-USA PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Led by senior Jasmine Isokpunwu as a Preseason Co-Defensive C-USA Player of the Year, and with a league-high three preseason selections overall, Rice was picked second in the 2016 C-USA head coaches poll on Aug. 2. Owls Fichera and Samantha Chaiken joined Isokpunwu on the 2016 preseason all-conference team.
 
It is the third time in the last four years for Rice to be picked as high as second by the annual poll. Defending regular season and tournament champion North Texas was picked first in the poll, while Florida Atlantic was third and Marshall fourth. The Owls had the most individual preseason honorees (3) among the C-USA schools.
 

SAMFORD SOCCER PREDICTED TO WIN THIRD STRAIGHT SOCON CHAMPIONSHIP
Two-time defending SoCon regular-season champion Samford was picked to win the league again in 2016, it was announced Aug. 11, in preseason voting by the SoCon's 10 head coaches. The coaches also selected an 11-member preseason all-conference team and the Bulldogs' Borman, Olivia Cole, Kelley, Katie Peters and Jermaine Seoposenwe highlighted the list.
 
Samford collected eight first-place votes and 80 points to easily outdistance 2016 runner-up Furman, which picked up 68 points and one first-place vote. UNCG was third in the poll with 61 points and collected the remaining first-place vote. Mercer (58 points), ETSU (56), Western Carolina (42), Wofford (31), Chattanooga (25), VMI (17) and The Citadel (12) rounded out the poll, which mirrored the final standings from 2015.
 
Under the direction of three-time SoCon Coach of the Year Todd Yelton – who has won the award in each of the last two seasons – Samford went 14-5-1 in 2015, turning in an 8-1-0 league record. The Bulldogs return nine starters from that squad, including senior forward Kelley, who was second in the SoCon with 13 goals and 31 points and became Samford's career goal-scoring leader (28) last year.
 
Kelley is joined on the preseason all-conference team by fellow Samford forward Seoposenwe, who started for South Africa at the Rio Olympics, defender Cole, the 2015 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, midfielder Borman and goalkeeper Peters.
 

BULLDOGS' BORMAN NAMED SOCON PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Samford's Borman was named the SoCon Player of the Week on Tuesday, after she scored a goal and added a pair of assists in matches against Georgia and No. 24-ranked Auburn last week.
 
Borman proved to be the second straight Bulldog to secure the league's top weekly honor. Last week, junior goalkeeper Katie Peters received the initial accolade of the season.
 
A senior native of Georgetown, Kentucky, Borman assisted on Samford's lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Georgia on Friday, helping stake Samford to an early 1-0 lead.
 
Against No. 24 Auburn on Sunday, Borman notched a goal and added an assist as the Bulldogs flirted with knocking off their ranked in-state opponent before ultimately falling 4-3.
 
Borman upped her career totals to 10 goals, 21 assists and 41 career points. She's ranked second among active SoCon players in career assists and fifth in points.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Friday's marquee road test at Rice, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs play host to the Baylor Bears in a high-profile matchup slated to be held in Birmingham, Ala., at the Samford Track and Soccer 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.

Live Video ($6.95)  |  GameTracker  |  Tickets