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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- After allowing an early first-half goal Friday, the Samford University soccer team responded in strong fashion with three unanswered scores of its own to post a demonstrative 3-1 home victory against the Kennesaw State Owls in a non-conference showdown held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
"This was a really big win for us tonight," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "Our pre-conference schedule was definitely as tough as any other team's in the country. If you look at the opponents that we've played in the 'Power Five', as well as the others that typically win their league, this was by far one of the toughest schedules that we've ever played up to this point. At 4-2-2, we're certainly happy with that, but there are definitely a couple of games that we would have loved to have a do-over in."
 
With Friday's victory, Samford (4-2-2) extended its winning streak to three-consecutive matches and improved to 6-2 all-time against Kennesaw State (4-4-1). The Bulldogs closed out their pre-conference schedule this season with wins over Baylor, 1-0, Alabama, 1-0, and the Owls, 3-1.
 
Kennesaw State struck first Friday with an early goal from senior midfielder Cassidy Kemp. The score proved to be Kemp's fourth of the season and was assisted by both Kim Fincher and Shannon Driscoll.
 
The goal gave the Owls an early 1-0 lead in the 16^th minute of play and marked Samford goalkeeper Anna Maddox's first score allowed this season. Maddox boasts a perfect 3-0 record this season and currently owns a miniscule 0.32 goals-allowed average. Maddox, the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week, tallied four key saves Friday.
 
"(Head Coach) Benji (Walton) has already done an outstanding job with that Kennesaw State team in his first year," Yelton said. "They also have a lot of impressive athletes and they really caused us some problems with their directness. I don't think we played focused at the beginning of the match and that's why they went up 1-0. We made a few adjustments at the half, but mostly we just changed out mentality a little bit."
 
Samford's scoring barrage started in the 24^th minute of the first half when junior forward Abriella Argueta punched home her first goal of the season. The Bulldogs' initial scoring play occurred as Ella Baggett sent a deep forwarding pass into the box, senior forward Malcanisha Kelley barely got a toe on the ball as it was deflected to the right corner of the goalkeeper's box where Argueta slammed it home.
 
Argueta's goal equalized the match at 1-1 and the momentum quickly shifted back to the Samford squad.
 
Arguably the biggest score of the game occurred less than a minute before halftime as sophomore midfielder Courtney Hendrickson fired a one-timed laser perfectly into the top right corner of the goal, leaving Kennesaw State's goalkeeper Ashley Zambetti and two defenders completely helpless.
 
Hendrickson's game-winner proved to be her first of the season and gave the Bulldogs an insurmountable 2-1 lead.
 
"Courtney's goal should be nominated for Goal of the Year," Yelton said. "It was outstanding. The ball she hit was a Premiership-level goal. It was pretty fantastic and I've actually seen it again on film, and I don't think you can hit one better than that, for sure."
 
Midway through the second half, Samford notched its third goal of the match when Taylor Borman caromed home her third score of the 2016 campaign. On the play, Hendrickson and Kaitlyn Orman were both credited with assists as they passed their way through the midfield and sent the ball ahead to Borman.
 
Borman, one of the quickest players in the Southeast, gathered the pass, faked a turn to her left and then slid right to evade an Owl defender. Once she found herself in open space, Borman rattled a brilliant shot off the bottom of the crossbar and into the back of the net. The goal proved to be the 12^th of her career.
 
"I thought that two of our three goals tonight were fantastic," said Yelton. "I felt like we had more of the ball than they did there in the second half and that really proved to be key in this victory."
 
Kennesaw State outshot Samford in the first half, 8-5, but the Bulldogs responded to outnumber the Owls in second-half shot attempts, 11-3. Samford also won the corner kick battle, 10-6.
 
Zambetti, Kennesaw State's junior goalkeeper, finished with five saves Friday, but moved to 2-3 on the season.
 
The Owls' Driscoll paced her squad with three shots, while the Bulldogs were led offensively by both Kelley and Miyah Watford with a trio of attempts apiece.
 
"I thought that Taylor Meneide came on tonight and really gave us a boost when we needed it," Yelton said. "For a while there, we were struggling in the back, but once she entered, I felt like we became a little more patient in our defending. We were also more certain in our defending, because you have to be against a team as athletic as Kennesaw State."
 
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs begin play in their 2016 SoCon schedule on the road against the Wofford Terriers. The matchup will be held at Wofford's Snyder Field in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
 
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Box Score
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