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GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Samford University soccer team will face a tough early-season road test Sunday at 1 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs matchup against the first-place Furman Paladins in a pivotal Southern Conference contest to be held on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium.
 
Samford (5-2-2, 1-0 SoCon) and Furman (7-1-1, 1-0 SoCon) entered the 2016 campaign preseason picked No. 1 and No. 2 in the projected league standings, respectively. The two-time defending SoCon regular-season champion Bulldogs were picked to win the league again in 2016, it was announced Aug. 11, in preseason voting by the SoCon's 10 head coaches.
 
Samford collected eight first-place votes and 80 points to outdistance 2016 runner-up Furman, which picked up 68 points and one first-place vote.
 
The Bulldogs enter Sunday's marquee matchup with a full head of steam after earning a 5-0 road victory at Wofford on Friday. With the lopsided triumph, Samford extended its undefeated streak to five-consecutive matches and notched its fourth straight victory.
 
Since playing to a wide-open 3-3 draw at Rice on Sept. 2, the Bulldogs have tallied victories against Baylor, 1-0, Alabama, 1-0, Kennesaw State, 3-1, and Wofford, 5-0. Samford owns a 1-1-2 record in road matches this season.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - - SAMFORD RUNS PAST WOFFORD ON THE ROAD, 5-0
Samford opened its 2016 SoCon schedule in demonstrative fashion Friday as the Bulldogs rolled to a 5-0 road victory against the Wofford Terriers in a league-opening matchup held at Snyder Field.
 

Samford struck for four first-half goals against Wofford, the first coming just 43 seconds into the match. Senior forward Jermaine Seoposenwe tallied two of the Bulldogs' five scores in the contest, while fellow senior Malcanisha Kelley assisted on three of the goals.
 
Seoposenwe's early goal set the tone for the evening. Samford outshot the Terriers, 24-4, including a 15-2 clip in the first half. Additionally, 13 of the Bulldogs' shot attempts proved to be on-goal, while Wofford finished with one.
 
Samford's second goal of the evening occurred in the 11^th minute and was also assisted by Kelley. Borman gathered a through-pass from her senior teammate and beat goalkeeper Mayson Liner to the right corner of the goal. Borman's score proved to be her fourth of the season and the 13^th of her career.
 
The Bulldogs' next two goals were tallied by first-year players and marked the first of their Samford careers. Sophomore transfer Korrie Sauder found the back of the net with a pretty goal in the 36^th minute, while true freshman Erin Bonner notched her first of the year in the 44^th minute. Sauder assisted on Bonner's goal upping her point total on the night to three.
 

Samford's final goal of the match occurred in the 18^th minute of the second half as both Kelley and Borman assisted on Seoposenwe's second score of the evening. Seoposenwe notched her sixth goal of the season following bang-bang passes from Kelley and Borman to beat the back line.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Furman enters Sunday's match riding the positive wave of a three-game winning streak. On Sept. 11, the Paladins suffered their only loss of the season in a 4-2 home setback against UNC Wilmington. Since then, Furman has rattled off three-consecutive victories over Presbyterian, 3-0, South Carolina State, 8-0, and Chattanooga, 4-0.
 
In Friday's home win against Chattanooga, four different Paladins scored goals and Furman notched its eighth shutout in nine matches this season.
 
After entering the match at the 18:54 mark, freshman Treva Scott, who sat out the last seven matches due to injury, made her presence felt by blistering an 18-yard shot into the left-hand corner at 20:27 for her first collegiate goal. A run of corner kicks finally paid off for the Paladins in the 42nd minute as Kristian Leone rose above the Mocs' defense to head in an Arianna Milicia corner to double the lead at 2-0 with her third goal of the season.
 
Less than nine minutes into the second half, senior Carlie Couch recorded her sixth goal of the season by stealing the ball from the Chattanooga back line and winning the loose ball from the goalkeeper before firing into an empty net at 53:50. Molly Dwyer, the SoCon's leading goal scorer, capped the scoring at the 58:39 mark by taking a pass from Aycock and hammering a shot from the right side of the box into the left-side netting for her seventh tally in nine matches.
 
Senior Rose Hull, one save, and freshman Kellsey Weaver, three saves, combined to record the shutout for the Paladins. Melia Correa turned away six shots in a losing effort for the Mocs. Furman finished with a 24-5 edge in total shot attempts and 10-4 advantage in shots on goal.
 
SAMFORD vs. FURMAN - - THE ALL-TIME SERIES
The Bulldogs and Paladins will be meeting on the pitch for an 11^th time in the series Sunday. Samford currently holds a 6-3-1 advantage in the all-time rivalry, but is 2-2 when playing on the road in Greenville. Last season, the Bulldogs posted a key 2-0 home victory against Furman.
 
Samford opened the series with five-consecutive wins, four of which occurred in thrilling overtime fashion. Since 2012, the Bulldogs are 1-3-1 against the Paladins and 0-2 when competing on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium.
 
DATE                           RESULT                                                         LOCATION
Oct. 10, 2008               Samford def. Furman, 3-0                              Birmingham, Ala.
Oct. 8, 2009                 Samford def. Furman, 2-1 (2OT)                   Greenville, S.C.
Oct. 10, 2010               Samford def. Furman, 3-2 (OT)                     Birmingham, Ala.
Oct. 9, 2011                 Samford def. Furman, 2-1 (2OT)                   Greenville, S.C.
Nov. 4, 2011                Samford def. Furman, 1-0 (2OT)                   Greensboro, N.C.
Sept. 27, 2012             Samford tied Furman, 2-2                               Birmingham, Ala.
Oct. 6, 2013                 Furman def. Samford, 2-1                              Greenville, S.C.
Nov. 8, 2013                Furman def. Samford, 2-0                               Spartanburg, S.C.
Oct. 17, 2014               Furman def. Samford, 1-0                               Greenville, S.C.
Sept. 25, 2015             Samford def. Furman, 2-0                              Birmingham, Ala.  
 

LAST SEASON'S MEETING
In a similar SoCon showdown that featured the top two preseason picks in the league standings last year, Samford earned a momentous 2-0 triumph over Furman in a key conference-opening contest held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
The Bulldogs' Hallie Georgi (7') and Borman (59') both scored goals in last season's victory as Samford snapped a four-match winless streak against Furman. Additionally, the Bulldogs' Maddox turned in a brilliant three-save performance.
 
Offensively, Samford outshot Furman, 16-9, and dominated the corner kick category, 8-1. Both teams finished the contest with four shots on goal.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Sunday's showdown at Furman, the Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs return home to Birmingham, Alabama, for a matchup against arch-rival Mercer. The contest will be held 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.

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