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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University soccer team will begin its quest for a second straight Southern Conference Tournament championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 7 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs play host to the Mercer Bears in the quarterfinal round of the 10-team postseason competition. Saturday's match will be held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
 
Samford (12-5-2) heads into the win-or-go-home contest as the second-seeded team in the tournament. On Sunday, the Bulldogs earned their fourth straight regular-season SoCon championship as they battled to a 0-0 draw with the Furman Paladins and closed out league play with an undefeated 8-0-1 record.
 
The draw extended Samford's current undefeated streak to 13 straight matches as the Bulldog closed out their regular-season schedule with an 11-0-2 record since Sept. 3.
 
Samford and Furman shared the regular-season title this season. The Paladins enter the SoCon Tournament as the No. 1 seed after slightly topping the Bulldogs in goal differential, 18-14, and fewest goals allowed. Furman only allowed one goal in SoCon action this season, while the Bulldogs gave up three.
 
Samford, which has won four straight SoCon regular-season titles, has not been defeated by a SoCon rival since Sept. 25, 2016. The Bulldogs have now gone 19 straight outings without losing to a conference opponent.
 
Samford is in the midst of a 13-match undefeated streak. Since playing to a 1-1 home draw with Georgia on Sept. 8, Samford rattled off consecutive victories against Western Kentucky, 1-0, UC Davis, 1-0, Saint Mary's (CA), 1-0, Western Carolina, 1-0, ETSU, 2-0, Chattanooga, 3-1, UNCG, 2-0, VMI, 4-0, Mercer, 3-1, The Citadel, 2-1, and Wofford, 2-0, before battling to its hard-fought 0-0 draw with Furman on Sunday.
 
Samford's talent-laden senior class consisting of Abriella Argueta, Anna Maddox, Virginia McNeill, Kaitlyn Orman and Jermaine Seoposenwe boast an impressive 55-22-5 overall record, as well as a brilliant 31-4-1 mark in SoCon play. The Bulldogs' senior class owns the highest winning percentage of any class in school history.
 
Mercer (9-9-1) entered the SoCon Tournament with a 3-5-1 record in conference play and as the No. 7 seed in the 10-team competition. On Wednesday, the Bears played host to No. 10 seed The Citadel and notched a lopsided 3-0 decision.
 
With Mercer blanking The Citadel earlier this week, the Bears now boast seven shutouts on the season. Mercer also owns a 3-4 record on the road this year.
 
For the sixth straight season, the Bears have secured a .500 or better record. Mercer is averaging 1.35 goals per game on 16.3 shots, while conceding 1.15 goals and 13.4 shots on average. The Bears are 7-2 in postseason play since joining the SoCon in 2014.
 
All-time, Samford owns a 10-2-3 record against Mercer. Earlier this season, the teams squared off in Macon, Georgia, and the Bulldogs rallied for a 3-1 victory held at Bear Field.
 
Samford's Argueta, Grace Packer and Nyalyn Moore all scored second-half goals in its road victory at Mercer on Oct. 13. Argueta's fifth score of the season evened the match at 1-1 in the 55^th minute of play, while Packer's tally proved to be the game-winner in the 78^th minute.
 
The winner of Saturday's quarterfinal-round contest will advance to next week's semifinal round of the SoCon Tournament and will face either No. 3-seed UNCG or No. 6-seed Chattanooga in a showdown, which will also be held here in Birmingham at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium. The semifinals and finals of the SoCon Tournament will be held Nov. 3-5.
 
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