BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Senior Zoe Perrin tallied the game-winning goal as the Bulldogs secured a spot in the SoCon Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Mercer Bears Sunday afternoon at Shauna Yelton Field.
 
With the win, Samford (14-3-2, 9-0-0 SoCon) will now turn its attention to No. 2 seed Furman University (12-5-1, 6-3-0 SoCon) for next week's Southern Conference Championship. This will mark the third-straight matchup in the SoCon final between the two teams.

BOX SCORE (PDF)

KEY PLAYS

• Samford and Mercer showed strong defensive efforts with both teams limiting attacking opportunities throughout the match. Junior Mary Raymond nearly broke through 12 minutes into the second half after a ball fell right to the feet of sophomore Ella Simpson off a Bulldog corner kick. Simpson slipped a ball to Raymond just outside the six-yard box, but her one-touch shot would go straight into the arms of Mercer's goalkeeper, Jordyn Ebert, to keep the game scoreless.  
• The match-winner came in the 88th minute after junior striker Taylor Yount found a gap in Mercer's backline to play a perfect through ball for senior Zoë Perrin to run onto down the right flank. In two touches, Perrin lauched a shot past Mercer's goalkeeper, Jordyn Ebert, hitting the far post and into the lower-right netting for a 1-0 Bulldog victory.

 
FROM THE BOX SCORE

• Senior Zoë Perrin recorded her fourth goal of the 2021-22 campaign, while junior Taylor Yount logged her sixth assist of the season and ninth of her career.
• Covid senior Morgan McAslan played the entire 90 minutes in goal for Samford, posting her ninth shutout of the season while registering two saves after three shots faced.
• Samford tallied 11 shots compared to Mercer's three with the Bulldogs putting four on frame compared to the Bears' two.
• Both teams played an aggressive match with Samford committing 13 fouls and Mercer with 11, while the Bulldogs took a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks.

HIGHLIGHTS: 


 
UP NEXT
The Samford women's soccer team will face #2 Furman on Sunday, Nov. 7 for the SoCon Tournament Championship. Kickoff is set of 1 p.m. at Shauna Yelton Field.
 
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