The Samford soccer team defeated The Citadel, 2-0, in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament, advancing to host a semifinal match on Sunday afternoon.

The Bulldogs wasted no time in putting some pressure on The Citadel, recording two goals in the opening six minutes, both on set pieces. Whitaker Buchanan struck first, delivering a curling shot into the box that deflected off Citadel keeper Jess Newton's hands and into the back of the net. The Dogs struck again less than two minutes later, as Buchanan delivered another ball into the box, this time finding the feet of Layton Glisson. A Glisson shot bounced off the post, but Ella Simpson was waiting to slot the rebound home and double Samford's lead.

"I think we had a little bit of motivation," head coach Todd Yelton said. "The kids wanted to get off to a good start, but fair play to The Citadel, I thought their kids played great. We're banged up a little bit, but we'll get out some duct tape and be ready to go on Sunday."

Samford had several more chances, including a Taylor Yount shot that was cleared off the goal line by a Citadel defender, but couldn't find a third goal. The defense stood tall again though, allowing only six shots, with keeper Emma Donley recording three saves. It was the eighth shutout of the year for the Bulldogs.

"I think keeping the clean sheet against that group is hard, especially in a tournament setting," Yelton said. "It's not easy, it's a lot to deal with, and I thought our kids handled it beautifully."

It was the fourth straight win for the Dogs, who have grown accustomed to having a target on their back after winning nine-straight SoCon regular season championships.

"We know this is hard," Yelton said. "Everybody wants to go to the NCAA Tournament. It's a pretty big deal, and we've been fortunate enough to do it here a bit recently. It's not easy to do, it's really hard."

Samford will face the winner of the ETSU and Mercer on Sunday. The Bulldogs faced both teams at home earlier this season, earning a 2-2 draw with Mercer, and a 1-1 draw with the Buccaneers.

"When you look at this side of the bracket, we only got two points out of it (in the regular season)," Yelton said. "And we (ended with) 18 points. That gives you an idea of how hard this side of it is. And taking nothing away from the other side, because those are quality teams as well, but the teams that took points off of us are sitting over here with us."

Overall, Samford outshot The Citadel, 21-6. The Bulldogs took nine corner kicks, compared to just three for The Citadel. 

Sunday's semifinal game will begin at 1 p.m. at Shauna Yelton Field. Admission is free, and the game can be seen live on ESPN+.




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