GAME NOTES--SAMFORD VS. THE CITADEL

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University soccer team will open Southern Conference play by hosting The Citadel Bulldogs Friday evening at 6 p.m. at Shauna Yelton Field, and then taking on the Mercer Bears Sunday at 1 p.m., also at Shauna Yelton Field.
 
Samford and The Citadel are meeting for the 19th time, with Samford owning a 16-1-1 series lead. The teams met last season in Charleston, S.C., with Samford earning a 4-2 road victory. Samford and Mercer have met 23 previous times, with the Bulldogs holding a 16-3-4 lead in the series. Samford and Mercer last played in the semifinals of last season's SoCon Tournament, with Samford earning a 1-0 win over the Bears.
 
Samford enters Friday night's contest with a record of 4-2-3. Samford played at Tennessee Tech last Thursday night, earning a 1-0 victory over the Golden Eagles. In the Tennessee Tech game, Mary Raymond scored the lone goal off an assist from Whitaker Buchanan in the 69th minute of the contest.
 
For the season, Samford has been led by Whitaker Buchanan and Kylie Gazza with two goals each. Buchanan also has one assist for a team-leading five points. Nikki Bario leads the team in assists with three so far this season. Entering this weekend, Samford has won its last 13 consecutive regular-season conference games. The school record for consecutive conference wins is 14.
 
The Citadel Bulldogs enter Friday evening's game with a mark of 5-3. The team is coming off a 9-0 win over South Carolina State Tuesday evening. The Citadel has been led by Suzuka Yosue with two goals and six assists for a team-leading 10 points. As a team, The Citadel has outscored its opponents, 22-8 so far this season. The Bulldogs have scored three or more goals three times so far this season.
  
Mercer is currently 5-2-2 on the season. The Bears are coming off a 4-0 win over Delaware State last Sunday, and Mercer will play at Chattanooga Friday evening before taking on Samford. Mercer has been led by Kendall Cook, scoring six goals and dishing out five assists for a total of 17 points.
 
Admission to all Samford home games is free. To follow all games this season, click on the following link: 2022 SAMFORD SOCCER SCHEDULE.
 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
For the latest news and information on Samford women's soccer, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordSports (Facebook), @SamfordSoccer (Instagram) and @SamfordSoccer (Twitter).