GAME NOTES--SAMFORD AT MERCER (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University soccer team will travel to Macon, Ga., to take on the Mercer Bears Thursday night at 6 p.m. (CT), and then the Bulldogs will host the ETSU Bucs Sunday at 1 p.m. at Shauna Yelton Field.
 
Samford and Mercer have met 25 previous times, with Samford owning a 17-3-5 series lead. The teams met twice last season. The regular-season meeting ended in a 2-2 tie at Shauna Yelton Field. The teams also played in the Southern Conference Tournament, with Samford earning a 1-0 win, also at Shauna Yelton Field.  Samford and ETSU will be a battle of the Yeltons, as ETSU is coached by Jay Yelton, former Samford assistant coach and brother of Samford head coach Todd Yelton. The Bulldogs and Bucs have met 12 previous times, with Samford holding a 10-1-1 series lead. The teams met once last season, with the game ending in a 1-1 tie at Shauna Yelton Field.
 
Samford enters the game with a record of 8-3-4 overall and 4-1-1 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs are coming off a 3-0 win over The Citadel last Sunday. Samford has been led offensively by Kyla Reynolds and Mary Raymond with five goals and two assists for 12 total points each. Layla Brown has three goals and three assists for a total of nine points this season. Goalkeeper Zoe Clevely, along with the Samford backline, has led the Bulldogs to 11 shutouts this season, the most in the nation. Six of the shutouts have been solo for Clevely, while backup Emma Donley has assisted in five of the shutouts. Lindsay Origliasso and Kylie Gazza are both tied for the most career games in program history with 94 each.
 
Mercer enters Thursday night's game with a mark of 8-3-5 overall and 3-2-1 in Southern Conference play. The Bears are coming off a 2-1 loss to Western Carolina last Sunday. Jada Moorman leads Mercer with 10 goals and five assists for a total of 25 points. Larkin Thomason has 10 goals and one assist for 21 points. Lindsay Bell has started 15 of Mercer's 16 games in goal. She has saved 47 shots, while allowing 17 goals for a 1.07 goals against average. 
 
ETSU, who host UNC Greensboro Thursday night, enters the week with a record of 8-2-4 overall and 4-1-1 in league play. The Bucs earned a 4-1 win over Wofford Sunday afternoon. Samford and ETSU are currently No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation in shutouts, as Samford leads the country with 11 and ETSU ranks second with 10. For the season, ETSU has been led offensively by Sinoxolo Cesane with five goals and one assist for 11 total points.
 
Both games can be seen live on ESPN+. For links to follow all Samford games this season, click on the following link: 2023 SCHEDULE.
 
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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).