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September 23, 2009
Bulldogs Emerge Undefeated From Nonconference Schedule
The undefeated Samford soccer team earned its fifth-consecutive victory Sunday as the Bulldogs fought to a 1-0 triumph against the Winthrop Lady Eagles. At the rain-soaked Bulldog Field, Samford's Kelly Shaffer scored the game-winning goal during the 38th minute of play.
With the win, Samford (5-0-1) concluded its nonconference schedule with an undefeated record. The Bulldogs have not allowed a goal this season and recorded their sixth shutout of the 2009 campaign. Sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead made two saves Sunday en route to her fifth complete-game shutout.
"I felt like we did a really good job today," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "We possessed the ball well, we knocked it around and we connected passes. I thought we struggled a bit in our attacking third, which has not been an issue for us this year, but it was wet out there today and the ball seemed to skip and skid. That made it a little harder for both teams with the final piece."
Heading into the weekend, Samford was one of only five teams in the nation that hasn't allowed a goal this season. The Bulldogs were also one of only 20 teams in the nation that have not been defeated.
"If you look at our body of work and the teams that we've played against this season, I think that 5-0-1 is really impressive," Yelton said. "I'm really proud of that and I'm happy that we're doing so well from a defensive standpoint. We've had a lot of quality results this season, but now the real season begins as we start conference play."
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 3 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs begin play in their SoCon schedule on the road against The Citadel Bulldogs. The conference-opening match will be played at the Washington Light Infantry Field in Charleston, S.C.
