Soccer Heads To Kennesaw State For Key Early-Season Matchup

Sept. 1, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team will continue play in its arduous pre-conference schedule Friday as the Bulldogs travel to Georgia for a pivotal early-season matchup against the Kennesaw State Owls. The non-conference match is slated to begin at 6 p.m. (CDT) at the nationally-renown KSU Soccer Stadium (8,300) in Kennesaw, Ga.

Samford (1-3) heads into Friday's contest with aspirations of snapping a three-match losing streak. After rolling to a 2-0 season-opening victory against Belmont on Aug. 19, the Bulldogs have dropped consecutive hard-fought decisions to Alabama 2-1, UAB 1-0 and 25th-ranked Memphis 2-0.

Against nationally-ranked Memphis on Sunday, Samford's All-Southern Conference goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead^[1] tallied a match-high six saves, which included a pair of diving stops.

The Bulldogs rattled off five shots in the second period against the Lady Tigers and nearly scored on a pair of equalizing opportunities.

Samford's second scoring chance of the final period came from a header from sophomore Trine Taule^[2]. Taule's shot on goal occurred during the 71st minute and was perfectly placed to the left corner of the net. Memphis' goalkeeper Elis Kuhar-Pitters was unable to stop the shot but one of the Memphis defenders was positioned on the back line to make the save.

Earlier in the second half, Samford senior Lindsay Matern^[3] nearly put the Bulldogs on the board with a laser shot from 15 yards out. A native of Lakeland, Fla., Matern gathered a loose ball in the center of the box and rattled off a shot that sailed mere inches over the crossbar.

Kennesaw State (2-2) enters Friday's showdown looking to capitalize on a six-match, 23-day homestand starting against Samford. The Owls have split both weekends of their young season, including its most recent one with a 1-0 win in their home opener against the College of Charleston on Friday, but then fell to Auburn on Sunday 4-0.

Kennesaw State currently leads the Atlantic Sun Conference in all three offensive Triple Crown categories. The Owls are first in points with 28, first in goals with 10 and tied for first with North Florida in assists with eight. The duo of senior Alyssa Mahan and redshirt-freshman Katrina Frost continue to highlight the Owls' attack. Mahan leads the A-Sun in points (7) and assists (3), while Frost is tied for the conference lead in goals (3) and shots (16).

After losing at Alabama 7-1 to open the 2011 campaign, Kennesaw State earned an 8-0 victory at Alabama A&M on Aug. 21.

Samford owns a 2-0 record in its all-time series against Kennesaw State. The teams first played Sept. 2, 2007, as the Bulldogs rallied for a 3-0 victory in the championship match of the Samford Barber's Invitational.

Last season, the Bulldogs and Owls again squared off at Bulldog Field as Samford earned a 2-0 win. In the triumph, Samford's Katie Proud^[4] and Paige Lanter^[5] both scored goals in the shutout victory.

Following Friday's road contest at Kennesaw State, the Samford University soccer team will enjoy a week off from competitive action before returning home to the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium for a critical in-state matchup versus the Auburn Tigers. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m., and admission is free.

Live Stats - Samford at Kennesaw State^[6]

References

1. ^{^} Alyssa Whitehead (samfordsports.cstv.com)
2. ^{^} Trine Taule (samfordsports.cstv.com)
3. ^{^} Lindsay Matern (samfordsports.cstv.com)
4. ^{^} Katie Proud (samfordsports.cstv.com)
5. ^{^} Paige Lanter (samfordsports.cstv.com)
6. ^{^} Live Stats - Samford at Kennesaw State (www.sidearmstats.com)