Oct. 3, 2008

Box Score

DAVIDSON, N.C. - The Samford University soccer team was defeated in Southern Conference play for the first time in school history Friday as the Bulldogs dropped a 3-0 decision on the road against the Davidson Wildcats at Alumni Stadium.

"Davidson is a quality side with a lot of talent and we just couldn't meet the challenge tonight," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "Davidson came out and played a very good game and they deserved to win. We just couldn't meet the physical challenge and we'll have to come out and play better against Georgia Southern on Sunday."

With the loss, Samford (2-8-1, 1-1-1 SoCon) fell to 0-7 in road matches this season. So far this year, the Bulldogs have played a total of 11 games, nine of which have taken place away from Bulldog Field.

Davidson (5-2-3, 3-0 SoCon) remained undefeated in league play and extended its winning streak to three-consecutive matches. Last week, the Wildcats earned road victories against both Furman 3-2 and Wofford 1-0.

At 14:21 in the match, Davidson's Tracy McClausland tallied her second goal of the season to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead. On the score, McClausland fired a shot from 28 yards out that found the top left corner of the net. The goal proved to be her second game-winner of the 2008 campaign.

Samford outshot Davidson in the first half 4-2 and was led offensively by true freshman Mary Shelton Bryant. Bryant, a native of Signal Mountain, Tenn., paced the Bulldogs with two shot attempts in the game.

Following the opening 45 minutes of play, Davidson led 1-0 at halftime despite trailing in both shot attempts and corner kicks.

Samford's starting goalkeeper, Cayley Winters, the reigning SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week, finished the match with two saves, both of which occurred in the second half.

During the final period, Davidson tacked on goals during the 54th and 66th minutes of play. With their pair of second-half scores, the Wildcats earned a 3-0 victory.

Davidson's second goal of the game was tallied by Amanda Flink and was assisted by Melanee Smith. The score was Flink's second of the season and the assist was Smith's team-leading third of the 2008 campaign.

At 65:15 in the second half, the Wildcats added their third goal of the game as Kyri Bye-Nagel notched an unassisted score. The goal was her fourth of the season and was tallied on an 18-yard shot to the far post. Bye-Nagel is Davidson's team leader in goals with four.

The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT), as the Bulldogs continue their weekend-long SoCon road trip with a matchup against the Georgia Southern Eagles in Statesboro, Ga.