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2009 Samford Soccer Season Preview
Aug. 12, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford soccer team will officially begin play in its 2009 regular-season schedule with a home match against Auburn on Aug. 23, but in just three days the Bulldogs will travel to Memphis, Tenn., for an exhibition contest versus the back-to-back Conference USA champion Memphis Tigers. The following is the official Season Preview of Samford's highly anticipated 2009 campaign. 2009 SAMFORD SOCCER SEASON PREVIEW "My expectations are that we win the league, we win the conference tournament and then we play in the NCAA Tournament," said Yelton. "I think that if those aren't your expectations as a coach, especially if you feel like you have a talented team, then you probably shouldn't be in coaching. Those are our expectations every year here at Samford because we recruit players to come here to win trophies. Our expectations are always to win the league and to play in the NCAA Tournament."
With all 11 starters returning from last year's team that advanced to the semifinal round of the SoCon Tournament, Yelton's optimistic outlook is definitely based in reality and not just wishful thinking. Along with all 11 starters coming back to the team in 2009, Samford's talent-laden roster will also boast 10 additional returning players as well as seven highly-touted incoming freshmen. The Bulldogs return 95 percent of their goal-scoring production and 83 percent of their assist production from last season. "Every year is a new year and it is a part of the process of building a program," Yelton said. "We return a lot of players who were a part of things last season and we also get some key players back from injury. We have some talented freshmen coming in who we feel can contribute right away. I think that we have a chance to be a much better squad than last year. If all things stay the same, we should have a good opportunity to achieve our goals of winning the league and becoming a top-30 team in the nation. That's become the measuring stick for us." In 2008, Samford compiled an 8-1-2 record in SoCon play and earned a third-place finish in the conference standings. It was the first season that the Bulldogs were members of the prestigious 11-team conference; therefore expectations are even higher for Samford as it heads into its second year in the league. During its inaugural campaign in one of the nation's top soccer conferences, Samford hosted a first-round match in the SoCon Tournament and earned a thrilling 4-1 penalty-kick victory against the College of Charleston. After playing to a 0-0 draw throughout regulation and two overtime periods, Samford used the win in penalty kicks to advance to the semifinal round of the six-team tournament. Even with his team's initial success in the SoCon (Samford owns a 15-3-5 all-time record against conference opponents) Yelton realizes how demanding it can be to compete in such a challenging league each season. "The Southern Conference is a fantastic league," said Yelton. "The quality and depth in this league is extremely difficult to play against week in and week out. Last year, it seemed as if a majority of the matches were very close and every match either went to overtime or was a one-goal contest. On any given day, a team in this league can get a positive result." With 11 returning starters and a roster stockpiled with experience and talent, the Samford soccer team hopes to earn a number of positive results in 2009. GOALKEEPERS
Whitehead earned playing time in 15 of the Bulldogs' 21 matches and faced a team-high 137 shots. She finished the year with a season-best 5-3-2 record, logged 1,088:52 minutes in goal and tallied four complete-game shutouts. "I think Alyssa has the tools to be the best goalkeeper that's ever played here at Samford, and that's quite a compliment when you look at the goalkeeping corps that we've had over the years," said Yelton. "From Crystal Royall to Cayley Winters, all of those players won a number of accolades. If Alyssa keeps the same mentality and the same drive that she's displayed since she's been here, then I think she could set numerous records here and have a chance to win a number of awards. Knowing Alyssa, the most important thing to her is that we do well as a team." Samford's backup goalkeeper this season will be redshirt freshman Sarah White (Germantown, Tenn.). White, also a highly-touted recruit out of high school, has consistently progressed under assistant coach Jay Yelton's tutelage and is fully capable of stepping in for Whitehead. The Bulldogs possess a pair of young talented goalkeepers and their defense should be one of Samford's strong points for years to come. "To be successful in soccer, you have to be very good throughout the spine of your team, and goalkeeper is a very important position in that regard," Yelton said. "We have two very good goalkeepers on the squad and that's a good sign for us as we head into this season."
DEFENDERS Samford only allowed a total of 23 goals last season and finished the year ranked fourth in the conference in most defensive categories. The Bulldogs' highly-acclaimed backfield only surrendered six goals in league play and proved to be one of the top units in the conference. Along with its four returning starters, Samford's defense will also boast the services of redshirt freshman Jordan Gotfredson (Duluth, Ga.), and true freshmen Kaley Blanton (Mandeville, La.), Sabbath McKiernan-Allen (Indianapolis, Ind.), Marina Provenzano (Cornelius, N.C.) and Hailey Shelpuk (McKinney, Texas). The Bulldogs' 2009 roster includes a total of seven nationally-respected true freshmen and all of them have a good chance to receive playing time this season. "I honestly think that all of the incoming freshmen will have a chance to be in the mix," Yelton said. "A lot of that will be determined by what they do this summer and how fit they are when they report to school. It's a huge jump from the club and high school levels to the Division I level, but if they do the right things this summer and come in fit, then all of them should contribute in some way. Six years ago, I wouldn't be surprised if we'd have five or six freshmen on the field at the same time, but that's not the case anymore. This will be the most competitive environment that they've ever been a part of." MIDFIELDERS
Bryant, who came to Samford as a walk-on freshman last season, proved to be one of the brightest surprises for the Bulldogs a year ago. She played in 19 of the team's 21 matches and scored a pair of key goals. Nammour, one of the most consistent players on the roster, added a pair of assists in 2009, while Samuels also tallied a helper, the fourth of her career. Sophomores Shannon Healy (Crystal Beach, Fla.) and Brittany Gordon (Cumming, Ga.) both earned significant minutes a year ago and were effective on the offensive side of the field. Healy tallied a pair of goals in 2008, including the game-winning score against Mercer at the 2008 adidas Gamecock Classic, while Gordon finished second on the team in assists. Gordon, a shifty athlete and great ball-handler, really started receiving a lot of playing time near the end of the season and finished the year with three assists. Junior Kelly Shaffer (Auburn, Ala.) will also return as a key cog in Samford's midfield this season. Last year, the feisty 5-foot-3 performer, earned playing time in 20 of the team's 21 matches and started in contests against cross-town rival UAB, as well as SoCon-opponents Elon and Georgia Southern. In addition to eight returning players, the Bulldogs' midfield will also boast the services of a pair of highly-touted incoming freshmen in Adrianne Mancino (Lancaster, Pa.) and Carlee Storey (Medford, Ore.). Both of the aforementioned players could also receive significant playing time this season. "We started two freshmen in our starting lineup last year for pretty much the entire season and they both handled it beautifully," Yelton said. "I think that the types of players we are signing right now are at such a high level that they can come in and compete for a spot right away. What that does is gives us greater competition on our squad, and in my opinion, competition is the building block for success."
FORWARDS Cook, who was forced to sit out last season with an injury, led Samford in scoring with nine goals in 2007, while Cress and Wilkinson paced the Bulldogs with five scores a year ago. As a team, Samford struggled to score goals last year, but with the loads of returning talent on the roster this season, the Bulldogs expect to find the back of the net quite often in 2009. "Last year, we struggled to find some people to score goals for us, but so far this year we've had a great spring," said Yelton. "We scored at least one goal in every one of our spring matches and we played against some really tough competition. Amber (Cress) has been an impactful player ever since she's stepped foot on this campus, so I see no reason why that would change. We'll also have Sarah (Wilkinson) back and she had a great year last year." True freshman Taylor Cornwell (Carmel, Ind.) will also add some scoring punch to the Bulldogs' front line this season. The highly-touted newcomer led her club team to five Indiana State Championships and has been a member of the Olympic Developmental Program since 2004. Cornwell was also awarded with First-Team All-Indiana accolades in both 2007 and 2008.
SCHEDULE "Anytime we get to play at home here at Samford, it's a huge advantage," Yelton said. "We have a very high winning percentage in matches played at home and that's one of the reasons that scheduling has become kind of a nightmare. It's hard to get teams to come here and play us, but I think that we have a good mix of home and away matches this season. It's also fantastic to get to play against two in-state rivals at home right off the bat. I'm expecting it to be an outstanding atmosphere for both of those matches." In SoCon play this season, Samford will face tough road matches at College of Charleston (Sept. 27), Furman (Oct. 8) and UNC Greensboro (Oct. 16). The Bulldogs' key home contests will be against Western Carolina (Oct. 2), Wofford (Oct. 11) and Davidson (Oct. 25). The 2009 SoCon Tournament will be held at the home site of the regular-season champion Nov. 6-8. The winner of the four-team competition will earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
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