Aug. 14, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - As the Samford soccer team heads into the 2008 campaign, the Bulldogs boast nine returning starters and 16 returning letterwinners from a squad that finished with a school-record 15-5-1 mark last season. Samford's seventh-year head coach Todd Yelton is not only anticipating the upcoming campaign because of that fact, but also because his young, talented team gained an innumerable amount of experience in 2007, a year in which the Bulldogs earned the school's first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Along with its automatic bid in 2005, Samford has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in two of its previous three seasons, and has tallied four Ohio Valley Conference regular-season titles in only five years in the league.

Head Coach Todd Yelton is Samford's all-time winningest coach with an impressive 76-31-15 record.

The Bulldogs played their final season in the OVC last year and on July 1, 2008, Samford officially joined the esteemed Southern Conference along with new league-mates Appalachian State, College of Charleston, The Citadel, Davidson, Elon, Furman, Georgia Southern, UNC Greensboro, Chattanooga, Western Carolina and Wofford. The conference is based in Spartanburg, S.C., and sponsors championships in 19 sports.

The SoCon is the fifth-oldest Division I conference in the country and has been in existence for 86 years. Many current Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference institutions are former members of the SoCon. The league boasts the most NCAA Division I Championship Subdivision football national championships with eight, including the last three, won by Appalachian State.

Samford entered the SoCon after spending the past five years in the OVC. In its five seasons in the league, Samford claimed 13 team conference titles. The Bulldogs also had 10 coaches named league Coach of the Year and 10 student-athletes named either Player or Athlete of the Year. Samford claimed the OVC's Women's All-Sports Trophy in 2004, 2007 and 2008.

"I think that as we move into the Southern Conference, we already have the respect of the coaches and the other teams in the league, because of what we were able to accomplish in the OVC," said Yelton. "I don't expect that there will be any free games for us at all next season. I think that they look at us as a team that will really add to the conference and can possibly make the Southern Conference one of the premier soccer leagues in the nation."

Marchele Olds

Yelton's squad concluded its prosperous five-year membership in the OVC with a staggering 38-6-7 record against league foes. During its time in the conference, Samford reeled off four-straight regular-season titles, one OVC Tournament championship and earned a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2007, the OVC made history with two teams earning bids to the prestigious 64-team tournament.

The SoCon has perennially earned a pair of bids to the NCAA Tournament and last season both Furman and UNC Greensboro qualified for the competition. UNC Greensboro, which won the SoCon's regular-season title with an unblemished 10-0 record, squared off against Memphis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and earned a triumphant 1-0 victory over the Tigers. It was the fourth time in school history that UNC Greensboro advanced to the Round of 32.

"Last year, counting us, the SoCon would have had three teams in the NCAA Tournament," Yelton said. "Outside of the major BCS conferences, there are not a lot of soccer conferences out there that are getting three teams in the NCAA Tournament. I think that as we make the transition to the new league, the other coaches and teams in the conference will appreciate what we bring to the table."

Heading into the 2008 season, Samford owns a 6-1-2 all-time record against current SoCon opponents. Last year, the Bulldogs defeated Georgia Southern 1-0 in their season-opener and used the win to improve to 3-0-1 versus the Eagles. Samford also holds a 2-1 all-time mark against Chattanooga and is 1-0-1 versus Wofford. The Bulldogs last played Wofford in 2005, while their previous matchup against Chattanooga occurred in 2003.

Samford's first SoCon competition in any sport is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 26, when the soccer team plays host to Elon at 7 p.m., at Bulldog Field.

"It's going to be a very challenging task for us to go into the SoCon and be successful right away," said Yelton. "With that being said, I have a lot of confidence in our team and I know that our players will definitely be up for the challenge."

Senior Cayley Winters will be a four-year starter at the goalkeeper position this season.

GOALKEEPERS
Samford's 2008 goalkeeping corps will feature four extremely talented players in Cayley Winters (Littleton, Colo.), Jenna Sturgill (Peachtree City, Ga.), Alyssa Whitehead (Hattiesburg, Miss.) and Sarah White (Germantown, Tenn.). Assistant coach Jay Yelton will once again use his expertise to teach the goalkeepers, as the Bulldogs' regionally-renown instructor begins his seventh season at Samford.

"Jay does an outstanding job with our goalkeepers," said Yelton. "Our goalkeeping has always been one of the strengths of this program. This year will be a little different because we'll have four goalkeepers on the roster, but Cayley (Winters) and Jenna (Sturgill) have really progressed during their years here and I think they will bring leadership to the position."

Winters, a three-year starter for the Bulldogs, will once again be expected to anchor the team's defense with her prowess in goal. Last season, she tallied a 15-5-1 record as a starter and only allowed 15 goals in 21 games. Winters finished the year with a miniscule 0.74 goals-against average and earned Second-Team All-OVC honors as a junior. Sturgill, a junior this season, played in seven games a year ago and only allowed one goal. The pair combined to post nine shutouts during the 2007 campaign.

"I think it's going to be a battle between Cayley and Jenna for the starting position, but the freshmen coming in are extremely talented as well," Yelton said. "That's a great combination to have, because this year's team will have the leadership of the upperclassmen, who know what training is about, and then we'll also have the talent of the freshmen, who automatically have two great role models that will help them reach their full potential."

Cindy Spiker

DEFENDERS
The Bulldogs' back line is perennially one of the top strengths of the team. Last season, Samford only allowed a total of 16 goals in 21 games and finished first in the OVC with a phenomenal 0.73 goals-against average.

This year, the Bulldogs return four starters from last season's group of defenders in Marchele Olds (Dallas, Texas), Cindy Spiker (Birmingham, Ala.), Caroline Baxter (Dallas, Texas) and Colette Nammour (Spring, Texas). Also returning from injury is 2006 OVC All-Newcomer Team selection Paige Lanter (Hixson, Tenn.), who was forced to redshirt last season.

"It will definitely be nice to get Paige (Lanter) back," said Yelton. "I think she's going to be a significant piece of the puzzle for us. When you look at the four players who primarily played there last year in Cindy, Caroline, Marchele and Colette, you have to be impressed with the numbers they put up."

Also included in Samford's top-notch group of defenders this season will be senior Candace Clippard (Nashville, Tenn.) and true freshmen Theresa Henry (Marietta, Ga.) and Jordan Gotfredson (Duluth, Ga.).

"With the experience our defenders gained last year and the cohesiveness of the unit, I think we'll once again be very good," Yelton said. "Plus, you add this year's group of talented freshmen and our depth will be even better than last season. I think the entire group will make things very competitive for places in the back four. I really look at our defense as one of the top strengths of our team."

Kat Sweatt

MIDFIELDERS
For the second year in a row, preseason injuries have riddled Samford's depth in the midfield, but the future still looks bright as returning players Kelly Shaffer (Auburn, Ala.), Hilary Samuels (Carrollton, Texas), Valerie Kikkert (Roswell, Ga.), Kat Sweatt (Colleyville, Texas) and Melissa Miller (Bradenton, Fla.) look to anchor the middle for the Bulldogs.

"We have a group of quality players in the midfield," said Yelton. "Unfortunately, we've been hit pretty hard with injuries with the losses of Lindsay Matern (Lakeland, Fla.) and Lauren Cook (Conyers, Ga.), who was our leading scorer last season. We're just going to need some people to grow up pretty quickly and battle for us."

Adding to Samford's depth in the midfield this season will be talented incoming freshmen Mary Shelton Bryant (Signal Mountain, Tenn.), Brittany Gordon (Cumming, Ga.), Shannon Healy (Crystal Beach, Fla.) and Shannon Weathington (Duluth, Ga.). All four players boast outstanding club credentials and should see playing time early in their collegiate careers.

"Some of the freshmen coming in for us are definitely going to have to contribute right away," Yelton said. "I feel very confident that between our current squad and the players coming in, we will be able to fill the void left by those two key injuries."

Amber Cress

FORWARDS
After a record-breaking year in 2007, this season's group of Samford forwards will have lofty expectations as Leah Leppert (Germantown, Tenn.), Natalie Fleming (Evansville, Ind.) and Amber Cress (Zionsville, Ind.) all return for the Bulldogs. The trio combined to score 14 goals a year ago en route to leading the team to its second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons.

"Last year, we set the school record for most goals in a season and that was going up against the toughest schedule we've played in school history," said Yelton. "I think that we were able to accomplish that feat because our players have really matured and worked extremely hard, both in-season and off-season."

Cress finished the 2007 season with six goals and added a team-high nine assists. She was named a First-Team All-OVC performer for a second-consecutive season after tallying a team-high 21 points. Fleming, the Bulldogs' physical junior forward, scored a career-high four goals last year, while Leppert, a true freshman, also exploded for four goals in 2007.

"Amber has been really, really good for us during her two seasons here at Samford and she's very driven to succeed," Yelton said. "Natalie has improved tremendously in the last two years and Leah was fantastic for us last year. This season, we're also getting Sarah Wilkinson (Euless, Texas) back from her injury, and then we'll add the potential of freshman Tori Delmonico (Littleton, Colo.), who is one of the top players coming out of Colorado."

As the Bulldogs begin play in the SoCon this year, Yelton and his staff realize that the season will again be a grind. Samford boasts six forwards on the roster in 2008 and each of them will be asked to chip in and battle for the team to win against the higher level of competition.

"We have the ability to be very good in the attack this season and if there's any position on our team where I feel we have depth and the most competition, it would definitely be among our forwards," Yelton said. "Right now, we have about six players that will be fighting for three starting positions and it will definitely be a battle every day in training."

SCHEDULE
Samford's 2008 slate will feature high-profile games against Texas, Marquette, Arkansas, Alabama, UAB and Auburn. Samford will also kick off the season with a home exhibition versus Ole Miss on Aug. 16.

The Bulldogs' schedule will feature four matches against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season. Texas, the Bulldogs' season-opening opponent Aug. 22, advanced to the round of 32 in 2007, as did SoCon-member UNC Greensboro. Texas defeated BYU 2-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, while UNC Greensboro upended Memphis 1-0. This season, Samford will square off against UNC Greensboro at home at Bulldog Field on Sept. 28.

The Bulldogs will also face off against 2007 NCAA Tournament teams Auburn and Furman. Samford is scheduled to play at Auburn on Sept. 19 and at home against the Furman Paladins on Oct. 10. Last year, Furman completed the season with an impressive 16-6-1 overall record, while Auburn tallied a 10-7-2 mark en route to the NCAA Tournament.

Following a pair of weekend games at Milwaukee (Aug. 29) and Marquette (Aug. 31), as well as a non-conference matchup against Mercer (Sept. 5), Samford will face a stretch of consecutive matches against Arkansas, Alabama, UAB and Auburn. The Bulldogs are slated to play Arkansas on Sept. 7 in the Jacksonville State Tournament, before squaring off on the road against Alabama (Sept. 12), UAB (Sept. 14) and Auburn (Sept. 19).

This season, the Bulldogs are slated to play six home matches, all of which are against SoCon opponents. Samford's home slate also includes games against UNC Greensboro (Sept. 28), Furman (Oct. 10), College of Charleston (Oct. 17), The Citadel (Oct. 19) and Chattanooga (Oct. 30). The Bulldogs will play road conference matches versus Davidson (Oct. 3), Georgia Southern (Oct. 5), Wofford (Oct. 12), Appalachian State (Oct. 24) and Western Carolina (Oct. 26).

2008 Samford Soccer Schedule