Sept. 17, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The undefeated Samford University soccer team will conclude its two-match road trip Friday at 6 p.m. (CDT), as the Bulldogs travel to Kennesaw, Ga., for a key nonconference contest against the Kennesaw State Owls. The matchup will be held at the KSU Soccer Complex.

Samford (4-0-1) enters the match as one of only five teams in the nation that hasn't allowed a goal this season. In five games this year, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by a total of 8-0. Samford is also one of only 20 teams in the nation that hasn't suffered a loss.

So far this season, the Bulldogs have tied 25th-ranked Auburn 0-0 on Aug. 23, and then rattled off four-consecutive nonconference victories against Alabama 3-0, Francis Marion 3-0, Texas State 1-0 and Belmont 1-0. Samford's last defeat was a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Western Carolina in the semifinal round of the Southern Conference Tournament on Nov. 7, 2008.

The Bulldogs' goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead is the reigning SoCon Player of the Week after she tallied four key saves in a 1-0 shutout victory at Belmont on Sunday. Whitehead has already accumulated 21 saves this season en route to compiling four complete-game shutouts.

Samford's offensive attack this year has been paced by senior forward Amber Cress and sophomore forward Sarah Wilkinson. Both of the aforementioned players have scored three goals this season, while Cress has also added a pair of assists.

Cress, a native of Zionsville, Ind., is currently ranked fourth on Samford's all-time goals-scored list with 19. She only needs seven more goals this season to become the school's all-time leader in the category.

Kennesaw State (2-3) heads into Friday's matchup riding a positive wave of momentum after the Owls traveled to Macon, Ga., on Saturday to open Atlantic Sun play with a 1-0 victory against Mercer. Kennesaw State kept its perfect record against Mercer intact with the competitive win.

The Owls' freshman defender Jade Dempster scored the lone goal of the match, a free kick that sailed over the goalkeeper's head in the 11th minute. The Kennesaw State defense held strong the rest of the match, handing Mercer its second shutout of the season.

Dempster's performance earned her A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week honors. The honor was the second A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week award for Kennesaw State this season. Owls' goalkeeper Staci Pugh earned the first award after defeating Francis Marion and holding nationally-ranked Minnesota to one goal.

Samford will square off against Kennesaw State for only the second time in school history Friday. In 2007, the Bulldogs and Owls met for the first time and Samford fought to a 3-0 victory. The match was held at Bulldog Field.

Following Friday's matchup with Kennesaw State, the Samford soccer team will return home to Birmingham for a Sunday contest against the Winthrop Eagles. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., at Bulldog Field.