Oct. 1, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team will host its first Southern Conference home match of the 2009 season Friday as the Bulldogs welcome the Western Carolina Catamounts to Bulldog Field for a 7 p.m., matchup.

Samford (6-1-1, 1-1 SoCon) heads into the contest looking to bounce back from a hard-fought 1-0 loss at the College of Charleston on Sunday. In their lone defeat of 2009, the Bulldogs allowed a goal for the first time this season. Prior to College of Charleston's goal, Samford had compiled a shutout streak of seven-consecutive matches and 705 minutes.

The Bulldogs opened SoCon play with a 1-0 road victory against The Citadel. In the win, Samford's Sarah Wilkinson tallied the game-winning goal during the 56th minute of play.

Samford's triumph at The Citadel extended its winning streak to six-straight matches. After a season-opening 0-0 draw with 25th-ranked Auburn, the Bulldogs rattled off consecutive victories against Alabama, Francis Marion, Texas State, Belmont, Winthrop and The Citadel.

Sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead has only allowed a single goal this season and has helped lead the Bulldogs to their stellar 6-1-1 overall record. She has started in all eight of Samford's matches and has already tallied six shutouts.

So far this season, Whitehead has faced 76 shot attempts and has only allowed one goal. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-3 sophomore from Hattiesburg, Miss., is ranked first in the nation in save percentage (.973) and second in the country in goals-against average (0.12).

Samford's offensive attack this season has been led by Wilkinson and senior Amber Cress. Wilkinson, a sophomore forward from Euless, Texas, owns a team-high four goals this year, while Cress follows with three.

Western Carolina (5-3-2, 2-0 SoCon) enters Friday's showdown in the midst of a four-match undefeated streak. Since falling short in an upset bid at Tennessee on Sept. 13, 2-1, the Catamounts have earned victories against Jacksonville State 2-0, Davidson 2-0 and Georgia Southern 1-0. During its streak, Western Carolina played to a scoreless draw at UNC Asheville on Sept. 20.

The Catamounts' All-SoCon goalkeeper Caitlin Williams has not allowed a goal since their loss at Tennessee. Western Carolina's junior from Liberty, S.C., has tallied four-straight shutouts.

Offensively, the Catamounts have been paced this season by senior forward Rachael Shomper. A native of Millersburg, Pa., Shomper has scored three goals and added an assist this year. She also leads Western Carolina with seven points.

Samford owns a 1-1 all-time record against Western Carolina. Last season, the teams met for the first time and squared off twice over the course of the year.

During the regular season, the Bulldogs posted a 2-1 victory in Cullowhee, N.C., but then suffered a 1-0 loss to the Catamounts in the semifinal round of the SoCon Tournament. Western Carolina's Shomper scored the game-winning goal in the last meeting between the teams.

Following Samford's critical match against Western Carolina on Friday, the Bulldogs will continue their SoCon homestand with a 2 p.m., meeting with the Appalachian State Mountaineers. The contest will be held at Samford's Bulldog Field.

GameTracker - Western Carolina at Samford