Oct. 3, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University soccer team will conclude its brief two-match homestand Sunday at 2 p.m., as the Bulldogs welcome the Appalachian State Mountaineers to Bulldog Field for another key Southern Conference matchup. On Friday, Samford earned a 1-1 draw with Western Carolina.

"I think that Appalachian State is a very well-organized team," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "They are going to be hard to break down and we know that they are a very good team. They are capable of getting a quality result, especially because they went 2-0 on the opening weekend of SoCon play. We will need to absolutely be ready to play on Sunday."

Samford (6-1-2, 1-1-1 SoCon), coming off its 1-1 draw with Western Carolina on Friday, will look to improve to 2-0 all-time against Appalachian State (5-5-1, 2-1 SoCon) on Sunday. Last season, the Bulldogs earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Mountaineers on the road in Boone, N.C.

Appalachian State will look to rebound from a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss against Chattanooga on Friday. During the overtime period, Chattanooga's Becca Smith scored her second goal of the night three minutes into the frame when she headed a ball from Donna-Kay Henry past Caroline Clarke for the game-winner.

The Mountaineers' goal occurred early in the match as Paige Morrow headed in a corner kick from Sydney Hill just three minutes into the contest. It was the second-straight match that Hill and Morrow paired up for a goal.

The Mocs tied the score in the 29th minute when Smith scored off a free kick from 18 yards out.

In Samford's 1-1 tie against Western Carolina, the Bulldogs led 1-0 with 35 seconds remaining in the regulation when the Catamounts' Rachael Shomper tallied the game-tying goal from eight yards out. Following the equalizing goal, neither team scored during the overtime periods.

The Bulldogs' Sarah Wilkinson notched the game-winning goal in last season's 1-0 victory at Appalachian State. The contest was the first all-time meeting between the teams.

Following Samford's key SoCon matchup with Appalachian State on Sunday, the Bulldogs will next be in action Thursday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as they travel to Greenville, S.C., to square off against the Furman Lady Paladins.

GameTracker - Appalachian State at Samford