‘Those Aren’t Shabby Wins’…….Samford’s Todd Yelton
Six games into the season, if the Samford Bulldogs were members of the Southeastern Conference they would be leading that league with 3-0 record.
A sweep of SEC teams in the non-conference portion of the Bulldogs’ schedule was capped with a 3-2 double-overtime win over Vanderbilt, their first-ever win over the Commodores.
Earlier in the year Samford registered back-to-back 1-0 shutout wins over Tennessee and Auburn.
Three wins this season, and if you throw in last year’s 3-1 triumph over Kentucky in the championship game of the 2012 Louisville Classic, that would be four straight over the big guys.
Nearly 1,200 raucous fans created an electric atmosphere at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium. The [show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’]support of the biggest crowd of the season was not lost on the Samford players, or on head coach Todd Yelton.
“The fan support tonight was unbelievable,” said Yelton. “It was a fantastic environment and our team really fed off the energy of the crowd, especially late in the match. We definitely enjoy having great support, both from the community and from our students.
Senior midfielder Trine Taule (Norway) led the effort against Vandy with a pair of goals.
Michelle Moll (Carmel, IN) scored the game-winner in the eighth minute of the second and final overtime period. The golden goal was her first of the season and came off a free kick from the left side just outside the penalty box.
The Bulldogs have the benefit of five seniors and the strength of the team may be right down the middle of the field.
“I thought that through the spine of our team, we were great tonight,” said Yelton. “In matches like this, people like to talk about how we’re starting five true freshmen, but what I will tell you is that our group of seniors was outstanding tonight.
“Our seniors are warriors and I thought as the game went on, the better Trine got. (Canadian) Shanika (Thomas) also played a tremendous game and she is certainly the backbone of this team and the leader of the squad. We’re fortunate to have this group of seniors from a leadership standpoint.”
Freshman Malcanisha Kelley (Childersburg, Ala.) scored both goals in the wins over Tennessee and against Auburn.
Following the Vandy win, the Bulldogs picked up their fifth win with a 3-0 shutout of Kennesaw State which closed out the non-conference portion of the schedule. They had previously beaten Texas San Antonio 2-0.
But it hasn’t been all wins and celebrations this season for Samford. The Bulldogs opened on the road with a 2-0 loss at Memphis. They also dropped a tough 2-0 decision to Texas.
Going into Southern Conference play, everyone in the Samford program hopes the experience and confidence from the SEC wins and the games against Texas and the others will provide a platform for positive results in league play.
“The measuring stick in this part of the country is definitely the SEC,” Yelton said. “That’s what everybody talks about and for us to be on a four-game winning streak against the SEC, it really speaks volumes about our program and the character of our players.
“In my opinion, those are four quality SEC wins. Those aren’t shabby wins at all.”
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