The Samford Women’s Soccer team has been off to a rough start this season. Their nonconference loss to LSU this past Sunday has made them fall to 2-5 for the season. In their five losses for the season so far, they have been outscored 17-1 including being shut out in four of those games. The Bulldogs’ level of competition has been exceptional so far this season as they have had to matchup against power programs such as No. 15 in the nation Baylor, Memphis, Auburn and LSU. It has been a surprising start to the season for the Bulldogs as they are the four-time defending SoCon Champions. The Bulldogs are currently going through a revamp as sensations Mac Kelly, forwards South Africa Olympian, Jermaine Seoposenwe and Abriella Argueta, as well as All-SoCon goalkeeper Anna Maddox, have graduated. The Bulldogs will be looking to use their returning players and freshman players to step up this year enroute to try and obtain a fifth-straight SoCon Championship under head coach Todd Yelton.
The current team leader in points is senior midfielder Korrie Sauder with four points. She transferred from Miami (OH) as a freshman and was named to the SoCon All -Tournament team as a sophomore. Also stepping up for the Bulldogs are junior forward Erin Bonner and sophomore forward Caroline Orman who both have two pints so far this season and a combined 25 shots attempted. Orman is looking to capitalize off an impressive season in which she was named to the SoCon All-Freshman team.
Replacing Anna Maddox is sophomore goalie Stephanie Westaway from Cornelius, North Carolina. She currently has 22 saves, one shoutout and two wins for the Bulldogs this season. She played a very pivotal role for the team in their 2-0 victory against Alabama State and their cross-state rival Jacksonville State in a double-overtime thriller. The winning goal from that game came from the team’s leading scorer Korrie Sauder.
The Bulldogs have two more non-conference games against Kennesaw State and College of Charleston before they start conference play against The Citadel at home Sept. 21. That game will start at 7 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN3.
Levi Edwards, Sports Editor