The Samford Women’s Soccer team defeated the Kennesaw State Owls 2-0 on Thursday, Sept. 12, and advanced to 3-5 on the season. This was the last game for the Bulldogs before entering their conference schedule next week against The Citadel.
Samford failed to take advantage of some sloppy Owl defense during the first 30 minutes of the rainy contest. It was not until the 31st minute that the Bulldogs finally took the lead thanks to a deep attempt by 2017 First-Team All-SoCon junior Allie Lourie. Kennesaw State (7-2) also had their own form of offensive woes, to say the least. Not a single shot was taken by the Owls in the entire first half.
The Bulldogs continued to miss golden scoring opportunities for most of the second half. The Owls were only one Bulldog defensive slip away from tying up the game. Finally, a comeback was put out of reach with four minutes remaining in the second half. Birmingham native Leigh Haynes snuck in a second Samford goal assisted by Nyalyn Moore. When all was said and done, the Bulldog defense had only allowed the Owls one shot attempt.
To say that this 2-0 victory was a much needed win is a huge understatement. The defending SoCon champion Bulldogs came into this game with a 2-5 record, with wins coming against Jacksonville State and Alabama State. However, the Bulldogs have had an extremely difficult pre-conference schedule, notably consisting of Baylor, LSU and Auburn. Last year, the Bulldogs went 4-5-1 in pre-conference play, and then went 8-0-1 in SoCon play. With that being said, do not count out these talented players from repeating their 2017 successes. It should additionally be noted that two of the Bulldogs’ scheduled pre-conference games against Rice and College of Charleston were cancelled.
The big problem for the offense is goal efficiency. The Bulldogs have made six out of 99 shots taken in the first eight games of this season. Few would expect a second consecutive SoCon title with only 6.1 percent of their shot attempts finding the net. Quality passing and clear shots at the goal mean nothing without the ability to finish. Samford’s top scorer after eight games is senior midfielder Korrie Sauder with two goals. The Bulldogs must take advantage of their opportunities against less efficient defenses when they begin SoCon play against The Citadel.
The Bulldogs next game will be a home contest against The Citadel on Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. The game scheduled for last Saturday, Sept. 15 against the College of Charleston was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence.
Carson Caulfield, Sports Writer
Photo courtesy of Samford Athletics
