CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel will play its final two road matches of the regular season this weekend as the Bulldogs make the trek west to face Chattanooga on Friday at 4 p.m. and Samford on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Both matches will be carried live on ESPN+ from Chattanooga and Birmingham, Ala.
The Bulldogs (7-7-2, 1-4 SoCon) split their matches at WLI Field last weekend, downing archrival VMI 3-0 on Friday afternoon before a 3-1 setback against UNCG on Sunday. Both matches were played in strong winds that affected the play, and the two sides on Sunday played through intermittent showers as well.
Suzuka Yosue found the back of the net twice and
Devyn Nyhart added a third goal as The Citadel knocked off VMI, claiming its first-ever three-match winning streak in the rivalry. On Sunday,
Logan Dix scored just 95 seconds into the match, the fastest goal ever scored from kickoff in the Bulldogs' history, but UNCG responded with three unanswered goals to capture the match.
Chattanooga (4-1-1, 3-1-1 SoCon) played just one non-conference match before entering Southern Conference play. The Mocs have three wins in their last four outings, including a 1-0 victory at Wofford in their most recent match last Sunday afternoon.
Chloe Arnold, Samantha Shaw and Kendra Mueller have each scored twice for Chattanooga this season, and both Arnold and Shaw are tied for the team lead with five total points. Six different players have recorded one assist for the Mocs, and Arnold is the squad's leader in both total shots (15) and shots on goal (7) through six matches.
In goal, Ashton Shields (347 minutes) and Abbey Saddler (225 minutes) have split time and both own a sub-1.00 goals against average. Shields has surrendered just three goals while making 13 saves, and Saddler has four stops and only one goal allowed.
The Citadel will be seeking to improve its record in the all-time series against the Mocs, who hold a 13-5-1 edge across the 19 previous meetings. Chattanooga has won five straight against the Bulldogs, who will be trying to get their first win since an 8-2 road victory on Oct. 26, 2014.
Samford (3-1-3, 3-0-2 SoCon) is undefeated in its last month of play and has dropped just one match, a 1-0 decision against SEC foe Ole Miss on Feb. 25. Since a scoreless draw at Chattanooga on March 5, the Bulldogs have scored 11 goals in their last four matches while allowing just one that came in a 1-1 draw at Furman in their last time out on Sunday.
A trio of Samford players have scored multiple goals, led by four strikes from Taylor Yount, who also leads the squad with eight total points, 21 shots and 12 shots on goal. Five different Bulldogs have recorded an assist, with Morgan Greene the lone player to also add a goal to that tally.
Morgan McAslan has played all but 19 minutes between the posts for Samford this season, making 17 saves and allowing only three goals for a 0.40 goals against average.
Samford owns a 14-1-1 mark all-time against The Citadel, whose lone victory in the series came on Oct. 18, 2013, in a 3-2 victory in Birmingham. The Citadel will be looking to snap a nine-match losing streak against the Bulldogs since that win on Sunday afternoon.
The Citadel will close the 2020-21 regular season next week as the Bulldogs welcome ETSU (Thursday at 3 p.m.) and Western Carolina (Saturday at 11 a.m.) to WLI Field. The Western Carolina match will double as Senior Day for The Citadel, who will honor eight players in a pre-match ceremony for their accomplishments and contributions to the program.
