Who: at Samford
When: Sunday, November 5
Where: Birmingham, Ala. | Shauna Yelton Field
Time: 2 PM EST | 1 PM CST
Ticket: FREE
Live Stats | ESPN+
 
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women's soccer, who finished fourth in the Southern Conference (SoCon) regular season will be competing in the 2022 SoCon Championship match for the first time since 2018 on Sunday, November 6.
 
The Spartans will face off against the second-seeded Samford Bulldogs in Birmingham, Alabama on Shauna Yelton Field.
 
Samford and UNCG have met 17 previous times, with the Bulldogs owning an 11-5-1 series advantage. Earlier this season, the Spartans hosted the Bulldogs with Samford coming out on top for a 2-1 victory. Samford has won the last five games against UNCG, with the last Spartan win coming in the semifinals of the 2017 SoCon Tournament with UNCG winning in Birmingham.
 
Samford enters the game with a 10-game unbeaten streak, while the Spartans are at six-straight matches.
 
This is the third time in six years that the Spartans have reached the championship game. This will be the 12^th overall appearance in the SoCon Championship for UNCG, where eight of the 12 appearances resulted in a title.
 
This will be the seventh appearance in a SoCon Championship game for Samford, where four resulted in a title.
 
The game will air on ESPN+ with Jason Patterson (play-by-play) and Phil Cox (analyst) calling the championship. Admission is free for the contest.
 
RECORDS
UNCG: 10-7-3, 4-3-2 SoCon
Samford: 11-3-6, 5-1-3 SoCon
 
SOCON AWARDS
Senior Gabi Santora and junior Parker Sikora were named to the SoCon All-Conference first team. Santora earned her second-career recognition.
 
Sophomore Chloe Lausell was voted to the All-Conference second team, for her second-career honor. Freshman Emma Malone was selected to the SoCon All-Freshman Team.
 
SPARTANS' LAST TIME OUT

• The No. 4 UNCG Spartans defeated the No. 1 Chattanooga Mocs, 2-1 in the semifinal match on Sunday at UTC Sports Complex.
• Gabi Santora scored her fourth goal of the season off a corner kick.
• Maddy Gilhool tallied her ninth goal of the season and fifth game-winning tally of the year.
• Ryen Ortiz recorded the assist on Gilhool's goal.
• Emma Malone had three saves in the victory in net.

SPARTAN STATS

• Twelve Spartans have scored at least one goal totaling 31 this season.
• Senior Maddy Gilhool leads the Spartans with nine goals and 19 points.
• Her nine goals are a season best.
• Hannah Morton and Gabi Santora are second on the team with four goals.
• Santora is second on the team with 14 points and first with six assists.
• Ten of her 14 points have come during SoCon games.
• Caroline Woods, Ava Kiss, Parker Sikora, Nadia Wilson, Ryen Ortiz have two goals each.
• Between the posts, UNCG has given up just eight goals in the last 12 games.
• UNCG's seven shutouts are third in the SoCon.
• Among the SoCon, the Spartans are fourth in points (88), fourth in goals (32), fourth in goals per game (1.60), fourth in assists (24), fourth in assists per game (1.20), fifth in goals against average (1.24), fifth in saves (76), seventh in goals allowed (25), seventh in corners (83), eighth in shots (206).
• UNCG has outscored its SoCon opponents 21-8 thus far.

SCOUTING SAMFORD

• No. 2 seed Samford claimed a share of the SoCon regular season title for the ninth-straight season this year.
• The Bulldogs won the 2021 SoCon Championship, earning the automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament and making it to the second round.
• This marks the eighth time that Samford has played in the SoCon title game, with the Bulldogs holding a 4-3 record in the previous contests.
• Samford defeated seventh-seeded The Citadel, 2-0, and third-seeded Mercer, 1-0, to reach the championship game.
• Whitaker Buchanan has led the Bulldogs with five goals and five assists for a team-best 15 points.
• Layton Glisson has four goals and three assists for 11 points.
• Ella Simpson has five goals and one assist, also for 11 points.
• Goalkeeper Emma Donley has started the last 10 games in net, posting a record of 7-0-3 and a goal against average of 0.60.
• She has saved 24 shots, while allowing just six goals.
• Forward Taylor Yount and defender Kylie Gazza earned All-Conference first team honors, while Buchanan was voted to the second team.
• The Bulldogs are outscoring SoCon opponents 21-7 this season.

UP NEXT

• The winner of this year's tournament will receive the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA postseason.
• The NCAA Selection Show will air on NCAA.com on Monday, November 7 at 4 p.m. EST.

 
 
2022 Women's Soccer Championship
Tuesday, Oct. 25
First Round (at higher seeds)
Match 1: No. 8 Wofford 2, No. 9 Furman 1
Match 2: No. 7 The Citadel 3, No 10 VMI 0

Friday, Oct. 28
Quarterfinals (at No. 1 & No. 2 seeds)
Match 3: No. 1 Chattanooga 2, No. 8 Wofford 1 (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
Match 4: No. 4 UNCG 2, No. 5 Western Carolina 1 (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
Match 5: No. 2 Samford 2, No. 7 The Citadel 0 (Birmingham, Alabama)
Match 6: No. 3 Mercer 1, No. 6 ETSU 1 (2OT, MER 3-2 PKs) (Birmingham, Alabama)

Sunday, Oct. 30
Semifinals (at No. 1 & No. 2 seeds)
Match 7: No. 4 UNCG 2, No. 1 Chattanooga 1 (2OT) (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
Match 8: No. 2 Samford 1, No. 3 Mercer 0 (Birmingham, Alabama)

Sunday, Nov. 6
Final (Birmingham, Alabama)
Match 9: No. 4 UNCG vs. No. 2 Samford, 1 p.m. CT
 
*all times Eastern unless otherwise noted