Samford’s Women’s Soccer team is coming off another stellar season, as the team went 5-1-3 in conference games and 11-4-7 overall. The season marked the team’s ninth consecutive conference championship and a third trip to the NCAA tournament in four seasons.
While this team had an incredible run this past fall season, the work done in the upcoming spring season could prove to be another positive step in the right direction. The team will have only five games this spring, a lighter schedule by comparison to the fall.
“In the fall, the practices are a lot lighter because we have a heavy game schedule ranging anywhere from 20-22 games,” sophomore Whiter Buchanan said.
With only five games in the spring, Buchanan tells us that “the extra time allows for training to be more intense and more physically challenging.” She explains that the coaches are able to make “practices and weights more energy exerting” and that they are able “to get a ton of touches, scrimmage more, and work on the things we don’t have the time to work on in the fall.”
Unlike the fall season, now there is plenty of downtime that allows the team recovery days, so tough practices can help the team get ready for fall. Another key difference between the two seasons is that there isn’t a trophy or title to win at the end of it. However, according to the players, this doesn’t decrease the level of competition whatsoever.
“The spring at Samford is highly competitive inside and outside of the team environment,” Buchanon said. “It also poses an opportunity for players to showcase their skillset and improve.”
The team’s first game was on Feb. 24 against Ole Miss. The Bulldogs and Rebels met in the fall, where they played to a 0-0 stalemate. This time around, the Rebels escaped with a 2-1 victory. The Bulldogs will look to improve upon a tough loss when they face Lipscomb on March 22.
