Samford University Women's Soccer

Yelton has propelled the Bulldogs to national prominence throughout his remarkable 14 years at the helm of the Samford University soccer team.   The winningest coach in Samford soccer history, Yelton has led his team to seven regular-season conference titles, three NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of conference tournament championships.   Never one to shy away from tough competition, Yelton recently compiled a four-match winning streak against Southeastern Conference opponents, including a trio of victories in 2013 against Tennessee, 1-0, Auburn, 1-0, and Vanderbilt, 3-2. All three of the Bulldogs aforementioned triumphs occurred at the state-of-the-art Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.   Last season, the Yelton-led Bulldogs continued to build upon their growing list of impressive victories as Samford toppled Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference, 2-1, in a home contest held in Birmingham, Ala.   In 2014, Yeltons Bulldogs traveled to Auburn, Ala., and knocked off the 18th-ranked Auburn Tigers, 2-1, in a match broadcast live to the nation on the SEC Network. His squad went on to register a 7-2 Southern Conference record and earn the regular-season championship. Since 2014, the Bulldogs boast a dominant 15-3 record in SoCon regular-season contests.   For his efforts in both 2014 and 2015, Yelton earned his fourth and fifth Coach of the Year honors, including his second and third since joining the SoCon in 2008.   Throughout Yeltons tenure in Birmingham, Samfords competitively-energetic leader has brought a sense of excitement and excellence to the Bulldogs program and turned the soccer team into must-see action on campus. In 2013, Samford led the SoCon with a league-best average of 831 fans per home contest.   Just four years ago, Yelton led the Bulldogs to their most successful season in school history. Samford concluded the season with a stellar 14-6-2 overall record and an undefeated 9-0-2 mark in SoCon play. The Bulldogs cruised to the 2011 SoCon regular-season title and earned its first SoCon Tournament championship with key shutout victories against Furman and College of Charleston.   Yeltons 2011 squad squared off against the sixth-ranked Florida State Seminoles in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and fought to a tough 2-0 loss in Tallahassee, Fla.   In 2010, despite a number of season-ending injuries to key players on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field, Yelton helped guide the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the SoCon standings and a trip to the championship match of the 2010 SoCon Tournament. Samford concluded the season with a 13-6-3 overall record and a stellar 8-2-1 mark against conference opponents. In the SoCon Tournament final, Yeltons squad fell just short of another trip to the NCAA Tournament in a hard-fought 1-0 loss to No. 14-ranked UNC Greensboro.   In 2009, Yelton also led the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the talent-laden SoCon, as well as semifinal-round appearance in the leagues postseason tournament for a second straight year. Not only did Samford excel in SoCon play, but the Bulldogs registered a school-record 12-1-5 overall record. Their only loss in 2009 was a hard-fought 1-0 decision against College of Charleston.   Samford opened the 2009 season with a 0-0 draw against No. 25-ranked Auburn and then compiled a six-match winning streak, including a historic 3-0 victory over in-state rival Alabama.   In 2008, Samfords inaugural season as a member of the SoCon, the Bulldogs compiled an 8-1-2 record in league play, earning a third-place finish in the conference standings.   Yeltons team earned the right to host a first-round match in the 2008 SoCon Tournament and advanced past the College of Charleston with a 4-1 victory in a penalty-kick shootout at Bulldog Soccer Field. Samford advanced to the semifinal round of the SoCon Tournament and owns a 15-3-5 all-time record against SoCon opponents.   Immediately following Samfords inaugural season in the SoCon, Theresa Henry, Alyssa Whitehead and Sarah Wilkinson were named to the leagues All-Freshman team in 2008. They all played key roles in leading Samford to its 8-1-2 conference record.   In 2007, Yeltons team became the first squad in Samford history to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs qualified for the Field of 64 for the second time in three seasons and nearly pulled off an upset of LSU in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.   In 2007, the eight-player freshman class was ranked 68th in the nation by Soccer Buzz magazine. Seven Bulldogs received All-Ohio Valley Conference honors. Birdsell and Cress were named to the conferences first team, while Winters and Cindy Spiker garnered second-team accolades. True freshmen Lauren Cook, Colette Nammour and Hilary Samuels were named to the All-Newcomer Team.   Following Samfords 15-5-1 ­campaign in 2007, Yelton agreed to a 10-year contract extension. During his first nine years at Samford, Yelton compiled a school-record 110-47-26 mark and a 58-9-9 record against conference opponents.   Soccer Buzz ranked Samfords 2006 recruits 85th in the nation. The Bulldogs registered the first undefeated conference record in school ­history and finished the year with an 11-4-3 overall mark. With the teams 6-0-3 OVC record, Samford earned its fourth-straight regular-season conference title.   Samford continued to dominate post­season honors in 2006. Five players earned All-OVC accolades. Senior Sharon Young received Player of the Year honors, while Amber Cress was named Freshman of the Year and Paige Lanter earned All-Newcomer honors. Junior Heather Birdsell was named to the conferences first team, while Bohler received second-team accolades.   In 2005, Yeltons squad advanced past 19th-ranked Vanderbilt in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament and became the first Ohio Valley Conference team to reach the second round of the postseason competition.   The 2005 recruiting class consisted of seven talented prep stars. It was ranked 16th in the Southeast and 91st in the nation by Soccer Buzz.   During the 2005 campaign, Yelton helped Samford to a school-record 15-4-4 overall mark and a 7-2 conference record. He was named the OVC Coach of the Year, his second such honor in three years.   One of the nations top womens soccer coaches, Yelton became the schools all-time winningest coach Sept. 9, 2005, picking up the ground-breaking victory with a 1-0 win on the road against North Carolina State. The triumph also was Samfords first victory against a team from the ACC.   Honors continued to roll in during the 2005 campaign. Rebecca Bohler, Heather Birdsell and Cayley Winters were awarded Soccer Buzz Southeast Regional honors, and seven players earned All-OVC accolades. Sophomore forward Bohler was named the 2005 OVC Player of the Year.   In 2004, Yelton brought in eight new players. The freshman class was named the 14th-best recruiting class in the Southeast by Soccer Buzz and was ranked 79th in the nation.   After winning a second-straight OVC regular-season title in 2004, Samford had six players earn All-OVC honors, with four Bulldogs receiving first-team accolades and two players notching second-team awards. Senior goalkeeper Royall was the first player in conference history to be named both OVC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. In eight league matches, she earned five shutouts and tallied a 7-1 record as a starter.   The 2003 roster featured six freshmen and was named the 19th-best recruiting class in the Southeast by Soccer Buzz, the first Samford freshman class to be recognized in that fashion. Five of Samfords last six recruiting classes have been ranked among the top 100 teams in the nation.   Samford had a school-record eight players earn berths on OVC All-Conference teams in 2003. Kim Matthews was named the OVC Freshman of the Year. Goalkeeper Crystal Royall set six school records, earning Soccer Buzz third-team All-Southeast Region honors. Six team records were set during 2003, including marks for shutouts in a season (13) and team goals-against average (0.66), and 15 individual records were either set or tied.   Since joining the OVC in 2003, the Bulldogs reached the champion­ship match of the OVC Tournament four times. Yelton was named the OVC Coach of the Year in 2003 and led Samford to its initial Soccer Buzz Southeast Regional ranking before the 2004 season.   Yelton was hired as Samfords second soccer coach Jan. 11, 2002. He immediately helped the Bulldogs become contenders in the Atlantic Sun Conference. A native of Piney Flats, Tenn., Yelton began a youth-based resurgence in the soccer program by bringing in 10 freshmen in 2002. Samford won its first eight matches of the 2002 season and opened the campaign with a school-record 9-0-1 start.   Since 2002, Yeltons Bulldogs have knocked off SEC opponents Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, Conference USA foes Memphis, UAB and Southern Miss, and ACC powerhouses Wake Forest and North Carolina State.   Yelton served as the top assistant at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) during 200001, where he helped turn around a Blazer team that went 3-14-2 in 2000. In 2001, UAB posted an 11-9 record, including a 7-3 C-USA mark.   Before coaching at UAB, Yelton served four years as head coach at Parkview High School in Atlanta, Ga. During that time, his teams posted a 59-11-3 overall mark and captured 4A state championships in 1997 and 1999. His teams received national rankings in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll three of his four years.   Yeltons first collegiate head coaching position was at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Ga., where he coached for four seasons and posted a 40-32-4 mark.   Yelton has been a multi-year member of the prestigious Region III Olympic Developmental Program staff. His playing career began when he was a freshman at Tennessee Tech University. He then transferred to King College (Tenn.), where he was a two-year starter on defense. He earned his bachelors degree in history from King College in 1991.   In November of 2015, Yeltons wife, Shauna, passed away following an arduous battle with cervical cancer.  Her memorial service was held in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood, Ala. The couple has a daughter, MacKenzie, 19, and a son, Colin, 16.