Birdsell Named Third-Team All-Southeast Region :: The Bulldogs' senior midfielder ends her career as one of the nation's elite players

The Bulldogs' senior midfielder ends her career as one of the nation's elite players

Jan. 8, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Heather Birdsell, Samford's senior soccer player and four-time All-Ohio Valley Conference performer, continued to earn postseason accolades Tuesday as the Bulldogs' midfielder was named to the third team of the Soccer Buzz Southeast Region.

Birdsell joined North Carolina's Ariel Harris, Georgia's Kelli Corless, Duke's Allison Lipsher and South Carolina's Ashley Kirk among other elite players on the third team of the talent-laden Southeast Region.

A midfielder from Plano, Texas, Birdsell recently concluded her illustrious four-year career as one of the most decorated players in Samford history.

She earned First-Team All-OVC honors in each of her four seasons and was named to the OVC All-Tournament Team in 2005. In addition to her All-OVC accolades, she has received previous third-team regional honors from both the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz.

A three-time OVC Player of the Week, Birdsell is ranked among Samford's all-time top-five in both goals and assists, and is ranked in the top-10 in points and games played. In 2007, she was forced to play a predominant portion of the season as a defender and still scored three goals and added a pair of assists.

During her time at Samford, Birdsell helped lead the team to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, three OVC regular-season championships and an OVC Tournament title. In 2005, she converted on a critical penalty kick in the NCAA Tournament as the Bulldogs advanced past the 19th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores.