RADFORD, Va. -- In a rare occurrence, Radford (5-6) will being playing under the lights of RU Field Hockey Field when it hosts Appalachian State (6-6) tonight at 6 p.m.

It is just the second night contest at the home of the Highlanders in school history. The first-ever evening match occurred on Sept. 19, 2007 against Davidson.

RUFH will be recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing pink bracelets along with other pink related attire.

The Highlanders and Mountaineers have an early lead in the East Division standings with identical 1-0 records. Radford defeated Longwood, 2-1 in overtime, and ASU topped Davidson, 3-2 on Sept. 18.
If last year was an indication of what to expect tonight then it will be another close affair. Radford swept the 2008 season series with a pair of one-goal victories, 2-1 in Radford and 5-4 in Boone.

Radford will be facing Appalachian State for the 40th time, the longest standing series with any opponent. The Highlanders lead the series 30-9 and have won seven straight and 10 of the last 11 against the Mountaineers. RU is also 15-0 at home against Appalachian State.

The Highlanders are coming off back-to-back 2-1 victories over Longwood and NorPac newcomer UC Davis.

Against the Lancers, junior Lara Cariker (Fredericksburg, Va.) tied the game with a penalty stroke with just over two minutes to go and Chancellor High School teammate Niamh Connolly (Fredericksburg, Va.) won the game 5:17 into the first extra session.

The following day, Radford got an early goal from sophomore Courtney Poole (Gloucester, Va./Gloucester) and the game-winner from junior Kay Tufts in the 58th minute to defeat UC Davis. Following Tufts' goal, the Aggies peppered RU keeper Jen Wisniewski (Centreville, Va./Westfield) with eight shots in the final 3:30, but the junior came up big with five saves and was helped out by classmate Megan Lenhardt (Gloucester, Va./Gloucester), who made a defensive save off a rebound with less than 15 seconds left in the match.

On Tuesday, Poole was tabbed NorPac East Offensive Player of the Week after playing a key role in both of Radford's victories. She assisted on Connolly's game-winner and also scored the first goal against UCD.
Appalachian State is looking to rebound from a 6-0 defeat at No. 4 Wake Forest on Sunday. Prior to that contest, the Mountaineers had won three straight which included an overtime win vs. UC Davis last Friday. Appalachian State is led by four-time NorPac East Defensive Player of the Week Bridgette Street. The sophomore keeper made 24 saves in a pair of games last week, including 14 against the Aggies. She is currently ranked second in the NCAA in saves per game (10.58) and 16th in save percentage (.774). Offensively, Jesse Harris and Nicole Morgan pace ASU with four goals apiece.

Radford will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. on Sunday to take on No. 9 Boston College at 1 p.m. Next week the Highlanders will play a home and home against Davidson. The teams will play in Davidson on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and in Radford on Saturday at 1 p.m.