BOX SCORE
BOX SCORE

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Four first half goals, including a hat trick from sophomore Sahar Aflaki (Gainesville, Va./Battlefield), gave Radford women's soccer a 4-1 triumph over rival Liberty and advanced the Highlanders to the Big South Championship game for the fourth time in program history.
 
It was Aflaki's eighth score in the last five matches and she also took the team lead in goals with nine.  In addition, it was her second career hat trick, the other coming in her first collegiate game against Southern Virginia in 2010.
 
“Sahar finished some nice goals tonight and I was extremely proud of her,” commented head coach Ben Sohrabi.  “It was a game of two halves.  With the wind at our back in the first half we took advantage of that and scored some goals and the second half became about defending.  I thought we handled it appropriately and got the job done.”
 
The four Radford goals were the most scored in a tournament game since the Highlanders put up five in 1998 and 2002 – two of the Highlanders' three title years.  
 
8:08 into the match, Rachel Conway (Ontario, Canada/Forest Heights Collegiate) took a shot that was blocked and sent straight up in the air.  Aflaki outmaneuvered the ball away from a Liberty defender, turned and lofted a shot in the upper left net to give Radford a 1-0 advantage.
 
In the regular season matchup between the two squads, the Highlanders scored in similar fashion, putting in the first goal at 8:03.
 
From the defensive half, Sydney Golden (Lexington, Ky./Paul L. Dunbar) launched a ball up field towards the left side of the Liberty 18-yard box.  Aflaki hustled between two defenders for possession and beat the Lady Flames' keeper for her second goal of the game (22').  After Karen Blocker punched a Julie Ruh'e (Monrovia, Md./Urbana) shot up and behind her, the ball carried enough momentum to the left post, where Aflaki touched it in at the goal line (31') to complete her hat trick. 
 
In the 24th minute, Mary Wiley (Radford, Va./Radford) tallied the third score of the game when she received a long Che' Brown (Manassas Park, Va./Manassas Park) punt.  From 25 yards out, Wiley turned inside and blasted a shot into the upper right 90, past a diving Blocker.
 
Liberty (9-8-3) got on the board 34 seconds before the half when a Maddie Boone corner kick found the head of Ariana Espanoza and beat Brown. 
 
Brown came up with a career-high 10 saves while Blocker had six.   The Lady Flames held the advantage in shots, 20-16 and in corners, 5-4.
 
Radford (14-5-1) will take on the winner of Winthrop and Campbell Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in the championship game.  The winner will receive the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.