MEN'S SOCCER HOSTS GARDNER-WEBB IN BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT MATCH TUESDAY

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Tournament info - BigSouthSports.com

TICKETS: $5 for adults / $3 for children (11 and under) / $1 for Gardner-Webb students (with ID) / FREE for RU students (with ID)
*All ticket sales to be conducted at Cupp Stadium gate*

Second-seeded Radford begins play in the 2012 Big South Men's Soccer Championships at Cupp Stadium on Tuesday night, hosting Gardner-Webb in quarterfinal action at 6 p.m.

The winner of Tuesday's match advances to play among the league's final four at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C. – semifinal play is set for Friday at 7 p.m. for the Radford-Gardner-Webb winner against either Liberty or Winthrop, with the championship scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m.

Radford (9-5-4, 7-2-1 Big South), which closed out the regular season on Saturday night with a 2-0 win over Winthrop, earned 22 points in the standings to claim the No. 2 spot. Helping Radford to the second-place finish was a 6-0-1 Big South start, the first time in program history that the Highlanders were unbeaten seven games into the league schedule.

HIGHLANDER NOTES

Saturday's win was the first for the Highlanders in three matches and came at an important time with a potential home tournament match on the line
Stephen Hudgens, who scored the game-winner (36') on Saturday against Winthrop, notched his first collegiate goal in the victory
Hudgens, playing up from his usual defensive position, had two more good scoring chances before halftime on a close-in shot that was blocked, and another that was saved
Lucas Diniz is the leading freshman scorer for the Highlanders (3G, 1A) – he added his third goal of the year in the 61st minute on Saturday
Radford outshot Winthrop 21-4 – the 17-shot differential is the most for the Highlanders this season
The Highlanders have outshot opponents 13 times this season
Through their 18 regular season matches, the Highlanders rank fourth in the Big South in scoring (31 goals), while their goals against (19) rank third

THE MATCHUP

Radford beat Gardner-Webb 6-1 on Sept. 29 in a match highlighted by a five-goal second half, including two-goal efforts from Joe Mayer and Ramzi Dridi
The win was Radford's first against Gardner-Webb since the Runnin' Bulldogs joined the league in 2008
All-time, Gardner-Webb is 5-3-1 against the Highlanders
The two sides have never met in the Big South Tournament
Gardner-Webb advanced to the league championship match a season ago, before falling to Liberty

TOURNAMENT NOTES

Radford is 19-23-3 all-time in the Big South Tournament, with titles in 1999 and 2000
Marc Reeves is 1-1-1 as head coach of the Highlanders in the tournament
Radford has advanced to the semifinals in two of the last three seasons – the Highlanders were eliminated on penalty kicks by Liberty in last year's quarterfinals
The Highlanders last played in the championship match in 2007

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