MEN’S SOCCER AIMS FOR HISTORY THURSDAY IN CHARLOTTE

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SETTING THE STAGE

Radford will have a lot riding on the line Thursday at 7:30 p.m. when the Highlanders square off against the Charlotte 49ers in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship at Transamerica Field in Charlotte, N.C.
RU is one win away from tying the program record for most wins in a single season (15).
With a win, the Highlanders would earn their first-ever NCAA postseason victory. Radford competed in NCAA tournament play-in games in 1999 and 2000 (both were losses to Furman).
Series: Charlotte leads, 4-1-3
The Highlanders' only win in the series came in 2002—a 1-0 victory at home.
Charlotte prevailed, 2-1, in the last meeting between the two sides on Aug. 31, 2014 at Transamerica Field.
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HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Record: 14-3-2
Radford reaped its first NCAA at-large bid in program history on the strength of its No. 26 RPI.
The men's soccer team became just the second team in Radford Athletics' history to earn an NCAA at-large bid (1985 women's soccer).
In all, the Highlanders battled five teams that advanced to the NCAA tournament, posting a 2-2-1 record against those teams.
By finishing the Big South slate at 7-1-1, the Highlanders secured a share of their sixth conference regular-season championship.
Twenty-eight of the Highlanders' league-leading 43 goals scored this season are by underclassmen.
In addition to being the Big South leader in goals scored, RU ranks first in assists per game (2.21) and shots per game (17.11).
Radford's 2.26 goals per game are tied for fifth in the nation. In all, the Highlanders rank in the Top-10, nationally, in nine different categories.
RU has nine shutouts in 2015, which are tied for first in the league with Coastal Carolina.
Sivert Daehlie leads the Highlanders with 28 points (13 goals, two assists), which rank third among conference players.
Daehlie is tied for second in the Big South and tied for seventh, nationally, in goals scored.
Daehlie has taken a team-best 52 shots up top for RU, with 28 of those being on frame.
Evan Szklennik is the Big South leader in assists with eight.
The Highlanders are 4-2-1 on the road this season.

SCOUTING CHARLOTTE

Record: 10-5-3
The 49ers are making their fifth straight NCAA tournament appearance.
They are led by senior forward Kyle Parker, who has a Conference USA-best 12 goals and 27 points.
Parked was named C-USA Offensive MVP of the Year.
Charlotte has collected eight shutouts on the season and was second in the C-USA with a 0.69 goals against average.
The 49ers were upset, 5-3, by Marshall in penalty kicks in the C-USA tournament semifinals. Radford defeated Marshall, 1-0, on Sept. 22.
Charlotte and RU have three other common opponents: Coastal Carolina, Gardner-Webb and Winthrop.
The 49ers are 6-2-2 at home this season.

UP NEXT

The winner between Radford and Charlotte will advance to Sunday's second-round match at No. 1 overall seed Wake Forest.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

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