Men's Soccer 10/5/2018 10:00:00 AM

MEN'S SOCCER RETURNS TO CUPP STADIUM ON SATURDAY

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RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's soccer team returns home to Cupp Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. when they'll look to bounce back against the Presbyterian Blue Hose.

SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Presbyterian Blue Hose (2-8-0. 2-0 Big South)
Location: Cupp Stadium (Radford, Va.)
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m.
Live Stats
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SERIES HISTORY
This season marks the 10-year anniversary of Radford's first ever meeting with Presbyterian on the soccer field. On October 3, 2008, the Highlanders earned a 3-1 victory at Cupp Stadium and have put together a 13-4-5 record against the Blue Hose in 22 all-time matches.

The teams met twice last season – once in the regular season and once in the Big South Tournament. The regular season contest ended in a 1-1 tie and the postseason contest resulted in a Presbyterian victory on PK's (5-3) following a scoreless draw for the first 110 minutes. PC would go on to defeat High Point in the Big South Championship and punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS
Radford has been solid in two major statistical categories this season: goals allowed and corner kicks taken. The Highlanders allowed just 16 goals this season, tied for third least in the Big South. They are also third in the conference for corner kicks, having taken 51 (6.38 per game) through eight games.

ROBERTS' SCORING STREAK
Roberts has now scored at least one goal in three straight games including two goals at Longwood on Sept. 29. The last time he recorded a run like this was from Sept. 16, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2017 when he tallied an astonishing seven goals across four games.

OFFENSIVE BOUNCEBACKS
Radford and Presbyterian have had surprisingly similar seasons so far in 2018 and the biggest comparison may come in the goal scoring department. The Highlanders scored just one goal in an 0-5 start to the year while the Blue Hose netted just three goals en route to an 0-8 start. Now Radford has scored seven goals in its last three games (2-1 record) and PC has scored six goals in its last two games (2-0 record).

DEFENDING HOME TURF
Any coach in the country will tell you that defending your home field is an important part of having a successful season. The Highlanders have only had one home game all season – a 2-0 loss to Campbell on Sept. 22 – but they'll have several more chances going forward. Over the last four seasons, Radford has gone 25-3-5 at Cupp Stadium so excellence at home has become the expectation.

SCOUTING THE BLUE HOSE
Presbyterian made an improbable run through the Big South Tournament last season and represented the Big South in the NCAA Tournament where it took UNCW to overtime. This season the Blue Hose were picked to finish fourth, but have gotten off to a slow start at 2-8.

Both of those wins have come in their last two games though. A 3-0 victory over Campbell got the ball rolling and they built on it with a 3-1 win against Winthrop.

Junior forward Sergio Pinto leads the squad with two goals and two assists for six points on the year. Sophomore forward Clement Vannier and freshman forward Marcos Kiromilides have also netted two goals each this season to aid the attack. Sophomore Jan Hoffelner has played the majority of minutes at goalkeeper, making 21 saves and allowing just 1.49 goals per game.

FOLLOW MEN'S SOCCER
For more information on the Radford men's soccer team visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordMSoccer on Twitter, 'radfordmsoccer' Instagram or Radford Men's Soccer on Facebook.

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