Women's Lacrosse 3/30/2018 11:45:00 AM

LACROSSE BEGINS CONFERENCE PLAY AT NO. 25 HIGH POINT

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GAME INFORMATION

SETTING THE STAGE

The Highlanders begin their search for a Big South regular season title when they take on No. 25 High Point this Saturday
The contest marks Radford's second ever meeting with a nationally ranked opponent following last season's battle with NRV rival Virginia Tech (then ranked No. 20)
It is the first of seven Big South games that will determine seeding for the Big South Championship, which is scheduled for April 28-May 6

SERIES HISTORY

Radford and High Point have met twice previously, with HPU taking the victory each of the last two years
Adrian Rius and Juliette Ruland are tied for the team lead in goals against High Point with three each

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Record: 3-6
Freshman attacker Jennifer Shield broke out of her shell against Fresno State on Thursday, setting season highs for shots (5), shots on goal (4), goals (2) and ground balls (2) while tying her season high of one assist
Through nine games this season, sophomore goalie Jenny Davis ranks eighth in the nation with 11.11 saves per game
Junior attacker Adrian Rius set a new program record for draw controls won in a single game, earning 10 against Fresno State. She owned the previous record of nine as well
After adding three more goals on Thursday, junior midfielder Callie Bonnel has 26 goals through nine games this season. She tallied 34 in 17 games last year
Bonnel has a team-leading 10 free position goals this season
The Highlanders still rank in the top-50 in the nation for caused turnovers per game (6th), ground balls per game (14th) and save percentage (47th)
Junior Avery Reding and freshman Rachel Ator have provided a lot of stability on the defense, having started all nine games so far in 2018

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

Record: 6-2
With seven of a possible eight first-place votes in the Big South Preseason Poll, High Point was tabbed as the favorite to win the league this season
The Panthers boast the Big South Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in Darla Poulin and the Big South Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in Erica Perrotta
Defender Olivia Nostrant and goalie Jill Rall were also named to the Big South Preseason Team
After earning a 13-7 victory over then-No. 21 Notre Dame on March 14, HPU became the first women's lacrosse program in conference history to be nationally ranked
Their only losses this season have come to No. 7 North Carolina (10-14) and No. 6 James Madison (11-13)
Senior attacker Brooke Stevens ranks second in the nation for assists per game with 3.00
At 2.75, Perrotta is fifth in the nation for caused turnovers per game
As a team, the Panthers rank 16th in the nation in scoring offense with 15.13 goals per game

UP NEXT

After Saturday's showdown with High Point, the Highlanders make their way to Farmville, Va. for a Wednesday night contest with Longwood
The Lancers are currently 5-5, but will face a tough challenge in Big South foe Winthrop this weekend
The game between Longwood and Radford is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start at the Longwood Athletics Complex

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Players Mentioned