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WOMEN’S SOCCER FACES GARDNER-WEBB IN BIG SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP ON SUNDAY

RADFORD, Va. – For the second straight season the Radford women's soccer team is one win away from an NCAA Tournament automatic bid, and will face a familiar opponent in No. 4 Gardner-Webb in the Big South Championship on Sunday at 2 p.m., at Matthews Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C.
 
Radford and Gardner-Webb will meet for a fourth time in two seasons as the pair of teams competed for a Big South title a season ago. Radford holds an 8-6-1 advantage over the Runnin' Bulldogs and has won two in the last three meetings.
 
Radford enters with a 15-5 record. Radford has 15 wins for the second consecutive season and is one win shy of tying a program record as it did in 2019. It's the first time in program history the Highlanders have recorded at least 15 wins in back-to-back season. It's been strong defense and recently, a heavy dose of offense.
 
The Highlanders are averaging three goals a game in the Big South Tournament and have outscored their opponents 35-16 throughout the year. Nelia Perez has come on strong as of late with 12 goals, which leads the team and two in the Big South Tournament. She's also picked up six points in the two matches. Her 12 goals this season, are a career-high and match the goal total she has had in her first three years combined.
 
Radford has had a couple of wild matches on their road to the championship. The Highlanders survived a quarterfinal matchup with No. 6 Longwood and scored three unanswered goals in the semifinal matchup against No. 2 Campbell. Longwood and Campbell both beat the Highlanders in the regular season.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs lost to Radford, 2-0, in the regular season meeting on Oct. 23 but since then have won three in a row to improve their overall record to 10-10-1. GWU is led by Stina Kleppe, who has 29 points this season – including 12 goals and five assists.
 
Three different players have scored the goals in the Big South Tournament for Gardner-Webb. Kleppe was the one that netted the game-winner in the upset of No. 1 High Point in the semifinals, while Alisha Holcombe and Jada Newton had the two in the win over No. 5 Winthrop.
 
Radford will put its 3-0 record in Matthews, N.C., to the test in Sunday's tournament finale and look for its seventh Big South Tournament title in program history.
 
FOLLOW WOMEN'S SOCCER ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the Radford women's soccer team follow @RadfordWSOC on Twitter and Instagram or Radford Women's Soccer on Facebook.
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Nelia Perez

#11 Nelia Perez

F
5' 2"
Senior
Newport News FC, Chesapeake FC, Churchland SL

Players Mentioned

Nelia Perez

#11 Nelia Perez

5' 2"
Senior
Newport News FC, Chesapeake FC, Churchland SL
F