10/23/2012 12:00:00 AM

Campbell travels to 5th-ranked North Carolina Tuesday night

BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Looking for its third win over a nationally-ranked team this year, Campbell travels to No.-5 North Carolina Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. kick-off. The Camels stand 2-1-1 this season against schools ranked in one of the three major polls.

Campbell opened the year with a 1-1 draw at then No.-16 SMU on Aug. 24. CU won 2-0 at 17th-ranked NC State (Sept. 18), before suffering a 3-1 loss to No.-12 Coastal Carolina (Oct. 10). Last Wednesday, the Camels notched a 2-1 victory over No.-25 High Point.

Tuesday's game will be aired on line by ESPN3.

Since the start of the 2005 campaign, Campbell owns a 6-13-2 mark against nationally-ranked foes.

RECORDS: CAMPBELL (10-4-1, 5-3 Big South) won its third-straight outing Saturday with a 3-0 decision over Presbyterian to improve to 6-1 at home this year… NORTH CAROLINA (11-2-1, 4-1-1 ACC) saw its 7-match win streak halted 1-0 in overtime last Friday at top-ranked Maryland.

NSCAA SOUTH ATLANTIC REGION RANKINGS (Oct. 22, 2012): 1. Maryland (13-0-1), 2. Coastal Carolina (13-1-2), 3. Old Dominion (9-2-2), 4. Northeastern (11-1-2), 5. Virginia (8-6-1), 6. Drexel (10-3-2), 7. Boston College (8-4-3), T8. Campbell (10-4-1), T8. Hofstra (10-4-1), 10. High Point (11-2-2). ARV: George Mason, Radford.

CARDENAS 3RD AMONG NATIONAL ASSISTS LEADERS: Senior MF Mitchell Cardenas (Mexico City, Mexico) stands third among the national leaders in assists (10). On the year, Cardenas has produced at least one point in 11 of 15 outings. He leads the Camels and ranks 4th in the Big South with 22 points (6G, 10A).

CARDENAS CONTINUES CLIMB UP SCHOOL RECORD BOOK: Mitchell Cardenas moved into a tie for 16th place on Campbell's all-time scoring list thanks to a second-half goal Saturday vs. Presbyterian. The senior midfielder now has 70 points on 20 goals and 30 assists in 71 career outings, the same number points Tai Adeleke (30G, 10A, 70) recorded from 1969-73). Richard Jata sits in 15th place (28G, 15A, 71 pts. from 2006-08). Cardenas also stands 8th on CU's all-time assists charts, just 2 behind 7th-place Juha Miettinen (32 assists from 1987-90).

CAMELS AND TAR HEELS: While UNC holds a 16-6-1 edge in the all-time series with the Camels, Campbell has enjoyed recent success against the Tar Heels. Since 2006, Campbell owns a 3-1 record against the Heels, including a pair of wins when UNC was ranked in the nation's top-10. Campbell won 1-0 over 3rd-ranked UNC on Oct. 10, 2006 at Buies Creek, then claimed a 2-1 victory on Oct. 31, 2007 at an unranked Tar Heel side. CU made it 3-in-a row over a 7th-ranked North Carolina squad on Oct. 28, 2008 in Buies Creek. No.-2 UNC answered with a 2-0 blanking of the Camels on Oct. 12, 2009 at Chapel Hill in the last meeting between the clubs.

CAMEL NOTES: Senior D Ben Iiames (66 matches) and junior D Aleksi Tossavainen (54) have extended their consecutive starts strings through the first 15 matches... Junior GK Ethan Hall ranks 2nd among Big South Conference leaders in save percentage (.816) and shutouts (6) and 4th in goals-against average (0.93). He has saved 3 of 4 penalty kicks against him (at No.-17 NC State and Radford, vs. No.-25 High Point).. Sophomore F Jhuvon Francis has tallied all 11 of his points (5G, 1A) over the last 7 games, including game-winning strikes vs. VMI and Virginia Tech... Sophomore F Ricki Gaez scored game-winning goals last week against both High Point and Presbyterian. He ranks 2nd on the team in scoring (5G, 3A, 15 pts.)... Keegan Terry returned to action after missing time due to injury and had two assists Saturday vs. Presbyterian... Cardenas is the only Camel to play all 1370 minutes for CU this year, a mark followed closely by Iiames (1351), Tossavainen (1354), Hall (1356), D Eduardo Rodriguez (1326) and D Travis Golden (1328).

CAMPBELL MEN'S SOCCER CELEBRATES GOLDEN SEASON: Campbell University is celebrating its 50th season of men's soccer varsity competition this fall. Festivities included a gathering of men's soccer alumni during Homecoming weekend (Oct. 19-20) on campus. All-Decade Teams will be named for the 1960s, '70s, '80s, '90s and 2000s and released periodically throughout the campaign at GoCamels.com.

HOMECOMING SUCCESS: With its victory Saturday over Presbyterian, Campbell improved to 24-8-3 all-time and has out-scored its opponents 88-46 in games played on Homecoming in Buies Creek.

HOME, SWEET HOME: Since the start of the 2005 campaign, Campbell owns a 44-20-2 (.682) record at the Eakes Athletic Complex -- including 4 wins over nationally-ranked teams at the site. CU has won 10 of its last 11 games at home dating to the 2011 season.

OCTOBER A NIGHTMARE FOR CAMPBELL FOES: Campbell has compiled a record of 34-9-4 (.766) in its last 47 games during the month of October (including a 4-2 mark in 2012). In those 47 contests, the Camels have out-scored their foes by a 99-56 margin.

ACC SUCCESS UNDER ARMAS: Under the direction of 3rd-year head coach Steve Armas, a 2003 Maryland graduate, the Camels own a 3-1-1 record against members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The lone setback came at 10th-ranked Virginia in 2010. Last year, Campbell defeated NC State 1-0 in Buies Creek and drew 1-1 at Virginia Tech. Earlier this season, the Camels won at 17th-ranked NC State 2-0 and defeated Virginia Tech 3-0. Overall, Armas has guided the Camels to a 25-22-7 mark.

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