BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell hosts Big South Conference rival UNC Asheville Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the final regular season home match for three Camel seniors. Mitchell Cardenas, Ben Iiames and Keegan Terry will don the Orange & Black at home for the last time in a regular season match. In addition to recognition of the Campbell senior class, the men's soccer program will present its annual Jim McVeigh and Glen Brewster Memorial awards in pre-game ceremonies.
With two league regular season matches remaining, Campbell sits fourth in the Big South Conference standings with 15 points (3 points for a victory, 1 for a draw), one ahead of High Point (14) and one shy of Liberty (16). The top four schools in the table will host a quarterfinal round match in the Big South Championship on Tues., Nov. 6.
Campbell closes its regular season on Sat., Nov. 3 at Gardner-Webb. The league semifinals and final are set for Nov. 9 and 11 at Bryan Park in Greensboro.
RECORDS: CAMPBELL (10-5-1, 5-3 Big South) dropped a 3-0 decision Tuesday at No.-4 North Carolina to level its record this season against nationally-ranked teams at 2-2-1. CU also moved to 2-1-0 against Atlantic Coast Conference members in 2012… UNC ASHEVILLE (1-14, 0-8) dropped its 14th-straight decision Saturday, a 4-3 setback to VMI.
CAMELS VS. NATIONALLY-RANKED TEAMS: CU stands 2-2-1 vs. nationally-ranked teams this year, including a 1-1 draw at then No.-16 SMU on Aug. 24, a 2-0 victory at 17th-ranked NC State (Sept. 18), 3-1 loss to No.-12 Coastal Carolina (Oct. 10), a 2-1 victory over No.-25 High Point (Oct. 17) and a 3-0 loss at #4 North Carolina (Oct. 23)… Since the start of the 2005 campaign, Campbell owns a 6-14-2 mark against nationally-ranked foes.
NSCAA SOUTH ATLANTIC REGION RANKINGS (Oct. 23, 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 (11-4-0), Radford (8-2-4).
GAEZ NAMED BIG SOUTH ATTACKING PLAYER OF THE WEEK: After scoring game-winning goals vs. #25 High Point and Presbyterian, Ricki Gaez was named Big South Conference attacking player of the week. Gaez, who also set up CU's first goal in its 2-1 win over #25 High Point, is tied for 7th among league goal leaders (6) and tied for 2nd with 3 game-winners. He rates 2nd on the team with 15 points (6G, 3A).
SENIOR MITCHELL CARDENAS (Mexico City, Mexico) is a 3-time all-conference midfielder, who earned All-South Atlantic Region recognition in 2011. He is tied for 16th place on Campbell's all-time scoring list with 70 points (20 goals, 30 assists) and is 8th in career assists. He is 11th on the career starts list and has played an average of more than 82 minutes in his 73 career matches. This year, he stands 3rd among national assists leaders (10) and ranks 3rd in the Big South with 22 points (6G, 10A). He set up both goals in a 2-0 win at #17 NC State and scored once with 2 assists in a 3-0 win over Virginia Tech.
SENIOR BEN IIAMES (Raleigh, N.C.) has started each of Campbell's last 67 matches. A 2-time conference all-academic performer, he was a 2nd-team Atlantic Sun all-conference defender in 2010. He has appeared in 71 games in his career with 69 starts and played an average of 87.1 minutes per outing. As a junior, he scored the game-winning goal in OT vs. NC State. This season, he has scored 2 times while helping the CU defense record 6 shutouts.
SENIOR KEEGAN TERRY (Carrollton, Texas) is a 2-time all-academic team performer who earned Atlantic Sun all-freshman honors in 2009. He has made 63 playing appearances with 42 starts, while scoring 14 times (including 4 game winners) with 10 assists for 38 points. Thirteen of his career strikes have come against league opponents. Despite being hampered by injuries this year, he scored in CU's win at VMI, and had 2 assists in last Saturday's win over Presbyterian.
THE JIM McVEIGH AWARD has been presented annually since 1979 to the Campbell freshman men's soccer player who best exemplifies Jim McVeigh's dedication, skill and promise as a player. A native of Arnold, Md., McVeigh was a freshman on the 1976 team that won the NAIA District 29 championship. Jim lost his life in a tragic automobile accident during the 1976 season.
THE GLEN BREWSTER MEMORIAL AWARD has been presented annually to the Campbell men's soccer player who best exemplifies the qualities of leadership and courage displayed by the late Glen Brewster. Brewster played on the 1967 team that was a forerunner to Campbell College's nationally-powerful clubs in the late '60s and early '70s. He was later fatally wounded while serving his country in Vietnam.
CAMEL NOTES: Senior D Ben Iiames (67 matches) and junior D Aleksi Tossavainen (55) have extended their consecutive starts strings through the first 16 outings... Junior GK Ethan Hall leads the Big South Conference in save percentage (.807), stands 2nd in shutouts (6) and 4th in goals-against average (1.06). He has saved 3 of 5 penalty kicks against him (at NC State and Radford, vs. High Point)... Sophomore F Jhuvon Francis has tallied all 11 of his points (5G, 1A) over the last 8 games, including game-winning strikes vs. VMI and Virginia Tech... Cardenas is the only Camel to play all 1460 minutes for CU this year, a mark followed closely by Iiames (1441), Tossavainen (1444), Hall (1446), D Eduardo Rodriguez (1416) and D Travis Golden (1418).
THE ASHEVILLE SERIES: Campbell owns an 11-2-1 record all-time against UNC Asheville. Last year at Asheville, Keegan Terry scored with just 15 seconds remaining in the second half and Campbell withstood a late rally to defeat the Bulldogs 3-2. Campbell led 2-0 after Bryce Miller (52nd) and Jhuvon Francis (81st) scored. However, UNCA pulled within 2-1 with 8:43 to play on David Parra's goal; then drew level with 1:42 left on Jake Hagedorn's strike.
UNCA NOTES: Asheville has not won since a 5-0 decision over Division II Brevard in its season opener on Aug. 25. During its 14-match losing streak, UNCA has been shut out 9 times and suffered 6 one-goal defeats. Most recently, the Bulldogs dropped a 4-3 decision last Saturday to VMI, scoring twice in the final 7:52 to pull within one. Trey Hemphill leads the Bulldogs with 6 points (2G, 2A), while keeper Dan Jackson has a 2.40 goals-against average. UNCA has been outscored 39-13 this season, 21-6 in the first half.
CARDENAS CONTINUES CLIMB UP SCHOOL RECORD BOOK: Mitchell Cardenas has moved into a tie with Tai Adeleke (30 goals, 10 assists, 70 points from 1969-73) for 16th place on Campbell's all-time scoring list. Cardenas now has 70 points on 20 goals and 30 assists in 73 career outings. Next in 15th is Richard Jata (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).
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: Following last Saturday's 3-0 shutout of Presbyterian, Campbell stands 24-8-3 all-time and has out-scored its opponents 88-46 in games played on Homecoming in Buies Creek. CU has won 7 of its last 8 Homecoming matches.
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 is 6-1 at home this year and has won 10 of its last 11 contests at Eakes dating to the 2011 season.
OCTOBER A NIGHTMARE FOR CAMPBELL FOES: Campbell has compiled a record of 34-10-4 (.750) in its last 48 games during the month of October (including a 4-3 mark in 2012). In those 48 contests, the Camels have out-scored their foes by a 99-59 margin.
ACC SUCCESS UNDER ARMAS: Under the guidance of 3rd-year head coach Steve Armas, a 2003 Maryland graduate, the Camels own a 3-2-1 record against members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The setbacks came at 10th-ranked Virginia in 2010 and 4th-ranked North Carolina (Oct. 23). 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.
HEAD COACH STEVE ARMAS (Maryland, '03) is in his third year in charge of the Camel program and has guided his teams to a 25-23-7 overall record, 14-12-0 in league regular season play. Under Armas' direction, the Camels are 3-2-1 vs. Atlantic Coast Conference members and 2-7-2 vs. nationally-ranked teams.
