BUIES CREEK - Campbell begins its Big South Championship title defense as the top-seeded Fighting Camels (11-3-2, 9-1) host fourth-seeded Radford (13-4-1, 6-3-1) in the semifinal round at 7:00 p.m. The Camels, who claimed their first conference regular season crown since winning the 2004 Atlantic Sun title, received a first-round bye in the six-team Big South Championship.
Tickets for Campbell matches at the Eakes Complex may be purchased at GoCamels.com. Admission is free for Campbell students presenting a current University ID. All seats are general admission and available to the public for just $5. The match will also be broadcast on ESPN+ with Zach Berly providing commentary.
AZEM, DONALD EARN BIG SOUTH INDIVIDUAL HONORS: Campbell earned two Big South individual honors as Samar Azem was named Coach of the Year and Jessica Donald was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Azem guided the Camels to their first regular season title since 2004, the top seed in the Big South Championship and a school record for conference victories in a year. In addition to ranking fourth among league scoring leaders (7 goals, 8 assists, 22 points), Donald owns a 3.92 grade-point average as a mechanical engineering major. She totaled 16 of her points (5 goals, 6 assists) in 10 league games.
SEVEN CAMELS EARN ALL-CONFERENCE RECOGNITION: A program-record seven Camels were recognized on the Big South first and second all-conference teams. Campbell was represented by Emma Bushee, Cazzi Norgren and Donald on the first team and Jackie Richards, Kaleigh Backlund, Laney Peabody and Mary Tierney on the second team.
BUSHEE BARRAGE: Bushee set a program record with 11 assists after recording one in the Camels 2-0 win over USC Upstate (Oct. 23) to close out the regular season. Earlier this season she set the single-game program record with four assists in Campbell's 7-1 win over Gardner-Webb (Oct. 13). Bushee ranks No. 11 nationally in total assists and No. 9 in assists per game at 0.69. She has scored or assisted in eight of Campbell's school-record nine conference victories and ranks 2nd in the Big South with 23 points.
LAST TIME OUT: Campbell - The Camels won their fifth-straight game and claimed the Big South Conference regular season title with a 2-0 win over USC Upstate to close out the regular season on Oct. 23. Radford - Radford defeated fifth-seeded Charleston Southern in the first round of the Big South Championships on Saturday.
SERIES HISTORY: Radford leads the all-time series against Campbell, 11-10-1. The Camels defeated Radford 4-3 during the regular season featuring a hat trick by Elyssa Nowowieski. Campbell owns 5-4 record against Radford, including a 2-2 mark in the conference tournament, over the past five seasons.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Radford owns a 13-4-1 record overall and a 6-3-1 mark in conference play, finishing fourth in the conference regular season standings. The Highlanders rank 8th nationally in scoring offense (2.89 goals per game), 10th in points per game (8.28) and 19th in assists per game (2.50). Radford has shutout its last seven opponents and ranks 5th nationally in shutout percentage (0.611). Senior defender Kayla Thomas was named Big South Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season while freshman forward Kat Parris earned Freshman of the Year honors after leading the league with 13 goals and 33 points. Ben Sohrabi leads the Highlanders in his 28th season at the helm.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKS: Campbell ranks in the top-25 nationally in seven different attacking statistical categories:
- No. 6 - Assists per Game (3.00)
- No. 9 - Points per Game (8.50)
- No. 10 - Total Assists (48)
- No. 12 - Scoring Offense (2.75 goals per game)
- No. 14 - Corner Kicks per Game (7.12)
- No. 15 - Total Points (136)
- No. 19 - Total Goals (44)
NORGREN DEFENDING: Norgren, A sophomore defender, anchors a Campbell's backline that has allowed a combined 13 shots on target over the past five matches. Norgren leads the team with 1440 minutes played and has five assists this season.
POINT PRODUCERS: Bushee (6G, 11A) leads the team with 23 points while Donald (7G, 8A) ranks second with 22 points. Jackie Richards (5G, 4A) and Reagan Baiotto (5G, 4A) rank third on the team with 14 points each. Through 16 matches, 18 different Camels have at least one point. In total, 12 different players have scored goals and 16 different have an assist.
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE: Campbell is 18-3-3 in home games dating back to the 2019 season, outscoring opponents 68-22.
HEAD COACH SAMAR AZEM is in her fifth season in charge of the Fighting Camels (49-29-8 overall / 33-10-5 Big South). She guided the Camels to a No. 22 team ranking by Top Drawer Soccer, their first Big South Championship since 1993, and the program's second-ever NCAA Tournament berth during the 2020-21 season.
