RADFORD, VA. – Sami Charaf Amal scored twice and set up Campbell's first goal to lead the Camels to a 3-1 win over Radford Saturday night at Cupp Stadium.
 
In rain and slick conditions, Tyler Young added a goal and assist for Campbell (8-2-1, 6-1-1), which extended its win streak to five matches and secured home field advantage for the Big South semifinal Wednesday. 
 
Both the Camels and USC Upstate (6-1-1) finished the schedule with 19 points. The teams drew Feb. 28 at Spartanburg and both lost to regular season champion High Point.  Campbell, however, earned the second seed by virtue of goal differential in league matches.  CU will host the Spartans in a 6:00 p.m. kickoff that will air on ESPN+.
 
On Saturday, Radford (3-5-1, 2-4-1) took the lead against the run of play on Octavio Ocampo's 26th minute penalty kick.
 
Young nearly drew CU level in the 34th minute when his free kick beat the keeper, but banged the crossbar.  However, the red-shirt freshman pulled the Camels even six minutes later with his fourth goal of the season on assists from Amal and Diego Konincks.
 
Less than six minutes into the second half Dailyn Crawley nearly became the second Camel to score in his debut in as many outings, but his shot was cleared off the line by a Radford defender.
 
Young then played provider in the 53rd minute when he fed Amal at the top of the box and the former Moroccan U-18 national scored on a left-footed shot.
 
Freshman Gerard Broussard, playing in just his second career match for a team that was missing six players due to Covid-19 protocol, dribbled to the end line in the 83rd minute, drew Radford keeper Trevor Kallendorf to the near post, then slid the ball across the face of the goal for Amal to finish.
 
All three Camel goals and primary assists were tallied by freshmen. Red-shirt freshman Edu Rodriguez made three saves in his second start between the pipes.
 
"It was raining sideways and the field was slick, then we go down 1-0 and had to win," said Campbell head coach Dustin Fonder. "It wasn't some of the best quality soccer; sometimes it was a matter of flicking it on and fighting for that second ball.  But I'm excited that this group put in the fight and determination to earn home field advantage Wednesday night."
 
High Point will host either Gardner-Webb or UNC Asheville Wednesday.  The Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Asheville Sunday afternoon for a match that will decide the fourth seed in this season's league tournament.  The Big South final is schedule for next Saturday (Apr. 17) at 6:00 p.m. and will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.
 
Ranked No. 9 in the South Region, Campbell improved to 3-0-1 at Big South opponents and has now outscored its league foes by a 17-0 margin after halftime.
 
Notes: The Camels entered the match 4th in the nation in goals scored per game (2.70), and topped that mark, while extending their overall goal differential to 30-9 (+21), which ranks fifth in the country.  CU concluded the conference slate with a 25-5 scoring advantage… Campbell regained the edge in the all-time series with the Highlanders (15-14-1) by extending its win streak over Radford to three matches… Two-time defending Big South champion Campbell is now 18-1-2 in its last 21 outings (regular season and tournament) vs. league competition. A 1-0 loss Mar. 13 to High Point ended CU's 16-match unbeaten streak (14-0-2) against Big South Conference foes.