In spite of goals from Sarah Catenacci (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) and Michelle Dennis (Ann Arbor, Mich.) the Lady Bucs tasted defeat Saturday for the first time in 24 days, falling 4-2 to Radford at the Highlanders' Cupp Stadium.

For a second straight game, the Bucs knew they would be up against it facing one of the league's top offensive performers, this time in the person of Briana Kipper, the Big South leader in points per game. And it would not take long for Kipper to add to her impressive 2007 totals. After a foul by CSU in the Radford box, Kipper slotted home a penalty shot past Buc goalkeeper Jena Uvalle (Mt. Dora, Fla.) to give the Highlanders a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute.

It was not an unfamiliar feeling for the Bucs, as they had conceded an opening goal to Coastal Carolina's offensive leader Ashleigh Gunning on Wednesday. In that contest, Eric Terrill's squad showed resiliency in overcoming the early marker to rally for a 2-1 win. For a while on Saturday, it looked like the game might follow a similiar script.

After Catenacci fired high, Dennis forced a save from Radford goalkeeper Emily Heath and Uvalle collected two saves, the Lady Bucs quickly put two goals on the scoreboard to take the lead. The first strike came from the aforementioned Catenacci in the 26th. Jen Vroman (Piscataway, N.J.) continued her superb play for the team, as her cross from the far post found the Mt. Pleasant native in prime goalscoring position. Catenacci finished past Heath for her sixth goal on the season.

Vroman's assist, her eighth on the year, represented the fourth consecutive CSU goal on which she assisted, all of which occurred in Big South games. Her total of eight points from five Big South games is the highest points total on the team in conference games this season.

Just one minute later, Vroman would be involved again as she sent a corner into the Highlander box. The Radford defense dealt with the corner and attempted to clear the ball from danger, but a lurking Dennis caught hold of the ball. The Michigan freshman finished clinically past Heath to put CSU in the lead, a feeling with which they have recently been quite familiar.

However, the feeling would not last long on this night. After Marky Boyce (Woodbridge, Va.) fired wide and Dennis high moments after the goal, the nation's sixth ranked offense flexed its mighty muscles, punishing the Bucs with three goals in a little over four minutes.

McKenize Vergara began the scoring in the 33rd, converting a through ball from Latrice Lee into an equalizing goal. Then, in the 37th minute, Radford struck twice. First, Caitlin Roan headed in a goal off a corner from Kipper, who then picked up her second and third points of the minute 24 seconds later when she fired in a low rocket from 25 yards that Uvalle could do little to stop.

The Bucs would have two more goal scoring opportunities towards the end of the half as Catenacci fired wide and Boyce forced a save from Heath. But the Radford goals seemed to have served as a shock to the collective CSU system, as the Highlanders would have the majority of shots and corner kicks in the second half's first 20 minutes. Uvalle made two saves in this time period to keep the defecit at two.

In the game's final 25 minutes, however, the Bucs would begin to reassert themselves. An offensive barrage over this spanse would be enough to give them an 11-10 shot advantage for the half. The most dangerous Bucs in this time period were Dennis, who forced Heath to make three saves in this stretch, and Caitlin Wesnesky (Piscataway, N.J.), who made a strong debut in blue and gold after missing the early season due to injury. A high header in the 78th and a shot on net in the 84th, saved by Heath, suggest that the Bucs will be able to count on the redshirt freshman as a key offensive contributor down the stretch.

In spite of the loss, the Bucs remain very much in the thick of things in the Big South race at 3-2 in conference and with two home conference games to play next week. However, before their final conference positioning can be settled, the Bucs will play one last non-conference game Monday, at Longwood in Farmville, Va. at 3 P.M.