RADFORD – As Radford sophomore Melony Davis (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) was waiting to sub in late in the second half of a scoreless game, head coach Ben Sohrabi had a bold prediction for her.
 
“I told her she was going to score,” he said.
 
Minutes later, on her very first touch of the game, she made good on that prediction.
 
Davis broke a scoreless tie in the 82nd minute, lifting Radford to a 1-0 win over Tennessee Tech on Sunday afternoon in a non-conference women's soccer match at Cupp Stadium.
 
“Yeah, he really told me I was going to score,” Davis said.  “It was pretty crazy, and it was on my first touch.”
 
Davis made her first minutes of the afternoon count when freshman Mary Wiley (Radford, Va./Radford) fed a ball from the far side to the middle where Davis, who was just outside the penalty box, knocked it into the top half of the net for the game-winning score.
 
“My teammates did the work on that one,” Davis said.  “Justine Dugger played a great ball from the back to Mary, and Mary gave me a great cross that I just had to tap in.”
 
Tennessee Tech, which played with five defenders in back all afternoon, limited most good scoring opportunities for the Highlanders (2-0-0).  Sohrabi said his team doesn't see that style often, but it's one that requires patience.
 
“In games like today's, if you continue to possess the ball like we did, chances will come.”
 
Radford outshot the Golden Eagles (0-3-0) by a 16-5 margin, but with a tight defensive formation in front, there were few good opportunities at the frame. Seconds before the decisive goal, Wiley had a chance when she took a pass down the far sideline and ripped an open shot from 12 yards out that was turned aside by Golden Eagles goalkeeper Kaitlyn Thacker.
 
With Tennessee Tech playing close to the vest all afternoon, Sohrabi thought his best chance was to save Davis until they needed a spark at the end.
 
“Honestly, I saved her the whole game,” Sohrabi said.  “I thought in the last 10 minutes that if we had a forward available that could beat everyone else, that would be the difference.”
 
As it turned out for Sohrabi and Radford, it came down to one chance that made them perfect in the first weekend.
 
Radford continues its five-game homestand on Friday (Sept. 4), hosting East Tennessee State at 7 p.m. 

BOX SCORE

Goals by period           1  2  Tot
 -------------------------------
 Tennessee Tech......  0  0 -  0
 Radford......................  0  1 -  1
 
 SCORING SUMMARY:
 1.  81:44 RAD DAVIS, Melony (1) (WILEY, Mary) 
 
 Shots: Tennessee Tech 5, Radford 16
 Saves: Tennessee Tech 7 (THACKER, Kaitlyn 7), Radford 3 (LUBKE, Lisa 3)