In the first spring for the Radford men's soccer team under first-year head coach Marc Reeves and interim coach Chris Barrett, the Highlanders went 5-1-1.  

Following the spring, RadfordAthletics.com caught up with coach Reeves for a question and answer session about his first spring with the Highlanders, and his impressions heading into the fall.

SPRING RESULTS: March 20th (Martinsville, Va.) UNC Greensboro – L, 1-0 Virginia Tech – W, 1-0 (Goal: Anthony Payne) March 28th (High Point, N.C.) Francis Marion – W, 2-0 (Goals: Payne, James Leith) North Carolina Wesleyan – W, 8-0 (Goals: Payne, 4) April 11th (Radford, Va.) University of Charleston – W, 2-1 (Goals: Payne, Myles Jones)   April 18th (Blacksburg, Va.) VMI – T, 0-0 James Madison – W, 1-0 (Goal: Mike Handlin)

Anthony Payne racked up seven goals this spring.  How did he evolve into a scorer this spring for Radford, and what will it take for him to continue that into the fall?
“Anthony, like all good goal scorers, has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.  He is calm in front of goal and scores in a number of ways.  He has had a solid spring, but Anthony knows it's about working hard on his fitness, mobility and link play, things that need to improve for him to be an impact player next fall.”

Defensively, the Highlanders have been strong over the last decade – after allowing just two goals this spring, where do the backfield's strength's lie? 
“We certainly hope the strong defensive tradition continues and will work hard to defend as a team and be accountable to each other.  We have some very committed and brave players in the back along with solid goalkeeping.  We are working to become more creative going forward and our backs will play a role in this.”

What player/players surprised you the most this spring?
“I have been impressed with the whole group's desire to improve and the family atmosphere of our team. We have had some good individual performances but it has been all about making the team more detailed and having greater focus at key moments in games.”

The Highlanders played a home spring game against the University of Charleston on April 11th, highlighted by the play of Anthony Payne and Myles Jones.  How did it unfold?
“Anthony again showed his ability around the goal in taking his chance very smoothly on the half-volley, into the top corner.  The second goal came from a corner kick; a goal flick header from Myles Jones came from a good serve from James Leith.  We are hopeful Myles can use his size to be more of a threat on attacking set pieces, in the fall; it was nice to see him score as he had a great week at practice”

What was the story in the two games in Blacksburg in late April where the Highlanders picked up a win and a tie against in-state competition? 
“VMI was a very organized, fit group that has some special players and were tough to break down.  It was a great spring game with some chances for both teams.  JMU is a well-coached, competitive and athletic team. This was a spirited spring game that provided key moments to learn from and improve as a group. We defended well against a very talented team, and created some solid scoring chances. Mike's goal was a great strike from distance and we got some real bravery at the back from Aldo Macias and Brendan Shaffer in particular.”

How important has the work of Chris Barrett in his interim role been to you, and the team?
“Coach Barrett helped a lot with the transition of the program and his professionalism and real care for the players and program has been of the highest level.  I am so grateful to him.”

Alumni Weekend (April 23-24) was your first chance to meet many of the players that helped build the Radford program.  How can you use this experience to build going forward?
“I really enjoyed Alumni Day and we have some great former players and a range of fantastic personalities. The alumni were very welcoming, and like myself, keen to do all we can to make Radford Soccer as successful as possible. I look forward to keeping in touch with those who were able to attend.”