BOX SCORE

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Despite Mike Handlin's (Opal, Va. / Liberty Bealton) first career strike, Radford fell to Marshall 3-1 in non-conference men's soccer action on Monday afternoon at Sam Hood Field.

Like its opening match, Radford (1-1-0) wasted little time grabbing the early advantage as Handlin gave his club a 1-0 lead off a through ball from freshman Luis Grande (Caracas, Venezuela / U.E. Colegio Los Arcos) in the 14th minute.

Shortly after Handlin's goal, Marshall's Carl Munday evened the contest when he put away a Sammy Boateng attempt that was blocked by Highlander keeper Ryan Taylor (Midlothian, Va. / Midlothian).

"Marshall is a very good team that are well coached and execute a game plan,” said Highlander head coach Marc Reeves.

With the match tied 1-1, the Highlanders had a great opportunity to break the deadlock seconds prior to intermission, but Carter Mills (Culpeper, Va. / Culpeper County) just missed a volley in front of net.

In addition to Mills' near miss in the 45th minute, Radford had several other scoring chances in the opening period to retake the lead.

“We played positively in spells but must find a way to play a complete game and improve in key areas that matter in winning games. We plan to keep working hard and learn from this result to improve quickly.”

The eventual game-winner came from the Herds' Jordan Hilgefort, who headed in a Tom Jackson long throw in the 53rd minute.

Despite the setback, the Highlanders finished with a 5-4 edge in corner kicks. Both teams attempted eight shots in the first half before Marshall (2-0-1) concluded the ninth all-time meeting with an 18-10 margin.

The Herd would add an insurance goal with just under three minutes to play when they caught Radford pushing forward for the late equalizer.

Taylor led both keepers with seven saves, while Daniel Withrow stopped three of the Highlanders' shots on goal.

Radford will continue its four-game stretch away from home to begin the 2010 campaign with a 4:30 p.m. game against Mercer, Friday in the Flash Gordon Motors Invitational in High Point, N.C.