RADFORD, Va. – Radford concluded its two-game preseason slate with a 2-1 setback to Wake Forest in men's soccer action Tuesday afternoon at Cupp Stadium.

Ranked as high as 13th in the preseason polls, the Demon Deacons put the first goal on the board on a header by Anthony Arena off a Ben Newman corner kick in the third minute.

The Highlanders strike came in similar fashion as Ramzi Dridi (Falls Church, Va. / JEB Stuart) put away an Anthony Payne (Manassas, Va. / Osbourn Park) corner. Dridi's second goal of the preseason came in the 30th minute.

“Wake is an incredibly athletic and skilled team,” said Radford head coach Marc Reeves. “We did a good job competing for a majority of the contest.”

With the score tied 1-1, Wake's Sean O'Koli scored the game-winner with just over six minutes to play off a short-centering pass from Luca Gimenez.

“It's disappointing to give a goal away in the very beginning and end of the game.”

The Demon Deacons finished with a 10-8 edge in shots, while holding a 9-2 advantage in corner kicks.

“There were definite improvements, but again we need to continue to work hard with the challenging schedule ahead," Reeves said.

Radford will open its 2011 regular season with a 2 p.m. contest at Appalachian State Saturday.