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Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Jasmine Casarez
Radford Athletics Communications
0
CSU CSU (6-5, 2-1 BSC)
2
Winner Radford RAD (5-4, 3-0 BSC)
CSU CSU
(6-5, 2-1 BSC)
0
Final
2
Radford RAD
(5-4, 3-0 BSC)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU CSU 0 0 0
Radford RAD 2 0 2

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

RADFORD TAKES CONFERENCE LEAD WITH 2-0 HOME SHUTOUT



RADFORD, Va. – Led by Jasmine Casarez's second straight multi-goal game and a complete defensive performance, the Radford women's soccer team blanked Charleston Southern 2-0 on a big Saturday afternoon for the program at Cupp Stadium.
 
After seeing all-time leading scorer Sue Williams honored prior to kickoff, the current Highlanders (5-4 overall) went out and dominated a matchup between two Big South unbeatens to take over sole possession of first-place in the Big South with their first 3-0 start since 2013.
 
Casarez tallied both of the goals in the first half, giving her five in the last three games and a conference-best seven for the season. Cassidy Raliff and Nicole Ray set up the tallies with assists on strong runs up the field in transition.
 
The first came in the 10th minute as Ratliff dribbled past CSU defenders up the middle and fed Casarez with a pass just inside the box. She momentarily lost control, but quickly regained it and put a low, left-footed shot past the diving Buccaneers' goalkeeper into the right corner.
 
Casarez then made it a two-goal lead on a header in the 31st minute. Ray carried the ball up the left side, made a cut toward the middle and lofted a ball into the middle of the box and Casarez did the rest, depositing it into the upper left side.
 
Radford's defense did the rest, shutting down a Charleston Southern attack that featured two of the league's top four goal scorers coming into the game.
 
The Buccaneers' best chance to strike actually came just after the second goal. After the ball bounced around in the box off a corner kick, CSU got a shot off in front headed for the right side, but Jessica Wollmann was positioned at the post and made the defensive save.
 
From there, the Highlanders controlled the ball most of the rest of the way en route to finishing the match with a 19-6 shots advantage en route to their third home shutout of the season.
 
"Early on the gameplan was to stretch them and we got some balls in behind them and we were dangerous stretching them," Radford head coach Ben Sohrabi said. "Once we did that, we worked on our possession. We did a great job at keeping it, Jordan was great at getting and switching and I thought our possession was as good as its been in a long time.
 
Radford notched its third home shutout of the season as Courtenay Kaplan needed to make just one save for the clean sheet. The Highlanders allowed just two CSU shots in the second half, with help from freshman Cynthia Brown, who cleared away a dangerous ball inside the six-yard box in 62nd minute.
 
"The way they play is very different than what we're used to, so we had to prepare our defenders for a different type of attack, but they were very smart in how they defended," Sohrabi said. "And we kept the ball so they weren't able to attack a lot and that's how you finish a game."
 
Casarez finished with four shots for RU, while Wollmann, Nelia Perez and Jordan Lundin each recorded three.
 
Williams had her jersey retired and a banner put up at Cupp to join Dante Washington's in the pregame ceremony, with her former head coach Don Staley in attendance.
 
"I'm so happy that we could get the win for Sue today," Sohrabi said. "She deserves it. As much as she gave to this program, it was nice to give a small gift of win to her."
 
Radford remains at home for a Wednesday afternoon match against in-state foe Longwood. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. as the opener of a doubleheader with the Highlander men hosting Liberty at 7 p.m.
 
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SUE WILLIAMS' DAY
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