HIGHLANDERS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT BIG SOUTH HOME OPENER

Wednesday, October 5

RADFORD

7:00 PM

Radford University

8-2-0, 2-0Big South

Liberty

4-6-1, 1-2Big South

Team	1	2	Final F
LIBERTY	0	1	1
Radford	1	1	2

Photo by: Radford Athletics Communications

HIGHLANDERS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT BIG SOUTH HOME OPENER

10/5/2016 10:30:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

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MATCH INFORMATION

Score: Radford 2, Liberty 1
Records: Radford (8-2-0, 2-0-0 Big South) | Liberty (4-6-1, 1-2-0 Big South)
Location: Cupp Stadium | Radford, Va.

RADFORD, Va. – Radford collected its fifth straight Big South home opening win as Evan Szklennik and Victor Valls found the back of the net in a 2-1 victory over in-state rival Liberty on a chilly Wednesday night inside Cupp Stadium.

The first 20 minutes of the match saw Radford attempt four corners with Liberty attempting three.

Radford held an early 3-1 shot advantage, but Kevin Mendoza fired the first shot on frame in the match for Liberty in the 21^st minute, ending up in the hands of Aitor Pouseu Blanco.

Fraser Colmer attempted shot on goal in the 23^rd minute, but Jeremy Lee made the save for the Flames. A mainstay in the Liberty lineup a season ago, Lee made his 2016 appearance in the match, come backing from an injury.

The second shot on frame in the first half was in favor of the Highlanders in the 27^th minute as Szklennik finished off a Bismark Amofah cross from midfield that skipped past two Liberty defenders. The pass found Szklennik at the far left post end line, finishing it off for his second goal of the season.

The two Commonwealth foes only managed one shot apiece the rest of the half as the Highlanders went into the locker room with the lead and a 6-2 shot advantage. The half saw both squads attempt four corners each.

In the second half, Radford maintained possession for a majority of the half as Liberty only managed four shots in the first 26 minutes. The Flames' first shot of goal in the half came from Tresor Mbuyu in the 66^th minute as he turned a RU turnover into a scoring opportunity. Pouseu Blanco came up into the box, diving on a Mbuyu attempt.

Pouseu Blanco flashed his sensational reflexes six minutes later as Rigoberto Rojas put on ball on frame, but Pouseu Blanco soared through the air to get a glove on the attempt for his fourth save of the night.

Valls gave the Highlanders a much needed insurance goal in the 73^rd minute. Colmer took a short corner from the right side to a striding Valls in front of the box. Valls drilled the shot past Lee for the second goal of his career.

The Valls' goal proved to be very important as Mbuyu's third shot found the back of the net, catching the Radford defense off guard in the 76^th minute.
After the goal, Radford did not allow a shot the rest of the way, giving way to only one corner in the final 14 minutes of the 2-1 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Radford has not lost a home conference opener since Oct. 1, 2011.
The Highlanders have won the last four meetings against Liberty, evening the series at 24-24-12
Evan Szklennik's first half goal was the sixth of his career. The junior has now scored two goals in each of his first three seasons as a Highlander.
Both of Victor Valls' goals this season have resulted in game winners.
Radford finished with a 15-7 shot edge.
The two squads finished with seven corners each.
Liberty's second half goal was the first Big South goal the Highlanders have allowed in Cupp Stadium since Oct. 17, 2015.

QUOTABLE

"Tonight was a strong win against a talented Liberty team. As our league unfolds, any time you can gain max points is very vital to our team. We defended well and moved the ball quickly. We want to score more freely than we are currently doing. As we keep piecing together our team, the most important thing is to keep winning conference matches," ~ Radford head coach Marc Reeves.

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