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Radford Athletics Communications
3
Gardner-Webb GWUMSOC (5-5-1 (2-2-0))
5
Winner Radford RAD (7-4-2 (3-1-1))
Gardner-Webb GWUMSOC
(5-5-1 (2-2-0))
3
Final
5
Radford RAD
(7-4-2 (3-1-1))
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gardner-Webb GWUMSOC 1 2 3
Radford RAD 2 3 5

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

ROBERTS TALLIES FOUR GOALS; RADFORD ROLLS TO 5-3 WIN



MATCH INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 5, Gardner-Webb 3
  • Records: Highlanders (7-4-2, 3-1-1) | Runnin' Bulldogs (5-5-1, 2-2-0)
  • Location: Cupp Stadium | Radford, Va.

RADFORD, Va. – Redshirt junior Kieran Roberts turned in a Senior Day performance that reminded the Radford men's soccer faithful of the Dante Washington era in the 1990s as Roberts found the back of the net four times in a 5-3 Highlander victory over Gardner-Webb on Saturday.
 
Entering the contest with three multi-goal matches and one hat trick on the season, Roberts' career day came with four goals on five shots on frame, increasing his 2017 total to 15 goals. The four-goal performance moves the Big South Player of the Year favorite back into the nation's lead in goals scored.
 
Roberts' counterpart in being responsible for a majority of Radford's 30 goals scored on the season, Sivert Daehlie tallied his 10th goal of 2017, four minutes into the match off Evan Szklennik's seventh assist.
 
From the far side, Szklennik sent a low cross into the six-yard box, which Daehlie back heel tipped past Jacob Beyer to the low right corner for the early 1-0 lead.
 
The first goal on the day for Roberts came in the 27th minute as Victor Valls gained possession of the ball off a turnover, sending a through ball to Roberts. Taking a couple of dribbles, Roberts beat Beyer right, finishing to the left corner.
 
Holding Gardner-Webb to only three shots in the first half, the Runnin' Bulldogs tallied their first goal on the final shot of the half in the 43rd minute. Marc-Kevin Schwenk sent a long through ball from the midfield to Roman Eddleman at the top of the 18-yard box, finishing low left corner.
 
With a 2-1 lead after the first 45 minutes, Roberts gave the Highlander defense breathing room in the 50th minute with his second goal on the day.
 
Radford's defense then went to work after going up 3-1 as the Runnin' Bulldog attack did not back down as they totaled 11 shots in the second 45 minutes.
 
Roberts final two goals came nine minutes apart with the first coming in the 77th minute as Neil Martorana forced Beyer to make a hurried kick on a clearance attempt. Beyer's attempt went straight to Roberts, who fired to the right corner from the top of the 18-yard box.
 
Martorana and Roberts were at it again on the Highlanders' fifth goal in the 88th minute. Roberts beat Beyer with a ball through his legs off a Martorana cross as Roberts collapsed with his arms out in disbelief as he found net for the fourth time on the day.

After the Roberts goal, Gardner-Webb scored two goals in a 22-second span in the 89th minute with both goals coming off the boot of Severin Soerlie. Radford almost found the back of the net for the sixth time in the 89th minute as Martorana hit the crossbar.
 
Collecting a 5-3 victory, Radford scored on five of its eight attempts on goal to snap its three-match winless streak.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • The four-goal effort puts Kieran Roberts in front of NJIT's Mamadou Giurassy and Florida Atlantic's Santiago Pantino for the nation's lead in goals.
  • Roberts now has five multi-goal matches in his career.
  • Scoring 15 goals on 38 shots on goal, Roberts now has a .551 SOG%.
  • With 25 career goals, Roberts is two away from a two-way tie for 10th in program history.
  • After having his eight-match scoring streak snapped on Tuesday, Daehlie got back in the goal column with his 10th on the season on 24 attempts on goal.
  • Daehlie has now scored in every match, but three.
  • His 28th career goal moves him into a three-way tie for seventh in program history.
  • Evan Szklennik collected his team leading seventh assist in the first half, increasing his career total to 22, moving into sole possession of fifth all-time.
  • Neil Martorana is not far behind after totaling his fifth assist.
  • Radford outshot Gardner-Webb 18-14 on the day, but only held an 8-7 edge in shots on goal.
  • The three goals allowed marked only the second time on the season the Highlander defense had surrendered more than two goals.
  • Nicolas Mertzokat finished with four saves, his fifth match with four-plus saves on the season.
 
QUOTABLE
  • "Guys came out with good intensity in both halves to start and to finish created scoring chances is always a positive." ~ Radford head coach Bryheem Hancock
 
UP NEXT                     
  • Radford will play its final non-conference match on Oct. 17, traveling to in-state foe No. 10 Virginia for a 7 p.m. Commonwealth battle inside Klöckner Stadium.
  • A season ago, Radford battled then No. 21 Virginia to a 1-1 draw as a Roberts' penalty kick in the 82nd minute gave the Highlanders a 1-0 lead. The Cavaliers would knot the match up as Pablo Aguilar scored four minutes later.
  • The draw with the first in the all-time series as Virginia holds a 11-0-1 edge.

 
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