ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A pair of first-half goals helped lead the Radford men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over UNC Asheville Saturday afternoon at Greenwood Soccer Field.
The Highlanders opened the scoring early, as a loose ball near the top of the box squirted out to
Pape Oumar Gueye. The Senegalese defender one-timed a shot past the goalkeeper and into the top left corner from about 25 yards out in the 11th minute to give Radford an early 1-0 lead.
Radford doubled its lead towards the end of the first half, as Gueye swung a corner kick into the box, which
Octavio Ocampo tapped into the bottom right corner to give the Highlanders a 2-0 lead inside the first 40 minutes. The goal proved to be the game-winner and gave Radford its first multi-goal lead of the season, which the Highlanders took into halftime.
With a two-goal lead, the Highlanders controlled most of the possession in the second half, forcing the home side to chase for most of the second 45 minutes. In addition, the Highlanders forced UNC Asheville goalkeeper Jarrett Payne to make three second-half saves just to keep the Bulldogs in the game.
UNC Asheville scored a late goal in the last 10 minutes of the game, but every attempt after the goal was cleared out by the Highlanders, allowing Radford to run out the clock for its first Big South Conference win of the season and its first road win of the year.
STAT OF THE MATCH
Despite being outshot 14-12, Radford had the advantage in shots on goal (8-5) and corner kicks (8-5), one of which led to the match-winner by Ocampo.
TWEET OF THE MATCH
TEAM LEADERS
Gueye had the only assist of the match for Radford, as his goal was unassisted and he sent in the corner kick that led to Ocampo's goal. The assist was his conference-leading sixth of the year. Ocampo and
Mouhameth Thiam each had two shots on goal to lead the Highlanders.
Victor Valls and
Dondre' Robinson also had two shots and one shot on goal apiece for Radford.
UP NEXT
Radford returns home for a midweek conference match against USC Upstate on Wednesday. Kickoff from Cupp Stadium is set for 7 p.m. as part of a soccer doubleheader with the women's team playing at 4 p.m. that day.
FOLLOW MEN'S SOCCER ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the Radford men's soccer team visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordMSOC on Twitter, 'radfordmsoc' Instagram or Radford Men's Soccer on Facebook.
