RADFORD, Va. – Two goals in a 115-second span set the tone for the Radford men's soccer team Wednesday night in a 3-0 win over USC Upstate at Cupp Stadium.
Mouhameth Thiam opened the scoring in the 31st minute by forcing a turnover, weaving through the Spartan defense and beating goalkeeper Felipe Baeza into the right side of the net to give Radford an early lead.
Baye Djibril Faye doubled the Highlanders' lead less than two minutes later with his first career collegiate goal.
Thure Ilgner played Faye in with a long ball over the USC Upstate defense, setting up a one-on-one matchup with a defender. Faye took one touch and curled a shot past Baeza into the left-hand side of the goal in the 33rd minute for Radford's second. The Highlanders took that two-goal lead into halftime.
A reckless challenge in the 58th minute sent USC Upstate's Roberto Umana in for an early shower, and the Highlanders wasted no time in taking advantage of the man-advantage created by the red card. A Spartan foul in the 59th minute and after
Victor Valls' free kick attempt was blocked, the Spaniard followed up with a low shot that beat Baeza into the bottom right corner for Radford's third goal of the night.
Radford saw out the last 30 minutes without allowing a shot on goal to seal its second straight Big South Conference win.
Joseba Incera made three saves for his second clean sheet of the season.
STAT OF THE MATCH
Although total shots were even at 13 apiece, Radford had seven shots on goal compared to USC Upstate's three.
TWEET OF THE MATCH
TEAM LEADERS
Thiam led the Highlanders with four shots in the match, tied for the most by any player on either squad. The freshman's three shots on goal led all players. Faye and Valls had three shots each for Radford, with each scoring once.
UP NEXT
The Highlanders begin a two-match Palmetto State road trip at Winthrop on Saturday, with kickoff slated for 5 p.m.
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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.
