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Men's Soccer

MEN’S SOCCER OPENS 2019 WITH A PAIR OF HOME CONTESTS

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's soccer team will officially begin its 2019 season with two matches over the next four days at Cupp Stadium. The season opener will feature an old Big South foe in Liberty on Friday night before UNCG travels to Radford for a Labor Day matchup on Monday. Kickoffs for both matches are slated for 7 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP (LIBERTY)
Radford holds a slight edge over the Flames leading the all-time series, 25-24-12. The pair of squads met last in 2017 and the Highlanders won, 4-2. Victor Valls assisted on two of the four goals in the match.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP (UNCG)
This will be the 10th all-time meeting between UNCG and Radford and the first meeting in 19 years. UNCG has won seven of the nine meetings, while Radford has won once. The two teams have also tied once.
 
HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS
Overall, the 2018 season didn't go quite as planned for the Highlanders. The team posted a 7-9 record but went 5-3 in conference and finished second in the Big South standings. Radford posted a 4-2 record at Cupp Stadium and will look to have the same success with eight home matches on tap in 2019. Amadou Macky Diop, the 2018 Co-Freshman of the Year, was a bright spot for the Highlanders a season ago and returns for his sophomore year as the early favorite to win Attacking Player of the Year. He totaled nine goals last season, ranking second best in the Big South. The Dakar, Senegal native also ranked top 10 in the conference in shots (2nd), shots per game (2nd), points (1st), points per game (1st), goals per game (1st), assists (6th), assists per game (3rd) and game-winning goals (4th). His high-caliber play led him to become a First Team All-Big South member and earn a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Along with Diop are 13 returning letterwinners and 15 newcomers added into the mix.
 
ABOUT LIBERTY
Coming off a 7-7-1 season in 2018, the Flames were picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference this year. Liberty has 12 new faces on its roster and a new head coach in Kelly Findley. The fourth head coach in program history will have 17 returners from the 2018 team. The Flames lost Kevin Mendoza and Tresor Mbuyu that scored a combined 24 of their 32 goals last season.
 
ABOUT UNCG
UNCG was also picked to finish fourth in the SoCon and will open the season on Friday against George Washington. Last season the Spartans made the conference tournament final but finished the season 8-9-1. In 2018 UNCG averaged 1.29 goals per game. Jacob Planner led the team with five goals last season but is one of the letterwinners lost for the Spartans.
 
FOLLOW MEN'S SOCCER ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the Radford men's soccer team visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordMSoccer on Twitter, 'radfordmsoccer' Instagram or Radford Men's Soccer on Facebook.
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Amadou Macky Diop

#7 Amadou Macky Diop

F
6' 3"
Sophomore
Victor Valls

#5 Victor Valls

MF
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

Amadou Macky Diop

#7 Amadou Macky Diop

6' 3"
Sophomore
F
Victor Valls

#5 Victor Valls

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
MF