BOX SCORE BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Freshman Yoshiya Okawa scored with yet another powerful strike in the 51^st minute, but it alone wasn't enough as the Radford Men's Soccer team dropped its Big South opener, 3-1, against Campbell on Saturday night.

"I was proud of our effort against a good Campbell team," said Head Coach Chris Barrett. "We had the right attitude and work ethic to compete and to give ourselves chances to score goals. We still need to be cleaner in possession when under heavy pressure and more committed to score goals in the attack. I feel like we are starting to improve every day now that we are getting more healthy and all of our players are in the mix again."
 
Trailing 1-0 after halftime, the Highlanders came out on the offensive as they looked to even the score. Okawa collected a deflected pass around 25 yards from goal and fired a lightning bolt of a shot which easily found the back of the net to bring his season total to three goals.
 
The Camels opened the scoring in the 19^th minute with a well-placed cross from the left side that slid past the final defender and into the path of Tyler Young for a tap-in goal.
 
Radford felt good after tying the match early in the second half, but Campbell wasted no time grabbing the momentum back thanks to a go-ahead goal in the 53^rd minute by Daniel Hernandez.
 
After a penalty was awarded for a foul in the box, Big South Preseason Defender of the Year Franck Momo buried the spot kick to give Campbell more insurance in the 77^th minute. The hosts saw out the rest match to seal Radford's defeat.
 
KEYS STATS

• Captain Octavio Ocampo returned to the starting lineup after missing time due to a head injury
• Sophomore defender Greg Harris made his debut in a Radford uniform after transferring into the program from Lewisburg College
• For the second consecutive match, goalkeeper Joseba Incera played the full 90 minutes and made nine saves
• Juan Benavides came off the bench to lead the Highlanders in shots with three
• As a team, Radford forced Campbell goalkeeper Edu Rodriguez to make five saves

 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders have a midweek match at Davidson on Wednesday, Sept. 29. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kick and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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