RADFORD, Va. – A pair of second half goals sunk the Radford Men's Soccer team in a 2-1 loss to Davidson at the Alumni Soccer Complex on Wednesday night.
"I see us playing harder and better each game," said Head Coach
Chris Barrett. "In the first half, we played the best soccer we've played all year against a really good Davidson team. I am really proud of our effort and willingness to work for each other. If we continue this positive trend and clean up a few mistakes, we will give ourselves a chance to get the results we need going forward into conference play."
Freshman forward
Yoshiya Okawa continued his scorching hot start to his collegiate career, scoring his fourth goal in seven games in the 4
th minute. The Tokyo native received a pass from
Ryan Machado-Jones, took one dribble around a defender, and fired a strike from distance into the bottom, left corner of the net.
Thanks to an early lead, the pressure was then on the Highlanders' defense to keep the visitors in front with a sturdy back line. Radford did just that for 60 minutes, limiting the Wildcats' dangerous chances and the final third clear.
It only takes one moment to turn a game around, however, and that moment came in the 62
nd minute for Davidson. Vincent Bennage beat a trio of defenders and finished top shelf for the equalizer.
Then in the 85
th minute, the Wildcats earned a free kick just outside of the 18-yard box. Henry Howell's shot somehow found a way to squeeze through the wall and bounce into the net to give Davidson the late victory.
KEYS STATS
- Goalkeeper Joseba Incera continues to play well in net, making seven saves on 14 shots faced across 90 minutes
- Incera now has 25 saves over his last three games
- Senior forward Dondre' Robinson matched Okawa with a team-leading two shot attempts
UP NEXT
Radford heads to George Mason for the second leg of its three-game road trip. The Highlanders and Patriots will face off at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 2
nd.
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