Women’s Soccer Takes Down Presbyterian, 4-1, for Fourth Straight Win

Saturday, October 31

Radford, Va.

7:00 PM

Radford University

7-7-1, 5-3-0

Presbyterian

4-11-1, 1-7-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Presbyterian	1	0	1
Radford	2	2	4

Game Notes

Photo by: Matthew Maldonado

10/31/2026 10:32:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

RADFORD, Va. – Despite having a 14-day break between games, the Radford women's soccer team did not have trouble getting back into action, dominating through much of the match in a 4-1 triumph over Presbyterian on Halloween night at Cupp Stadium.

KEY FACTS

Four different Highlanders scored in the contest, with a pair of tallies coming in each half.
Ava Kertgate added assists in the first two goals to put her at seven in the season. The senior is now tied for the conference lead in assists. It was also Kertgate's second match of multiple assists, the last being against Emory & Henry on August 27.
Ciaira Anderson put Radford on the scoreboard to start, adding her team-leading sixth goal of the season.
Brooke Pearson scored the second and eventual game-winner near the end of the first half. It was the junior's first goal since having a hat trick vs. Concord in the season opener.
Caitlyn Nottingham scored her first goal of the season in the second half. The senior center-back has now had at least one goal in the past three seasons.
Four is the most goals scored by Radford in a conference game since Oct. 4, 2023, vs. UNC Asheville.
The Highlanders finish conference play 5-3 and rank fourth in the league with 15 points. It's the ninth-straight season Radford finishes with a winning Big South record.

PLAY BY PLAY
Presbyterian looked to take advantage of Radford having not been in action for so long, having more opportunities on the attack early. The Blue Hose forced goalkeeper Lexi Radvanyi to make a save in the sixth minute, something that they were not able to accomplish at all in their game versus Radford last season. Radford responded quickly, as Kertgate almost found the net in the 16th minute on a shot that just slipped right of the right post. A few minutes later, Kertgate found Anderson, who weaved her way free just outside the box and sailed a shot to the top left corner to give the Highlanders the early lead.

After three-straight shutouts, Radvanyi was forced to concede a goal after the Blue Hose found the net on a set piece. A corner kick led to a shot in the box, and after she saved Emma Brown's initial shot, Maddie Smith scored on the rebound to tie it, 1-1, in the 21st minute.

After the response, the Blue Hose continued on the attack, forcing Radvanyi to make several saves to keep the game tied. Following her fourth save of the match, Radford made a quick run down the field, as Kertgate made a great pass to Pearson in stride. The New Hampshire transfer did the rest, sprinting past a defender and sending a powerful boot past the goalkeeper to put the Highlanders up 2-1 with under 10 minutes until halftime. Kertgate kept the Presbyterian goalkeeper busy, forcing Alexa Garcia to make several big saves to keep the Blue Hose within one at the break.

Radford came out ready to put it away in the second half, and that's just what the Highlanders did. Defender Hope Ku-Dipietro nearly added what would have been her first career goal that was blocked right at the goal line. On the ensuing corner kick, Mallory Harmison delivered a beautiful ball right in front of the net that found the leaping Nottingham, whose header gave the senior defender her first goal of the season.

The Highlanders refused to back off the rest of the game, with Haley Blake getting a pass from Katie Purnell that freed the senior up to score on a terrific strike from the right side of the box in the final 10 minutes. Several underclassmen came close to finding their first goal, with Vanessa Zufall and Serena Keo adding a couple shots that forced big saves from Presbyterian goalkeeper Ingeborg Blystad.

SOHRABI QUOTABLE
"I've never had two weeks off in the conference season, so that was something unique to deal with," said head coach Ben Sohrabi postgame. "I think those two weeks hurt us in the first half. It's just difficult to copy (a game) in practice. I thought in the second half, we played extremely well. I thought we could've scored a couple more goals but I'm very happy with the result. Now we've got some momentum heading into the tournament."

"This team has proven that they can win at home or on the road. We always want to be at home when we can. It might be a rainy night Thursday, but I invite everyone in the community to come support us in the Big South tournament."

UP NEXT
Radford has secured a spot in the Big South Conference Tournament. The first-round matches are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5, with the semifinals to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and the championship on Sunday, Nov. 15. All rounds will be broadcast on ESPN+ and will be hosted by the higher seed of each game. The full bracket is set to be unveiled by the conference after the conclusion of tomorrow's UNC Asheville at Charleston Southern match.

STAY SOCIAL WITH RADFORD WOMEN'S SOCCER
For all the latest on Radford women's soccer, be sure to follow the team on X (@RadfordWSOC), Instagram (@radfordwsoc), and "like" the team's official Facebook Page (Radford Women's Soccer).

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