Highlanders Take UNC Asheville to Brink, Fall in Conference Title Match

Sunday, November 15

Asheville, N.C.

1:00 PM

Radford University

9-8-1, 5-2-0

No. 2 UNC Asheville

9-4-6, 5-1-2

Team	1	2	Final F
Radford	0	1	1
UNC Asheville	0	2	2

Game Notes

Photo by: Jason Aigner

11/15/2026 4:19:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Radford women's soccer team put everything they had and then some into the Big South Championship Final, but in the end, it was not enough. The Highlanders were unable to stop two late goals and fell, 2-1, to UNC Asheville on Sunday afternoon at Greenwood Soccer Field.

KEY FACTS

Junior midfielder Ciaira Anderson gave Radford the lead, scoring her third goal of the tournament, breaking through with the match's first goal in the 75^th minute.
UNC Asheville won a foul in the box, and Kandis Calvin tied the game after Lexi Radvanyi made the initial save on the penalty kick in the 79^th minute.
The Bulldogs scored on an ensuing corner kick with just four minutes left to go ahead for the win.
The loss is Radford's first in the conference championship match since falling to Liberty in 2013 (5-0).
UNC Asheville took their first Big South title since 2006.
The Bulldogs won the shot battle 19-16. Both sides had six shots on goal.
Anderson, Ava Kertgate, and Caitlyn Nottingham represented Radford on the Big South All-Tournament Team.

PLAY BY PLAY
It was a chilly day to wrap up the end of the conference tournament but did not seem to stop the fans from coming out to Asheville. Radford began on the attack, getting three shots off in the first 10 minutes. Neither side gave away much inside the box, with both sides' defenses standing strong and forcing a ton of blocked shots.

The first great look for either side came in the 24^th minute, as Anderson floated a shot that forced London Phoenix to make a leaping save. Her knuckler was Radford's only shot on target in the first half. As the half wore on, Lexi Radvanyi made a save in the 38^th minute, requiring a save that was right at the senior. The first half remained scoreless, with neither side getting any terrific looks.

UNC Ashville came out as an entirely different team in the second half, quashing a lot of Radford's offensive chances. Magda Carpenter and Anderson logged shots on goal in the first five minutes, neither to no avail. The physicality stepped up as well, with both sides picking up yellow cards left and right. Radvanyi stepped up when she had to, making a couple of terrific saves before the 60-minute mark to keep things level.

After three yellow cards picked up by Radford in the second half, the Bulldogs had plenty of looks on attacking free kicks. However, it was Anderson who cashed in, winning a free kick near the box and slipping a shot that snuck into the net. The joy was felt throughout the Radford fans, leading 1-0 with just over 15 minutes left.
Unfortunately, that joy was short lived. UNC Asheville drew a foul in the box, and Calvin found the net after Radvanyi made the initial save, evening things at 1-1 with 11 minutes left. UNC Asheville remained in the attacking half and converted on a corner kick, adding the game-winning goal with less than five minutes left in regulation. Haley Blake nearly scored a game-tying goal in the closing seconds, but her shot was turned away by Phoenix to preserve the conference title and NCAA Tournament bid for the Bulldogs.

SOHRABI QUOTABLE
"I thought we played a great game overall," began Head Coach Ben Sohrabi. "It wasn't the prettiest game for either team. But, it was the way championships go a lot of times. I give a lot of credit to UNC Asheville and how they responded after we scored, because that's not easy to do in a championship. The last time we played these guys, we let the game get away from us. To see us come out here and compete and play the way we did today, I think that everyone that is a Highlander should be proud the way they played in the tournament."

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).

#RiseAndDefend