Men’s Soccer Falls to Winthrop in Conference Opener

Saturday, September 19

Radford, Va.

3:00 PM

Radford University

2-5-0, 0-1-0

Winthrop

4-3-0, 1-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Winthrop	1	2	3
Radford	0	1	1

Photo by: Matthew Maldonado

Men’s Soccer Falls to Winthrop in Conference Opener

9/19/2026 7:32:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's soccer team battled hard and were creating chances offensively but ultimately fell to Winthrop, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon at Cupp Stadium.

KEY STATS

Noel Zimbeva scored a spectacular goal for his second of the season in the 62nd minute.
Midfielder Hugo Roman added the assist in Radford's lone goal.
Zimbeva led the Highlanders with three shots in the contest.
Radford finished with more shots on goal (4-3), total shots (11-8), and corner kicks (5-3) in the contest.

PLAY BY PLAY
The Highlanders took it to Winthrop out of the gates, winning a second-minute corner kick, which resulted in a shot by Zimbeva that went high and right of the target. Shortuly after, chippy play led to many fouls being picked up both ways. The Highlanders recorded a second shot from Gabriele Sellati that sailed high. Winthrop eventually managed to put together an attack, as Jorge Perez rebounded a shot that found Juma Baden, who scored from just inside the 18-yard box just into the 30th minute for the game's first score.

Radford managed to earn another corner kick in the 35th minute but failed to register a shot in the sequence. A late shot to end the first half by Amir Simpson ended up to the left of the post, keeping the score 1-0 into halftime. Out of the intermission, Winthrop received their second yellow card as a team. However, Baden added a second goal to make it a 2-0 lead for the Eagles.

Zimbeva helped bring the Highlanders back into the game, scoring on a screamer of a goal from just outside the top of the box. A great feed from Roman provided the senior the space, and a move around a defender allowed the Zimbabwean to find the net in the 62nd minute.

Sadly for the Highlanders, the joy was short lived. A goal from Winthrop in the 70th minute gave the Eagles another two-goal cushion with just around 20 minutes left. Winthrop's Cody Read picked up two yellow cards (the latter resulting in a red), but the second came in the 89th minute, not giving Radford enough time to capitalize on the shorthanded opponent.

UP NEXT
Radford is back at Cupp Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 23, as they host in-state foe VMI. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. from the home of the Highlanders, with the game set to stream live on ESPN+.

STAY SOCIAL WITH RADFORD MEN'S SOCCER
For all the latest on Radford men's soccer, be sure to follow the team on X (@RadfordMSOC), Instagram (@radfordmsoc), and "like" the team's official Facebook Page (Radford Men's Soccer).

#RiseAndDefend