Elon WSOC Suffers Setback Against Radford

ELON, N.C. – Elon University women’s soccer suffered a 3-1 setback against Radford on Monday night, Sept. 10, at Rudd Field.

BOX SCORE

Carson Jones scored Elon’s lone goal to put the Phoenix in front 1-0 in the 74th minute. However, Radford roared back and scored three unanswered goals to claim the 3-1 win. The Phoenix had most of the possession in the first half and created the most chances in the second half with threatening looks. However, Radford punished Elon with the chances it had late in the match.

“The key moment in the match tonight was after we scored one of our best goals of the season,” said head coach Neil Payne. “We should have dealt with the ball in the wide channel from the kickoff, but the Radford player still had a lot to do and scored a great goal. The scoreline tonight is certainly flattering as we felt like we had some good attacking play in the second half, but we showed some inexperience on two of the three goals Radford scored. Our game can be a cruel game at times and we certainly don’t feel like we should have lost the game tonight. There is still a ton of positives we can draw from this game, in particular threatening attacking play. Once again, we had five freshmen starting, which is going to put us in good stead moving forward.”

The Phoenix falls to 2-3-3 overall with the loss, while Radford improves to 4-1-1 on the season with the victory.

HIGHLIGHTS
In the first half, both teams had several opportunities to score with the shot count level at 6-6 after 45 minutes. Elon’s first chance to get on the score sheet came in the 22nd minute when Tori Baliatico had two chances. Her first attempt was blocked and her follow-up shot sailed over the bar.

Kate McKay created Elon’s final dangerous chance of the half when her shot from the right side of the box was saved well by Radford goalkeeper Courtney Kaplan. The match would be scoreless after the first half ended.

In the second half, 10 minutes were played before a lightning delay was called. Play resumed after an hour-long delay. The Phoenix got on the board first after the weather delay as Jones scored her second of the season off a cross from Baliatico.

Less than 40 seconds later, Radford began its comeback as Jessica Wollmann beat several defenders and slotted her shot into the left post in the 75th minute. The Highlanders solidified the victory during the last eight minutes of the match as Jasmine Casarez scored twice in the 83rd and the 89th minute, respectively, to clinch Radford’s 3-1 win.

Despite the loss, Elon outshot the Highlanders 19-14 and won the corner battle 5-2 after 90 minutes. Valentina Estrada made four saves for the Phoenix in goal.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix concludes non-conference action and its four game home stretch on Friday, Sept. 14, with a matchup against Davidson. Kickoff against the Wildcats is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.