Highlanders Fall to ODU, 4-1

Radford, Va. -- Radford fell to Old Dominion, 4-1 in non-conference women’s soccer action from Patrick D. Cupp Memorial Stadium this afternoon. The Highlanders were unable to come back from an early 2-0 deficit as they fell to 8-5-1 on the year. The Monarchs improved to 7-5-2 and have won four of their last five matches.

Lisa McKenzie put ODU on the board just 2:38 into the match, taking a nice feed across the box from Laura Beeman and pushing past RU keeper Tara Oleartchick (Woodbridge, Va.) for a 1-0 lead. The Monarchs would make it 2-0 at 16:08 when Becca McLain made some nice moves to get herself free for a 22 yard shot that she put over Oleartchick.

The Highlanders cut the lead in half in the 28th minute. Junior Jonita Hooker (Woodbridge, Va.) with her back to the goal passed it back to senior Kristin Smith (Herndon, Va.) who left footed over ODU keeper Kristen Bailey from 20 yards out for her third goal of the season.

In the second half, the Monarchs controlled much of the play. They added to their lead in the 55th minute when Heather Vaughan possessed a loose ball and blasted a shot into the back of the net from 25 yards out for a 3-1 advantage. The final tally came late in the match on an own goal at 86:06. During a scramble in from of the goal, an RU defender put it into the ODU goal on a clearing attempt.

The Monarchs finished the match out shooting Radford 17-4 and also had an 18-0 advantage in corner kicks. Oleartchick made four saves, while Bailey stopped three shots for ODU.

The Highlanders finish their non-conference schedule on Friday, Oct. 22 when they host #18 West Virginia at 7 p.m.

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