In a rematch of last year’s championship game, Big South rivals Radford (9-4-2) and Longwood (1-13-1) left it all on the field at the home of the Highlanders, ending in a dramatic 1-1 tie on Wednesday evening.
Last season, Longwood suffered defeat in both match-ups with Radford, including a heartbreaking 1-0 in the Big South Conference championship.
The story was different this time as the Lancers defense kept one of the top 10 offenses in the nation at bay until a goal from Radford freshman forward Dondre’ Robinson in the 72nd minute, his first of the season.
Desperate for a different result, new addition Joshewa Frederick made a strong run down the right side of the field to sail a shot over the head of Radford senior goalkeeper Nicolas Mertzokat into the upper left corner in the 85th minute. After becoming eligible just last week against UNC-Asheville, the junior midfielder notched his first goal this season in a clutch fashion.
“The man of the match was our new addition, Joshua Frederick. All of our forward line had gotten injured so to be able to fabricate those has been tough for us," said men's soccer head coach Jon Atkinson.
Atkinson said Longwood's back line led by senior Marten Pajurnum, senior Vaughn Fowler and junior Tom Devitt played a key role in the draw, disrupting much of Radford’s spirited attacks.
After two overtime periods, the game ended in a draw, giving the Lancers their second point in four games for a chance to keep their postseason dreams alive. To move on, Longwood had to defeat at Gardner-Webb (6-6-2) on Saturday, Oct. 28 for one of their final games of the regular season. Longwood defeated Gardner-Webb 2-1 in Farmville last year.
The result dealt a blow to Radford, who was on the verge of breaking into the top 50 in the latest NCAA rankings. Until Wednesday, Radford had beaten Longwood consistently since 2013.
Atkinson said the Lancers must play with confidence in order to keep their momentum going, and hopefully extend their newfound success into the postseason.
“We’ve played without a doubt the hardest schedule Longwood has ever seen, and we have done it very competitively," said Atkinson. "We’ve had a tough season, (it would have been) easy for us to lay down and die, but the guys really rolled up their sleeves, and I think there is a whole new season and new belief that these guys are showing right now.”
On Saturday, Longwood fell 2-1 to Gardner-Webb and will look to finish the regular season on a high note at home against High Point on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m.
