Men’s soccer earns key 2-2 road tie at High Point

Inside the box score

• Brice Hall scored the Highlanders' first goal of the night. It was his third overall this season and second in the last two games during a crucial stretch of Big South matches.
• Jackson Boreham notched his second goal of the season. His last goal came just a few weeks in as the game winner against James Madison.
• Four different Highlanders earned assists including Owen Gaisford, Mauricio Jimenez, Gabriele Sellati and Hugo Roman. It was also all of those Highlanders' second assist this year.
• After picking up the red card early, Radford kept things clean the rest of the way with no bookings despite facing a tough, physical High Point squad.
• With the tie, Radford earns its first point in the Big South standings against High Point since 2015 and its first road point since 2014.

Coach Cormack quotable

"I couldn't be prouder of this group. To come to one of the toughest places in the country, against one of the premier teams in college soccer, and earn a result while playing with ten men for 65 minutes is an incredible achievement. The character, resilience, and togetherness our players showed tonight were outstanding.

We've faced plenty of adversity this season, but this group has never stopped believing, fighting, or improving. We're seeing real growth in this team, and as a coach, there's nothing more rewarding than watching these young men rise to challenges like tonight. This performance represents everything we want our program to stand for."

Play by play

Saturday night's match began as a physical affair as both squads fought for possession and scoring opportunities in the early minutes. Nothing would slip through until the ninth minute as the Panthers grabbed a 1-0 lead and the Highlanders were forced to dig out of their first setback of the night.

Radford would do just that and would not wait long for an equalizer. In the 19th minute, a bouncing ball in the box found the freshman Hall. He ripped off a shot that deflected off a High Point defender to sneak past the Panthers' goalkeeper to tie the match.

Radford kept High Point's offense at bay for the rest of the first half but caught a major setback in the 27th minute as a red card meant the team would be playing a man down for the remaining 63 minutes of action. You could hardly tell the team was down, though, as Radford continued to mount a consistent attack.

In the 38th minute, Radford broke through for a lead. A pass into the box by Sellati and Jimenez once again fell into dangerous territory with no Panthers defender able to get between the ball and the net. Boreham acted decisively and struck quickly to score the goal and vault the Highlanders ahead 2-1 before halftime.

Radford's defensive line continued to hold strong into the second half. Miller tallied a handful of key saves, but High Point broke through for an equalizing goal in the 52nd minute. The Highlanders would now need to buckle down for the final 40 minutes of the match to earn their first point at High Point since 2014.

High Point mounted attack after attack and totaled 11 shots before the match closed. Radford's defense played well to keep Miller from facing too much traffic, though, as just three of those 11 shots came on target. That final third shot was a big one that required video review, but Miller's diving save at the line was upheld to hold the eventual 2-2 tie to the final.

Up next

The regular season ends as the Highlanders hit the road to take on Longwood on Friday, October 30, with plenty of postseason scenarios still in play. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

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).