SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Four unanswered goals in the final 15 minutes of the game turned out to be the difference maker as USC Upstate fell to Radford 5-2 on Wednesday night at County University Soccer Stadium.
USC Upstate (2-7-3, 0-5-1 BSC) has now lost six consecutive games to Radford (10-3-0, 4-1-0 BSC) dating back to the 2008 season. The Spartans are now in the middle of a six game winless draught dating back to their matchup against cross town rival Wofford.
The first half was neck-and-neck between the two squads as they appeared to be evenly matched through the first 20 minutes of action. Then in the 22
nd minute of the match,
Abbie Ellis (Clemmons, N.C.) broke the game open with her fourth goal of the season and she was assisted by
Natalie Valaskova (Czech Republic).
Despite being out-shot 11-2 in the opening half the Spartans appeared to be holding their own against the Highlanders as they took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
Less than ten minutes into the second half Radford lined up for a corner kick on the right side of the field. Lily McLane flicked the ball in and found the head of Gabi Paupst for the equalizer. Moments later the Spartan attack responded as
Montanna Hill (Mount Airy, Md.) smoked a ball past the diving goalkeeper to give the Spartans a 2-1 advantage in the 65
th minute of play.
Then the unthinkable happened, Paupst scored the game tying goal in the 75
th minute of action off a corner kick. Seven minutes later and Nelia Perez had a pair of goals and the Highlanders held a 4-2 lead over the Spartans. In the 88
th minute of action Reese Degnan scored the final goal for the Highlanders.
Stats of the Game:
- Logan Pace recorded 10 plus saves for the fourth time this season.
- Abbie Ellis led the team in total shots (3) and tied for the lead in shots on goal with two.
- Gabi Paupst recorded a team high eight total shots and Nelia Perez registered a team high six shots on goal.
- USC Upstate was out-shot 29-9 in the contest and 15-4 in shots on goal.
- The Highlanders attempted 11 corner kicks in the contest, while USC Upstate attempted just a pair of corner kicks all evening.
- The Spartans appeared to be more physical in the match recording 10 fouls and even a Yellow Card in the game.
Next Up:
- The USC Upstate women's soccer team will be back in action this Saturday against Longwood University. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. in Farmville, Va.
Follow USC Upstate women's soccer on Facebook (UpstateAthletics), Twitter (@UpstateWSoccer), Instagram (@upstatespartans) and YouTube (USCUpstateAthletics).