HARRISONBURG, Va. – Freshman defender/midfielder Niclas Mohr's free-kick goal was not enough for James Madison men's soccer, as No. 20 Radford used a flurry of late goals to defeat the Dukes 3-1 on Wednesday night at Sentara Park.
Mohr netted the first goal of his career in the 53rd minute. A Radford foul gave JMU a free kick just outside the box in the middle of the field. The German defender struck a low shot past the wall and into the bottom left corner.
The Dukes dropped their third straight game, falling to 0-7-1 on the season (0-1-0, Colonial Athletic Association). The Highlanders notched their second win in a row, improving to 6-1-0 on the year.
Radford equalized on Sivert Daehlie's 67th minute penalty, before Victor Valls's strike from outside the box 10 minutes later gave the Highlanders the lead. Radford added an insurance goal as the Dukes were pressing forward in the final minute when Jakob Strandsater intercepted a pass in JMU's defensive third and lofted it into the open net.
The Dukes outshot Radford by a 13-7 margin, including 8-2 at halftime. This is the second consecutive home game where JMU outshot its opponent.
JMU's best scoring opportunity of the first half came in the 38th minute when freshman forward Brennen Burtonsent a cross into the box for oncoming redshirt sophomore forward Billy Metzler, who got a piece of it but sent his effort just wide.
QUOTING COACH FOLEY
"Our guys played well, we just need a break to go our way. They scored a late goal with a minute left as we were trying to press forward to tie it. Our guys are close to winning. They're working hard, they're fighting hard and they don't give up."
DAO DEBUTS
Freshman midfielder/forward Ben Daoearned his first career start, playing the full 90 minutes and registering a shot. Dao had previously appeared in five games as a substitute.
PHOTO OF THE GAME Ben Daodribbles past a defender in his first career start. See the full gallery here.