Spiders battle Radford to 1-1 draw

A late set-piece goal helped the Radford University women’s soccer team clutch a tie against the University of Richmond Thursday, Aug. 28.

The draw spoiled what would have been the third consecutive shutout victory for a red-hot UR that attacked the Highlanders early. Pinning Radford in their own half, an aggressive Spider offense was rewarded with a trio of corner kicks within just the first five minutes of play. Although clearing each one, minimal counterplay resulted for the Highlanders, whose few shots were forced from wide angles by UR’s back line.

Radford fought back with increasing possession as the half wore on, but found only a handful of shot opportunities that were each quickly snatched up by sophomore goalkeeper Veronica Rrapi. Likewise, the Spiders found few quality opportunities on the other side of the field, with many of their shots forced from too deep to reliably land on-frame. 

The Spiders picked back up winding into halftime, renewing their offensive pressure with a deep-ball shot from sophomore defender Ellie Bozzo quickly followed by a try from sophomore forward Kingsley Hughes that barely missed high.

UR’s efforts were not to be denied much longer, however. Four minutes removed from the break it was graduate midfielder Brigitte Bussiere who found the breakthrough score with a gritty solo effort, flicking a shot from the top of the 18-yard-box just under the crossbar and beating heavy defensive pressure by the Highlanders.

A flurry of chances followed for Radford to draw level, buoyed by several corner kick opportunities that Rrapi turned aside. 

With a redirected shot from senior midfielder Emma Shields launching an extended counterattack for UR, it seemed that the Spiders had weathered all that Radford had to give. Only two minutes later however, the Highlanders rang a free kick off of the crossbar and rifled in the rebound for the tying score.

Both sides scrambled for the go-ahead goal in the waning moments of the game to no avail; first-year defender Morgane Zinn found space inside the 18-yard box, but could not beat Radford’s goalkeeper. Meanwhile, Rrapi continued to stand tall for the Spiders, notching three further saves in the final 1:08 to tie a career-high eight saves on the day.

“We had some really good moments… it was disappointing that it was the end of each half where we got stretched a little bit,” UR Head Coach Adam Denton said after the game. “We’ve got to rest and recover, and just apply a few things.”

Radford’s late goal saved them from a third loss, moving them to a 1-2-1 mark. The Spiders now boast a 3-1-1 record with the tie as well as an 8-2 goal differential, their best start to a season since 2016. 

“We’re a pretty young team… we’re just working with each other and looking after each other every day,” Rrapi said. “It’s really helping us get better as a team.”

UR will next travel to Washington D.C. to square off against Howard University at 1 p.m. Aug. 31.

Contact sports editor Scott Valentine at scott.valentine@richmond.edu