RADFORD, Va. – Kara Nay scored two goals in the second half to break open a close match, as the Radford Highlanders defeated the VMI Keydets 6-0 in Big South women's soccer action Tuesday night in Radford, Va.
Nay was one of five Radford (11-2-4, 7-0-4 Big South) players to find the back of the net Tuesday, and scored her two goals just 1:44 apart early in the second half, pushing a 2-0 lead to 4-0 in the process. The Highlanders would tack on two goals late to remain unbeaten in Big South play, while the Keydets (1-16, 0-11 Big South) saw Mackenzie Harrmann tie her season and career-high with 11 saves.
The two teams traded shots on goal in the early going, as RU's Sahar Aflaki tested Harrmann at the 4:06 mark. The freshman made the save, as did Radford keeper Che' Brown on Taylor Armstrong's try at 11:55. Armstrong, playing in her final collegiate game, saw her heaviest amount of action (39 minutes) since Sept. 9 as she suffered an injury following that contest.
Harrmann would then make another stop at 15:54, turning aside Rachel Conway, before the home team took the lead in the 23rd minute. Off a goal kick by Brown, Mary Wiley headed the ball to Aflaki across from the far post. She gathered it in and finished from 10 yards out, putting the Highlanders up, 1-0. Both Brown and Wiley were credited with assists on the play, and it marked Brown's second career assist out of the goalkeeper position.
The Keydets counterattacked with a Liz Affronti shot just 21 seconds later, but Brown was up to the task for the save. Wiley then tried to best Harrmann in the 27th minute, but the VMI keeper turned her aside to keep it a one-goal match.
The Highlanders pushed that margin to two in the 34th minute. Asyia Mitchell put a shot on net that Harrmann stopped, but the rebound came right back to the shooter and she put it by the VMI keeper, pushing the Radford lead to 2-0.
RU then turned up its offensive pressure, outshooting VMI 9-1 over the remainder of the period, but Harrmann stopped all three of the shots that were on goal, and the match went to halftime with the home team still up only 2-0.
The first half had seen Radford outshoot VMI 20-3, and the first Highlander shot of the second half increased their lead. Conway delivered a long through ball to Nay, who drilled it into the back of the net for a 49th minute goal and a 3-0 RU advantage. That lead grew to four at 50:21, after Nay created a breakaway off a VMI goal kick. The ball was headed off that kick, but Nay was able to retrieve it, find space and convert the breakaway attempt for her sixth goal of the season.
The Keydets tried to get on the board in the 54th minute, when Meredith Baldasare missed wide, and had an offensive chance in the 59th minute, when Affronti was stopped by Brown. Simone Jimenez then had a shot 50 seconds later, but missed wide to keep it a 4-0 contest. It then became 5-0 in the 65th minute, when Annabel Bergin scored from 10 yards out off an assist from Shannon Nasca.
Harrmann would then stop Bergin and Mitchell, doing so in the 71st and 73rd minutes respectively, and would also post a save against Krissia Vasquez in the 79th minute. VMI came back with a Jimenez shot that missed wide, and Vasquez capped the scoring at 81:12. Off a corner kick from Cate Weaver, Vasquez settled the ball 15 yards out and volleyed it into the top of the net, accounting for the final margin of 6-0.
The Keydets would have two more shots, but Kacey Hall was stopped on her final collegiate shot, coming at 82:19, and Affronti was blocked in the final minute as VMI fell in its season finale.
In the final stats, Radford outshot VMI 36-9 and held a 6-2 edge in corner kicks. Brown made four saves for RU, two in each half, while Harrmann made seven stops in the first half to help keep VMI within reach.
