MATCH INFORMATION

• Score: Radford 4, Wofford 0
• Records: Highlanders (1-0-0) | Terriers (0-1-0)
• Location: Synder Field | Spartanburg, S.C.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Bryheem Hancock era started in dominating fashion as Radford opened the 2017 season with a 4-0 victory over Wofford, Friday night as Kieran Roberts tallied two of the Highlander goals, scoring in each half.
 
The eighth head coach in program history collected a win in his debut, while the Highlanders won their third straight season opener.
 
Of Radford's four goals, three were assisted on as Roberts' first goal of the contest came via a penalty kick. Scoring two of his five shots on frame, Roberts picked up his second career multi-goal match in the opening win.
 
Radford took three shots in the first eight minutes of the match, before earning a corner kick, in which Fraser Colmer placed a perfect ball inside the box. Sivert Daehlie found the ball in the air, heading it home for the first goal of the season at the 8:36 mark.
 
Holding a 5-1 shot advantage, Radford's second goal came in the 20^th minute as Wofford was called for a hand ball inside the box. Roberts set the ball up and fired a low shot to right post, building the lead to 2-0 off the penalty kick.
 
Controlling the match from the beginning, Roberts found Wyatt Erzen striding to the right side of the box, who fired a shot deflecting off a Terrier defender. The ball just went over the outstretched glove Matthew Reynolds as Jakob Strandsäter finished off the deflected ball, extending the Radford lead to three.
 
Both defenses held one another without a shot for the final 18 minutes of the first half as Radford controlled a 7-2 shot advantage at halftime.
 
To start the second half, Roberts had two shots on frame off of three corner kicks, but came up empty. Wofford's best opportunity for a goal came in the 60^th minute as the Terriers received three corner kicks of their own. Dredon Kelly played a ball off a Kevin Davidsson corner, but was unable to shake Nicolas Mertzokat.
 
One minute later, Michael Walsh played a spot on through ball off a Terrier turnover from beyond the midfield line to a striding Roberts on the near side. Roberts played a touch ball to Daehlie, who fed Roberts for the goal just inside the box, sealing the season opening win for the Highlanders.
 
Facing only five shots and two on goal, Mertzokat collected his first career win and clean sheet.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Radford scored only four goals once in 2016, finishing with three goals on two occasions.
• The Highlanders held a 13-5 shot advantage, seven coming on frame.
• Kieran Roberts finished with seven shots, five on goal.
• Roberts collected his second multi-goal game of his career, his first since a three-goal effort at Presbyterian on Sept. 27, 2014.
• Sivert Daehlie has now scored 19 goals in his career, needing only three goals to move into a two-way tie for 10^th all-time.
• Radford now has 11 clean sheets in the last 21 matches.
• Wofford controlled the corner kicks, 7-5.
• There were 37 combined fouls called in the match.

 
QUOTABLE

• "This win was a great start to the season, we were able to get a lot of guys in tonight. It was nice to see the front of the team create and score chances. I thought the backs and Nico did their job in keeping the clean sheet." ~ Radford head coach Bryheem Hancock

 
UP NEXT                     

• Radford will take on No. 5 Clemson in a 6 p.m. matchup on Sunday.
• The Highlanders are 0-2-1 in the all-time series.
• The meeting is the first since Aug. 29, 2014.
• The Tigers collected a 2-0 season opening win over Cal State Fullerton on Friday.

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