Dukes Drop Road Match to Radford

Saturday, August 29

Radford, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

1-2-0, 0-0-0

Radford

1-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
James Madison	0	1	1
Radford	0	2	2

8/29/2026 9:45:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

RADFORD, Va. – In a tie game late in the second half, Radford found the game-winning goal in the 85th minute as the Dukes fell to the Highlanders, 2-1, at Cupp Stadium on Saturday evening.

JMU's goal scorer was none other than Manuel Lolas, who found the equalizer by punching a penalty kick into the back of the net in the 82nd minute. Lolas led both sides in shots, tallying four in the match.

The Dukes held a 14-6 advantage in shots, while each side recorded five shots on goal. Additionally, JMU managed more corner kicks than the Highlanders, holding a five-to-three advantage in that department. In goal, Erik Jaspers made three saves for the Dukes.

Quoting Head Coach Paul Zazenski

"It was a tough night tonight in every sense," said Zazenski. "Radford scored on a PK and set piece and credit to them on a much improved team. I thought there was a no call that changed the game early on but we need to respond better and continue to play our game no matter what obstacles come up in the match. Hopefully we can learn from these moments and come ready to play against Princeton."

How It Happened

The Dukes put plenty of early pressure on the Highlanders' backline in the 17th minute when Lolas and Leon Kondic put two strong shots on goal from inside the box.
Jaspers was called into action midway through the first half, punching a long-range shot from Radford out of harm's way to keep the match scoreless.
Ikenna Nnawuchi got a strong header off a Dukes' 58th minute corner kick, but the ball was saved at the last moment by Radford's goalkeeper.
The 63rd minute saw the first goal of the game, as Radford was awarded a penalty kick due to a JMU handball and Noel Zimbava converted from the spot for the Highlanders.
Just under 20 minutes later, JMU managed to find an equalizer in the same fashion. Lolas took the penalty kick and calmly scored from the spot to even the match at 1-1.
Only a few moments after the Dukes' equalizer, Radford emerged with the game-winning goal, scoring off a corner kick in the 85th minute.

Game Notes

Lolas' penalty kick goal was the Dukes' first score from the spot since Sept. 19, 2025, when Cameron Arnold converted a penalty kick against No. 13 West Virginia.
JMU's three-game winning streak against Radford was snapped as the Highlanders earned their first win over the Dukes since 2017.
Håkon Rake joined Lolas as the only two Dukes to record multiple shots against the Highlanders, tallying three in 53 minutes of action.

Up Next

JMU continues its three-match road stretch, taking on (RV) Princeton on Friday at 7 p.m.