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BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State University men's soccer concluded a successful exhibition slate on Saturday evening thanks to a 1-0 win over a formidable Radford team at Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex.
The Black and Gold finished the preseason with a 1-0-1 mark.
App got all the help it needed in the opening minutes of the half when a scrum for the ball led to an own goal by the visitors, giving App the 1-0 edge.
The Highlanders fired away three of their four shots on goal in the first half, but Jake Chasteen saved all three attempts to keep the shutout going.
Appalachian would hold the advantage in shots overall, 9-7, while Radford posted four shots on goal to the Mountaineers' three. The App defense clamped down even more as RU only attempted two shots in the second half. Mitch Kilmer helped with the defensive effort as he would play the final 19:50 between the posts, coming away with a save.
Overall, the defensive effort across the board was excellent leading to a second shutout in as many contests.
Juan Hernandez led the team with three shots while Reed Hunnicutt and Marc Pfrogner had a pair of chances at the net. The trio all nearly converted on one of their shots, which would have put the match at 4-0 in App's favor.
After a challenging preseason that featured an ACC opponent and the Big South Conference favorites, App will now turn its attention towards Old Dominion and VCU. The Mountaineers will open up next weekend on the road starting with ODU on Friday, Aug. 25 in Norfolk, Va. at 7 p.m.
"Good results," O'Keefe said after the win. "The boys put in a great shift vs. a very good Radford team that was picked to win the Big South again this year. We again bent but didn't break, and got an unconventional goal which was great because we didn't get many last year We had some better looks that we need to improve and will. We'll get back to work tomorrow and get ready for a very challenging opening weekend at ODU and VCU."
