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Radford takes down Madison

When Madison County evened things up early against Radford on a Lindsey Wheeler goal, the Mountaineers were feeling pretty good about the way the game was tracking.

Right about then, Radford’s speed and the Bobcats’ aggressive, attacking style took over. As Radford asserted itself, Madison, in its first ever trip to the state final four, couldn’t find another counterpunch and fell 5-2 to the Bobcats.

“We battled hard, you hate to see it end this way,” said Madison coach Danny Crigler.

Freshman standout Lexi Denny paced the Bobcats with three goals, striking first about four minutes into the game on a long solo run, then again in the 18th minute on a shot from 20 yards out. Her most impressive moment though came in the second half, when Caitlin King drove a ball deep into Madison’s territory. Denny, a Radford forward then exploded, sprinting downfield, overtaking the Mountaineer’s defense with a burst of speed. She then placed a solid shot to the left of the goal to put Radford up 4-1.

“We’ve got a kid that’s two steps faster than most people especially with the ball at her feet,” said Radford coach Lee Boeling. “She’s a very, very talented player.”

CeCe Scott and Lindsi Sparks had the other goals for Radford, with Sparks scoring on a free kick after a yellow card on Madison in the second half.

Madison struggled to slow down the Bobcats, but had their own chances throughout the game. Ashley Sealander did a solid job of drawing and creating chances, but several free kicks sailed high or wide and deep runs ended with a redirection by Radford’s disciplined defense. Ivy Jacobs eventually broke through in the final two minutes for Madison’s second goal, but it was far from enough to match the Bobcats.

“We were hoping that we could disrupt their possession game that they like to play,” Crigler said. “Just disrupt it and steal a couple of balls away, but we couldn’t.”

The loss ends one of the best season’s in the Madison program’s history, as well as the careers of a stellar senior class. Nine seniors, including Sealander, Tori Puryear, Ivy Jacobs and Jenna Tylar, posted an 18-5-1 record, with four of the five losses coming to Radford and George Mason, the two state finalists that will lock up tomorrow.

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