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FARMVILLE, Va. – Radford's Kieran Roberts redirected a free kick in the box in the 26th minute to tally the game's lone goal, as the Highlanders held on for a 1-0 win over Longwood Wednesday night at the Athletics Complex.

Radford (11-3-1; 5-1 Big South), ranked earlier this season in the NSCAA Coaches poll and receiving top-25 votes coming into Wednesday's game, moves to within one win of clinching at least a share of the Big South regular season crown. Meanwhile, Longwood (5-10-1; 2-4-0 Big South) sits sixth in the conference with two games remaining on the schedule, holding the tiebreaker over Campbell.

"Our fans were fantastic and while we're unhappy that we didn't bring them a result, we felt we gave them a reason to feel proud of our effort against a top team in Radford," Atkinson said. "Tonight was a very professional performance, but, unfortunately, we came out on the wrong end of the result."

Radford marked the second team Longwood has played during the regular season that finds itself among the nation's elite, as the Lancers played a tight game against then-No. 23 Virginia Tech.

"Proving yourself against the best and giving yourself a chance to win against high caliber teams proves that we're a very capable team," Atkinson said. "I think our guys know it, even though the results may not show it all the time. We need to focus on the consistency and giving ourselves a chance to win each game we play."

In an evenly-matched game that saw shots even in both halves, Robert's goal was the difference, as he scored off a set piece on a play where he redirected a free kick from Fraser Colmer from 20 yards out. The goal for Roberts marked his third goal in the last five matches.

"We're disappointed that we lost," Atkinson said. "We put a lot of effort into getting something out of that game and to come up empty handed is tough. Credit to Radford. They're a quality team and they aren't going to give us anything easy. They were able to come out with the result in a very tightly contested game."

Longwood pressured throughout the early portion of the second half and appeared to have drawn a penalty kick with a hand ball inside the box, but the play was ruled to have gone off the Radford defender's shoulder. That was one of five chances in the half for the Lancers, as the squad forced Highlander goalkeeper Ait Pouseu Blanco into a total of six saves in the game.

Meanwhile, Carlos Canas notched four saves, including three key second half saves to keep the Lancers in the game. Canas improved his save percentage of .800 that ranks second among Big South goalkeepers, as he ranks among the Big South's top-three goalies in goals against average (GAA) and saves.

"Carlos is an exceptional keeper," Atkinson said. "He made a couple of key saves when it mattered to give us hope that we could claw back into the game and make it interesting."

With just more than five minutes to play, Wyatt had perhaps Longwood's best chance for the equalizer, as he took a shot from the top of the 18-yard box that Pouseu Blanco had to move to his right post to save.

"We'll take a lot from this game," Atkinson said. "We need to take away that level of intensity that we showed and the commitment that we showed. We just need a little more belief."

Longwood returns to the road Saturday, Oct. 29, as the Lancers travel to Rock Hill, S.C., to face reigning Big South Tournament champion Winthrop. The opening kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

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