Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Darrell Gillispie is hanging up his clipboard after seven years at the helm of the Radford High School girls soccer program, and Friday’s semifinal loss in the state playoffs is not the way he had hoped to end it. Radford fell to Appomattox 2-1 in sudden death.
“The Radford Lady Bobcats Soccer team had a great season. We lost four games. Two regular season games to Blacksburg and the Regional Finals and State Semi Finals to Appomattox. Both games with Appomattox were 1-2. They lost the state championship to Mason 1-0 on a penalty kick. With a couple good bounces and a little luck, we could have been state champions,” Gillispie said.
He also spent seven years as an assistant at Radford before taking over as head coach. His overall record was 122-18.
“The State semifinals game went to double overtime, and we were two minutes away from going to a shootout when they slipped a golden goal in on us. It was a great season,” he said.
Gillispie feels good about his final year of coaching. Not only did the Bobcats have a good season, they’re only losing three seniors.
“I will be turning the program over to two quality young ladies that I have been around since they were nine years old. They were on the same team that won a state championship, and they both played four years of college soccer. The good part is that I am leaving on my own terms,” he said.
RHS hasn’t announced his replacement as of yet, but he is optimistic one of his assistants will be handed the whistle in the near future. Gillispie said he had put a lot into the soccer program but has gotten much more out of it.
“I will greatly miss the girls. Many quality kids have come through the program during my 14 years as an assistant coach and as head coach.”
