Home Local Sports Four goal scorers fuel Raiders’ victory over Scotland

Four goal scorers fuel Raiders’ victory over Scotland

Sophomore striker Noah Gil (9) scored two goals in Richmond's 5-1 victory over Scotland. (Kyle Pillar, sports editor)

LAURINBURG — Closing its regular season with a victory, the Richmond boys’ soccer team snapped a six-game slide on Wednesday.

On the road, the Raiders spoiled rival Scotland High School’s chance at winning any Sandhills Athletic Conference game this season with a 5-1 victory.

Using four different goal scorers, sophomore striker Noah Gil netted two tallies for the Raiders. Also scoring were senior Jullian Cline and juniors Vernan McDonald and James Eason.

Richmond set the tempo early in the match to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. Gil got warmed up by putting three of his six shots on frame in the opening seven minutes.

Creating space and moving the ball around to spread the field, Richmond got on the board when Cline scored in the 14th minute. 

Making a charge down the middle of the field, Cline crossed just inside the top of the 18-yard box. Kneeing a bouncing ball, Cline got enough behind his shot to slot inside the left post with the keeper off his line.

Senior Jullian Cline (11) knees a shot into the goal during Richmond’s win on Wednesday. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)

Scotland (3-13, 0-12 SAC) switched the momentum for the next 10 minutes, making several runs on net. Sophomore keeper Adrian Padron stopped a potential goal on a free kick in the 20th minute, and senior center back Luke McCormick made two goal-saving clears from close range.

Gil was rewarded in the 24th minute with his first goal of the night. Setting up the tally was sophomore midfielder Landon Summerlin, who made a run down the left side of the field.

Sending a volley up and over a defender, Summerlin’s pass found Gil who made a charge 1v1 against the keeper and slid it in the goal. Making it 2-0, Summerlin was credited with the assist.

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The Fighting Scots got on the board in the 45th minute when Scotty Boone capitalized on a penalty kick following a foul committed in the box by Richmond.

Answering in the 57th minute, the Raiders regained a two-goal advantage on Gil’s second goal.

Junior Jesus Castro sent a corner kick on frame and got his own rebound. He flipped the ball back into the 6-yard box where Gil jumped up and headed it into the net to extend the Raiders’ lead to 3-1.

Keeping the pressure on, senior Gabriel Alves was fouled in the box in the 65th minute. There to take the penalty kick was McDonald, who sent a strike to the lower left corner of the frame for his first goal of the season.

Icing the four-goal win was Eason, who scored on an assist from junior Samuel Hawks in the 77th minute. Hawks made a run down the left sideline and crossed it to Eason, who chipped the ball off the right post and into the net.

Cline, who finished with seven of Richmond’s 27 shots, had a couple more chances on frame in the closing minutes. Castro added five shots in the win.

Richmond (5-14-1, 4-8 SAC) finished the regular season in sixth place in the conference standings. 

The Raiders will be the No. 6 seed in the opening round of the SAC tournament and travel to No. 3 Hoke County (11-7-1, 6-5-1 SAC). That match will be played on Monday.

Currently on the outside looking in on the 4A East state playoffs, head coach Chris Larsen and company will need to make a run through the conference tournament to try and earn a bid.



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Kyle Pillar is a 22-time North Carolina Press Association award-winning sports editor with The Richmond Observer. Follow the sports department on X @ROSports_ for the best in-depth coverage of Richmond County sports.