ROCKINGHAM — Helping start the new athletic calendar and continuing The Richmond Observer’s weekly feature series is a member of the Richmond boys’ soccer team.
Senior center midfielder Gonzalo Gonzalez has been named the Official Richmond County Male Student-Athlete of the Week presented by Rockingham NC Self Storage.
One of the several returning starters on the Raiders’ roster this season, Gonzalez provided a clutch goal to help the team win its season opener.
Playing his third season of varsity soccer and a voice in the middle of the field, Gonzalez earned his first career recognition.
Athletic Profile: Gonzalo Gonzalez
Year: Senior
Fall sport: Soccer
Position: Center midfielder
Varsity experience: 3 seasons
“CLASSROOM CREDITS” WITH GONZALO GONZALEZ
When students return to the classroom next week, Gonzalez will begin his senior year at Richmond and begin the final stretch to graduation.
An Honors student, Gonzalez will look to balance soccer and schoolwork this fall.
His final year at Richmond will see him take several courses — Honors Art Proficient, Honors Weight Training, Spanish Heritage I, Honors Spanish Heritage II, Economics and Personal Finance, English IV and Math 4.
As a junior last spring, Gonzalez was a member of the Richmond JROTC Raider team.
Following graduation, Gonzalez hopes to be able to pursue a career that allows him to give back to his hometown.
“I want to be a police officer,” Gonzalez shared. “After graduation I plan on going to Richmond Community College and taking the BLET (basic law enforcement training).
“I think it’ll be a good opportunity to give back to my community and it’s something I’ve always been interested in.”
“IN THE NET” WITH GONZALO GONZALEZ
The Raiders began the 2024 season with a pair of non-conference matches last week against Piedmont and Independence high schools.
Splitting the matches, Richmond secured a 3-2 win over Piedmont in its season-opening match.
Gonzalez proved to play an integral part in the win, netting the eventual game-winning goal in the 54th minute.
Leading by a goal, Gonzalez connected on his first goal of the season in penalty kick fashion to give Richmond a 3-1 lead. The PK opportunity came after fellow senior teammate Noah Gil was fouled in the box.
Head coach Chris Larsen shared that because of his proven track record the past two seasons from the PK line, Gonzalez was the easy choice to send in for the kick.
Gonzalez’s PK helped bolster Richmond’s lead, which would be cut to one goal in the 62nd minute.
The Raiders (1-1) will have a home match Thursday against Porter Ridge High School at 7 p.m.
“RAPID RESPONSE” VIDEO WITH GONZALO GONZALEZ
The Richmond Observer will publish two more Official Richmond County Student-Athletes of the Week next week.
