ROCKINGHAM — It may have taken a little longer than the 80 minutes of regulation, but the Lady Raider soccer team defeated Jack Britt High School 3-2 on penalty kicks.
Richmond welcomed in its Sandhills Athletic Conference foe Tuesday, and used a Morgan Hooks’ penalty kick in the final round to earn its second SAC win of the season. It marked the third straight game dating back to last season, the Lady Raiders held off the Lady Buccaneers.
A 2-2 tie at the end of regulation wasn’t settled in the two five-minute overtime periods, and it was Hooks, junior Avy Lucero and senior Kaitlyn Huff who all beat Jack Britt goalkeeper Rebecca Karris in the shootout for the win.
Hooks’ game-winner was a right-footed blast that sailed into the left side of the net past a diving Karris. Huff, who kicked first, used her left foot to send a bouncing ball to Karris’ right. Lucero followed up in the third round with a low liner to Karris’ right, which deflected off the keeper’s hands into the net.
Richmond’s sophomore goalkeeper Kelly Hoffman stood tall in the sudden-death showdown, stopping two of Jack Britt’s penalty shots. Another Lady Buccaneer shot sailed wide.
The Lady Raiders’ win came despite not having three of its regular players on the pitch. Senior defender Tatum Hubbard was injured in the first half, senior Emily Parsons was absent due to illness and sophomore Caroline Whitley was out due to injury.
“In the last few years, we’ve played really tight and physical ball games against Jack Britt,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “We knew what to expect. Tatum went down 18 minutes in, and we had to move some people around. Emily was sick and Caroline is out, so a lot of girls logged more minutes than usual and played different positions.”
“I told them after the game they really stepped it up, and started playing like I thought they would,” he added. “Kelly made some big saves in the back, the defense cleared a lot of balls, and the forwards up top got a lot of shots on frame. It was a big win and hopefully gets our confidence up.”
Jack Britt took a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute of the first half, but Huff responded with her team-leading fourth goal of the season with seven minutes remaining before halftime.
Again, the Lady Bucs would take a one-goal advantage at the start of the second 40-minute period. This time, it would be junior Valery Standridge who found the back of the net for Richmond with 10 minutes left in regulation to tie the game and send it to extra time. It was her first goal of the season.
The shootout victory came just four nights after the Lady Raiders suffered a 9-0 mercy-rule loss to Pinecrest High School. For Larsen, he was glad to see his team bounce back with a win.
“We watched film after the loss, and the girls took it to heart,” Larsen noted. “They know they’re better than a 9-0 loss, and they showed that tonight. The girls played with the desire and passion I knew they had. Sometimes a loss can point you back in the right direction, and tonight reassured that we can be successful when we put forth the effort.”
Richmond (3-1) will travel to Union Pines High School (2-1-1) Wednesday for a non-conference matchup. The game is set for a 6:30 p.m. start.
“Tomorrow is going to be another tough one with a smaller lineup,” Larsen concluded. “We’re looking forward to Hoke County toward the end of the week and we need to do what we have to do.”
