ROCKINGHAM — A season-high nine goals helped the Lady Raider soccer team extend its winning streak to five matches on Tuesday.
Using a hat trick from sophomore Cheyenne Jacobs, along with solo tallies from six other players, Richmond handed rival Scotland High School a 9-0 mercy-rule loss.
Richmond was down a half dozen players due to spring break vacations and injuries, but head coach Chris Larsen said the team made the necessary adjustments to earn the victory to stay in second place in the Sandhills Athletic Conference standings.
The Lady Raiders netted three goals in the first half, before breaking the game open with six goals in 30 minutes in the second half. Senior goalkeeper Kelly Hoffman, who Larsen put up front late, scored the game-ending goal in the 70th minute.
After what Larsen called a slow start offensively, Jacobs found the back of the net in the 14th minute for the game’s first goal. Taking a cross from senior Jayla McDougald, Jacobs settled the ball in the box before kicking it past the keeper.
Ten minutes later, McDougald would add to her assist with a goal in the 24th minute. Bringing the ball down the left side of the field in open space, McDougald sent a one-hopper that bounced under the keeper’s hands and into the net, her fifth of the season.
Adding onto the first half lead was junior midfielder Kaitlyn Huff, who netted her team-leading seventh goal of the campaign in the 31st minute. Weaving through traffic, she sent a tight-angled shot from near the goal mouth, which deflected off the keeper’s hands and just over the goal line for the tally.
Richmond recorded 13 of its 20 shots on goal in the opening 40 minutes of play, and took a 3-0 advantage into the intermission.
Senior Jayla McDougald had a goal and an assist in Tuesday’s win over Scotland.
“The girls moved the ball around a lot better about 20 minutes in, and in the second half we were able to get the ball from side to side,” Larsen explained. “That opened things up for us and led to a few more chances to score, which we did.
“I told them I’ve been frustrated because we haven’t been playing up to our potential, but they turned the corner tonight and started playing better.”
Out of the break, the Lady Raiders scored three goals in a six-minute span. Jacobs added her second tally of the night just 41 seconds into the half, and fellow sophomore Karter Walker chipped in her first goal of the season in the 43rd minute.
Junior center back Paxlee Faircloth took a penalty kick for the Lady Raiders in the 46th minute, finding twine for her first goal this spring.
Junior Saniah Durham would join the scoring parade in the 60th minute, recording her first goal this year. Jacobs completed the hat trick in the 65th minute before Hoffman ended the game early five minutes later.
“Everybody got to play tonight, and because we were down six players, we had some girls start and play more than what they have,” Larsen said. “And a lot of them did a good job.
“Cheyenne hasn’t played a lot this year, but she came through with three goals tonight,” he closed. “Hopefully we can continue our momentum when we pick back up next week.”
The Lady Raiders (6-1 SAC) will host conference leader Pinecrest High School (7-0) on Monday. Junior varsity will begin at 5 p.m., followed by varsity at 7 p.m.
