ROCKINGHAM — What started last May as Richmond Senior High School head soccer coach Chris Larsen’s first year at the head of the program is now in the books.
Larsen took over the boys’ and girls’ programs from 30-year veteran Bennie Howard last spring, and saw his first year come to an end in the second round of the girls’ 4A state playoffs last week.
In what was a whirlwind season for Larsen and the Lady Raiders, the first-year head coach noted his team’s journey as an “overall success.” Richmond finished 15-5 with an 12-2 record against Sandhills Athletic Conference opponents.
That mark was good enough for the Lady Raiders to take second place outright, the first time doing that in at least the last decade. A season ago, Richmond finished tied with Jack Britt High School for second in the SAC.
With 11 senior players on this year’s roster, Larsen and company brought a wealth of experience to the pitch. Many of the players were three- and four-year starters, and Larsen noted that as being one of the key factors for the team’s success.
“I was glad to see us get second place outright this year,” Larsen said. “It was also a good thing that we came close to breaking the all-time single-season wins record (17 in 2018). We may have exceeded it this year if some games weren’t rained out. That’s the kind of mentality Coach Howard established with this group.
“The girls played at the level they were supposed to play at this year,” he added. “A lot of that has to do with the experience and talent the girls brought. We got the first round bye, which set us up to make it to the third round, which is all I could as for.”
When the Lady Raiders received their first-round bye in the playoffs, along with a No. 8 seed, it marked the first time in program history that had happened. It also snapped a 15-year drought of making it out of the first round, the last time being done in 2004.
At the onset of the season, the Lady Raiders set their sights high, aiming to win a conference title while also making a deep run in the playoffs. While Pinecrest High School would win its fifth-straight conference crown, the Lady Raiders managed to make it to their third-straight SAC tournament title game against the Lady Patriots.
“We came close to meeting our expectations, and we figured we had a monkey on our back trying to get past Pinecrest,” Larsen noted. “We’ve met them in the tournament championship three years in a row, which is good for our program.
“When we finally get over that hump one time and beat them, I think we’ll continue to get past that,” he added.
Richmond enjoyed a season-long six-game winning streak that started with a 4-0 shutout over Hoke County High School on March 18 and continued through March 29 with a 1-0 win over Purnell Swett High School.
All of that was done without three starters, two of whom exited with season-ending injuries. It was his team’s play during this span that defined the season for Larsen.
“The girls showed a lot of resiliency and willingness to adapt early in the season,” he said. “The girls’ ability to do things they weren’t expecting kept our season alive. We lost Caroline Whitley and Tatum Hubbard for the season, and then Emily Buie was out for a month.
“Then the winning streak came, and the girls showed they could still play as a unit,” Larsen explained. “They showed we could be successful no matter what, and that carried us through the latter part of the season.”
Another goal for the team heading into the season was to spread the scoring across as many players as possible. A total of 13 players found the back of the net, with eight of them scoring four or more times. Senior Jessi Graham scored a team-leading 13 goals, while freshman Kaitlyn Huff notched 12 goals.
Richmond averaged 3.4 goals per game offensively in 2019, which was second highest in the last five years to 2017’s 3.9 goals per game. Also having successful scoring seasons were seniors Morgan Hooks and Chloe Wiggins and sophomore Jayla McDougald, all of whom scored seven goals.
The Lady Raiders scored at least three goals in 12 games, blasting a season-high 10 goals against Seventy-First High School on senior night on April 16.
Starting in net in 19 of the team’s 20 games was sophomore goalkeeper Kelly Hoffman, which was her first season as the starter. She recorded 77 saves, while allowing just 24 goals. The Lady Raider defense, along with Hoffman, limited opponents to just 2.1 goals per game.
Perhaps Hoffman’s most electric performance was the team’s only penalty kick shootout of the season, where she stopped three shots to secure a win in the first of three times Richmond played Jack Britt.
“Kaitlyn was big as a freshman in the first part of the season, and I enjoyed watching her come off the bench and play well for us,” Larsen said. “Carley Lambeth (junior) adapted by dropping to play midfield and she really enjoyed it — she was a good presence and opened the field up.
“Valery Standridge also dropped to center back when we had injuries and did really well. Jessi put the ball in the back of the net, and could get us started or close it out. Kelly was tremendous for us all season in net.”
Larsen also complimented how Hooks and fellow senior Jayana Nicholson “controlled the middle of the field” which he ultimately thought “dictated how our season went.”
Not to be forgotten were the four starting defenders — Standridge, Wiggins, senior Kaiyah Sriratanakoul and junior Avy Lucero — who Larsen said “had no problem locking it down.” He added that their names won’t always show up in the paper, but their consistent play “paid dividends in close games.”
Although the season just came to an end against East Forsyth High School in the playoffs, Larsen is already eyeing what he and his players can do to prepare for next spring. He hopes the “community will continue to buy into the sport” of soccer, as continued development will boost the program to “a higher caliber of playing.”
“The best way to sum up the season was how resilient we were all around,” Larsen said. “The girls never backed down, whether they were winning or losing. They always came ready to play.
“Even though the girls just finished, and we’re losing a successful senior class, we have a lot of quality girls returning,” he closed. “There are several juniors who played a lot of minutes, and Jayla should be good.
“There’s a lot of potential to keep the ball rolling. A big thank you to the 11 seniors who got this program going in the right direction — they’ll be a hard group to replace.”
The 2019 All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team will be announced once Pinecrest, the lone SAC team remaining in the state playoffs, is eliminated or wins the state championship.
