SOUTHERN PINES — Even though the scoreboard didn’t read in favor of his team at the final whistle, head coach Chris Larsen said Friday’s performance was one of the best all season.
The Richmond Senior High School girls soccer team resumed Sandhills Athletic Conference play, traveling to Pinecrest High School.
In a close matchup, the Lady Raiders lost a 2-0 decision to the Lady Patriots.
The two teams played a scoreless first half before Pinecrest netted a pair of goals in the final 40 minutes.
“We came out and played the way I’ve been expecting us to play,” Larsen said. “We knocked the ball around really well, had some chances and had a few corners. Quanna (Bostic) made a few stops coming off her line to keep us in a tight ball game.
“I told them at halftime I was pleased with their effort and glad to see them make the corrections,” he continued. “We unfortunately had a call or two go against us in the second half, but we still kept playing. I’m proud of the girls for that.”
Both of Pinecrest’s goals came with contact to Bostic in the box, Larsen explained.
The first was a shot off a corner kick that was knocked down, but after Bostic was roughed out of the way, the Lady Patriots corralled the ball for an easy goal.
Later in the second half, a cross by Pinecrest made its way on frame when Bostic was again knocked down. This time she was stuck underneath a Lady Patriot player, unable to stop the second-chance opportunity.
Earlier in the game, Bostic made two saves on a strike and the ensuing corner kick in the final minute of the first half to keep the game tied at zero. Senior Kaleigh Cloninger also had a clearing kick on a rebound that protected an open net.
“The girls set the standard of what I know they can do, so this is the expectation of what I want to see every night,” Larsen closed. “If we do this, we’ll be more successful going down the road. When we do things we’re coached to do, we can be successful.
“It was a good game tonight, but there were some questionable calls that could’ve gone either way. The girls played well, we just have to take it and move forward.”
The Lady Raiders (3-2-2, 0-2 SAC) play three more matches next week, starting at home against Hoke County High School (2-4-2, 1-1 SAC) Tuesday at 7 p.m.
JV soccer also shut out
The Richmond junior varsity soccer team lost 4-0 to Pinecrest Friday.
The JV Lady Raiders allowed two goals in each half, which led to their first loss of the season.
Head coach Bennie Howard said, “a couple of mistakes in the back cost us some goals.”
The JV Lady Raiders (2-1, 0-1 SAC) will host Hoke County Tuesday at 5:15 p.m.
