ROCKINGHAM — The Lady Raider soccer team faced four opponents over two nights of scrimmaging on Thursday and Friday.
Netting a total of 160 minutes between the two days, the equivalent of two full games, the Lady Raiders were ahead on the scoreboard during both of their first two matches at Hoke County High School.
Facing non-conference opponents Cape Fear and South View, Richmond played two 20-minute halves.
Against Cape Fear, the Lady Raiders registered a final score of 3-0, followed by a 2-0 tally against the Lady Tigers.
Head coach Chris Larsen was pleased with Richmond’s efforts, especially on the offensive end in the first live action of the season.
“I saw some good things against both opponents on Thursday,” Larsen said. “The girls played nervous for the first 10 minutes, which is customary since many of them haven’t played a game in almost a year.
“But it was really good to find some success on offense, which will hopefully help us next week.”
Five different goal scorers found the back of the net on Thursday. They were seniors Jenifer Gomez and Sheccid Heaton, juniors Kaleigh Cloninger and Gabby Lutz, along with freshman Yulissa Mendez.
Sophomore goalkeeper Quanna Bostic played all 80 minutes and didn’t allow a goal in either scrimmage.
On Friday, the team traveled to Independence High School to face the host Lady Patriots and East Mecklenburg High School.
Playing against “higher-quality” opponents, the Lady Raiders were down 5-1 to East Meck and 5-0 against Independence. This time, Richmond played a pair of 40-minute scrimmages with no breaks.
Finding the back of the net for Richmond against the Lady Eagles was senior midfielder Cheyenne Jacobs.
“I told the girls that Friday would be a different style of soccer than they’re used to when we got away from our normal opponents,” Larsen explained. “But it was good we got to experience playing different caliber teams.
“East Meck finished near the top of their conference last year and Independence is a third-round playoff team with a lot of returners. Both teams were good competition, which should prepare us for conference play.”
Bostic started both scrimmages in Charlotte and Larsen subbed in senior goalkeeper Tatum Rhyne for the remaining minutes.
Rhyne, along with sophomore center back Nevaeh Harris, joined the team on Friday after cheering for the Richmond Raider basketball team during Thursday’s playoff game.
“Quanna made some really good saves, coming off her line to make some diving stops,” Larsen said. “Both she and Tatum saw a lot more chances from both opponents on Friday.
“We have a new camera system this year and we’ll use it to correct some mistakes and positioning with our defenders. I think it will pay off in the long run.”
Note: Stats and information were provided by head coach Chris Larsen.
