SANFORD — Both teams struggled to find the back of the net in Richmond Senior High School’s season opener on Monday.
Playing on the road at Southern Lee High School, the Lady Raiders finished the 80 minutes of play in a scoreless tie with the Lady Cavaliers. Per North Carolina High School Athletic Association rules, non-conference games do not go into overtime or penalty kicks.
“It was a back and forth game, but nothing to be upset about,” second-year head coach Chris Larsen said following the game. “Each team had some chances and I think early on we had more chances than they did.
“I saw some things we worked on this weekend and some of the girls played better and corrected their mistakes,” he continued. “But on the flip side, there were some things we needed to do better with, like switching and settling the ball to set up alleys to score.”
In the first half, junior forward Jayla McDougald and sophomore forward Kaitlyn Huff each directed a shot that hit off the post. Senior midfielder Carley Lambeth also landed a shot on frame, but saw the ball deflected by the keeper.
Southern Lee (0-0-1) couldn’t adjust to Richmond’s defense and was whistled for over a dozen offside calls, Lasen noted, the majority coming in the first 40 minutes.
Larsen also said that junior goalkeeper Kelly Hoffman “had a few good saves,” coming off her line to disrupt the flow of Southern Lee’s attack. She made a save on a corner kick late in the second half to keep the game scoreless.
“We just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net,” Larsen explained. “Now we’ll see how the weather affects us the rest of the week.
“Friday is a very important match with Purnell Swett,” he closed. “We are two teams who are jockeying for the two or three spots in the conference and a win would go a long way.”
Richmond (0-0-1) will look to add its first win of the season when it hosts Purnell Swett (0-0) in its home opener first Sandhills Athletic Conference game on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders shutout Southern Lee in opener
Prior to the varsity draw, the Richmond junior varsity team kicked off its season with a 4-0 win over the Lady Cavaliers. Four different Lady Raiders scored in the season-opening win, starting with Cheyenne Jacobs in the first half.
Richmond tacked on three more goals in the second half courtesy of freshman C’Nedra Hinson, sophomore Talayeh Covington and freshman Karter Walker.
The JV Lady Raiders (1-0) will also host Purnell Swett in their home opener on Friday starting at 5:15 p.m.
