RAEFORD — A set piece goal in the closing minutes of the first half proved to be the difference maker for the Richmond Senior High School girls’ soccer team on Tuesday.
The Lady Raiders earned their first Sandhills Athletic Conference win of the spring, defeating Hoke County High School 1-0.
Junior C’Nedra Hinson scored a goal in the 34th minute on a corner kick. Taking the kick was junior Cheyenne Jacobs, who sent the shot across the box to the back post.
There to collect the loose ball was Hinson, who placed it into the back of the net. It was her second goal in the last three games, and Jacobs was credited with the assist.
“We started out a little flat compared to last night against Pinecrest, and it’s hard to play with that kind of energy on back-to-back nights,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “Hoke always plays tough and they knocked the ball around well and it took us a few minutes to get our feet under us.
“We were able to get a handful of shots on net, and Cheyenne played a nice ball over the keeper to get it to C’Nedra for the lone goal. She was in the right place at the right time and that was the difference maker.”
Larsen also said a strong defensive effort, coupled with solid play from freshman goalkeeper Quanna Bostic, helped secure the victory.
“The defense played pretty good, especially since I had to shift around some players due to injury,” he explained. “Meghan McKenzie and Paxlee Faircloth did a good job in the middle, and Michala Nechvilova and Kalei Sriratanakoul were on the outside and did a good job of knocking it around.
“It was a good game for the four of them to get used to each other, and Quanna played well. She made several stops when she had to, but she wasn’t tested too much.”
Richmond (4-5, 1-2 SAC) will travel to Union Pines High School (5-2-1, 3-0 SAC) on Friday for another conference match. Varsity play will begin at 7 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders return to win column
A night after suffering their first loss of the season, the junior varsity Lady Raiders responded with a 9-0 mercy-rule win over Hoke County.
This article will be updated with goal scorers once they are made available.
The JV Lady Raiders improved to 3-1 and 1-1 SAC, and will also play at Union Pines on Friday at 5 p.m.
Boys’ tennis falls at Southern Lee
The Richmond boys’ tennis team suffered a 6-3 loss to Southern Lee High School on Tuesday to start the second round of Sandhills Athletic Conference play.
Two of the Raiders’ wins came in singles play, starting with No. 3 junior Ethan McDonald. He defeated Dalton Shields 8-3 for his team-leading fifth singles win of the spring.
Also earning a singles win was No. 6 senior Marcelo Cantu, who beat Phillip Thompson 8-4.
Needing to win all three doubles matches to complete the comeback, only the No. 2 pairing of McDonald and freshman Jordan Jacobs managed to get another point. The two held on for an 8-6 win over Nico Jimenez and Mario Miranda.
The No. 3 duo of Cantu and senior Thomas Kvapil nearly won their doubles match, finishing in an 8-8 tie against Thompson and Walker Lundey. But in the tiebreaker, they lost 7-3.
Juniors Matthew Burns and Ty Murray came up just short against Preston Clayton and Reichen Schaller 8-5 in the No. 1 doubles match.
Following the loss, the Raiders are now 3-4 on the season. Richmond will play at Pinecrest on Thursday, starting at 4 p.m.
