CAMERON, N.C. – It may have taken nearly 10 tries over head coach Bennie Howard’s 24-year career as the Lady Raiders head soccer coach to earn a win against Union Pines High School, but this year’s squad didn’t disappoint in Wednesday’s season opener.
In what was Howard’s “last first game,” Richmond (1-0) got the season off on the right foot en route to a hopeful Sandhills Athletic Conference title as it blasted into the win column by notching a 4-1 non-conference win on the road against the Lady Vikings.
Behind a “total team effort,” Howard was pleased with his players’ ability to get the win after tying Union Pines 1-1 a season ago, and earning Richmond’s first win in the two teams’ all-time series. Howard also noted that this was a memorable start to his final season as the program’s head coach.
“Everybody got to play tonight, and we did really well,” Howard noted. “We had a lot more scoring opportunities than they did, and we were fortunate to put the ball in the net and walk away with a victory.”
The game started in favor of the Lady Vikings (0-1) as sophomore goalkeeper Allexis Swiney, who started her first career varsity game in net, allowed a goal at the 18-minute mark in the first half. But an unrelenting Richmond offense took control of the game and outscored Union Pines 4-0 in the remaining 65 minutes.
Just eight minutes later, sophomore midfielder Emily Buie took a corner kick and put the ball on net. Her shot took a fortunate bounce and went off a Union Pines player, and Buie was credited with the goal, her first of the season.
Buie’s tying goal would be the last score for either team in the first half. During the break, Howard and junior varsity head coach Chris Larsen made some adjustments that fared well for the Lady Raiders.
“We weren’t doing a very good job at marking up in certain situations,” Howard explained. “And Chris did some really good coaching on the sideline, and we made some adjustments. Out of the break, we shut them down in the middle of the field, where they were killing us by running a diamond in the first half.”
The second Lady Raiders’ goal of the night came at the 60-minute mark when sophomore defender Avy Lucero (1) connected on a penalty kick following a Union Pines handball in the box, which would prove to be the eventual game winner.
Richmond kept its foot on the gas, and connected just four minutes later, compliments of two junior players who Howard has high expectations for this season.
Junior midfielder Chloe Wiggins, who Howard noted as being “tremendous on the outside right” during the first game of the season, sent a corner kick directly to fellow junior forward Jessi Graham. Using her body, Graham (1) stuck her hip out and bumped the ball into the back of the net, giving the Lady Raiders a 3-1 lead.
Setting up the night’s final goal was junior midfielder Jessie Matheson, who launched a ball out of the backfield to junior striker Jayana Nicholson. Using her speed and finesse, Nicholson (1) weaved her way around several Union Pines defenders to give her a one-on-one battle with the goalkeeper. She scored with ease to push the tally to 4-1 with 15 minutes remaining, serving as the game’s final score.
“There were a couple of times where we did exactly what we worked on in practice,” Howard said of his team’s need to do better with shielding. “The things that I’ve pushed since day one, whether they like it or not, this game is a prime example that if you work hard in practice and transfer it to the field, good things happen.”
In junior varsity action, the Lady Raiders rolled to a 4-0 shutout victory. Sophomore forward Taylor Casteen netted the team’s first goal of the season, while freshman midfielder Jayla McDougald scored a game-high two goals, one of which was assisted by freshman Jakerra Covington. Sophomore Kelsey Sheffield capped off the night’s scoring with her first goal of the year.
“The girls played aggressive,” Larsen noted. “It’s a good way to start the season.”
The Lady Raiders will return to action on Friday at home, as they’ll welcome in non-conference opponent Jay M. Robinson High School (Concord, N.C.). Junior varsity will get things started at 5:30 p.m., followed by varsity at 7 p.m.
