ROCKINGHAM – Richmond Senior High School’s Lady Raider soccer team wrapped up a tough three-game week with a 2-0 loss to visiting non-conference opponent Central Academy of Arts and Technology (Monroe, N.C.) Friday night.
Just two nights after a grueling, physical match that resulted in a 2-1 victory over Sandhills Athletic Conference foe Jack Britt High School, the Lady Raiders (10-4) failed to place the ball in the back of the net for the second time this week (they were also shutout against Pinecrest High School on Monday).
Neither team scored in the first half, and it wasn’t until the final four and a half minutes of the game that saw both of the Lady Cougars’ goals sail into the goal past sophomore goalkeeper Allexis Swiney. Earlier in the second half, Swiney made three clutch saves in a couple-minute span that kept her team even, but CATA (7-4-1) would endure for the win.
“We had several opportunities in the first half to score, but we just couldn’t connect,” Richmond head coach Bennie Howard explained postgame. “The ball was either too far in front or behind us, or we couldn’t score on one-versus-one plays. We didn’t play bad, but I don’t think we played to our potential tonight; we weren’t a complete unit.”
Speaking of a cohesive squad, the Lady Raiders were without two players for the entirety of the game. Senior Hanna Millen, who suffered an injury against Jack Britt, and sophomore Carley Lambeth (illness), didn’t lace up for Friday’s game. And to make matters worse, junior midfielder Jayana Nicholson tweaked her knee in the opening 15 minutes against CATA, and was sidelined the rest of the night as a precaution.
“I sat Jayana because the team needs her (healthy) for the latter part of the season,” Howard said. “I chose safety first. She tried to come back at the start of the second half, but she was still in pain. I think the team saw how important she is for us – we depend on her soccer skills, knowledge and leadership on the field.
“I’m hoping Hanna, Carley and Jayana should all be back Monday,” he added.
CATA’s sophomore midfielder Makenna Melchor broke the scoreless tie with 4:17 to go when she beat Swiney on a shot. With time in regulation winding down, senior forward Ally Burnett sent a ball toward the net that trickled in as the final buzzer sounded.
As explained by Howard, once Nicholson was removed from the lineup, he “started plugging players in” at different positions on the pitch, and his team put together a “B-minus” performance.
“We held our own,” he noted. “I thought we had opportunities to score in the second half that were better than CATA’s chances. We had a couple of free kicks that missed by just a little bit. Chloe (Wiggins) had a couple of nice crosses, but we just couldn’t get the shots to fall for us.”
Despite the loss, Richmond still sits in a good place in the SAC (third place) and hopes to finish the season strong in conference play. Having split the season series with Jack Britt, with each team winning on its home field, the Lady Raiders will need to win out the four remaining SAC games and get some help from SAC leader Pinecrest if they want to finish in second place.
Currently, Jack Britt is a half of a game ahead of Richmond in the SAC standings, and should it lose to Pinecrest and win out in its other SAC games, the Lady Raiders and Lady Buccaneers would finish with identical conference records and tie for second place.
“We’ve got to take this loss tonight and turn it from a negative to a positive,” Howard concluded. “As a team, we need to come every night ready to play. By beating Jack Britt, we set the scenario up that Pinecrest can beat them, and if we can run table in next four conference games, it’ll come down to a coin toss (for second place).”
With two weeks left in regular season play, Richmond has another three-game week ahead of it. The Lady Raiders will host SAC foe Hoke County High School (which they beat 6-1 on March 14) on Monday, before traveling to Lumberton High School (a 4-0 victory for Richmond on March 19) on Wednesday. Both games are set for a 7 p.m. start.
The girls in green and gold will wrap up next week’s play with a trip to Marshville, N.C., to face non-conference opponent Forest Hills High School. Play will get underway at 6 p.m.
