RAEFORD — The scores of Saturday’s two scrimmages weren’t the focus for the Richmond Senior High School girls’ soccer team.
Battling the blustery conditions at Hoke County Jamboree, the Lady Raiders and head coach Chris Larsen competed in two pre-season games against Gray’s Creek and Purnell Swett high schools.
Playing two 20-minute halves in each contest, the Lady Raiders split with the Lady Bears and Lady Rams. Richmond fell short 2-0 against Gray’s Creek, while three different goal scorers helped them defeat conference opponent Purnell Swett 3-1.
“It was a good day for us, and really good to get some game experience against two good teams,” Larsen noted. “The biggest thing about today was to mix things up with the girls, get them in different positions and see what we have for the season.
“I was able to do that, and the girls played with confidence,” he added. “They understand the things we’ve talked about in practice. We went into today not caring about what the scores would be and were focused on changing up the lineup and trying to get better.”
Larsen explained the “scores weren’t indicative” of how his team will play this season, although he was “pleased with the effort” given by his 23-player roster.
Between the eighty minutes of combined playing time, Larsen played and moved nearly all of his players around to different positions on the field. Junior goalkeeper Kelly Hoffman minded the net in the first half of both scrimmages, before playing forward and netting a goal against Purnell Swett.
The team was without returning leading goal scorer sophomore Kaitlyn Huff, so playing up front was the mixture of freshman Sheccid Heaton, juniors Jayla McDougald and Caroline Whitley, senior Layne Maultsby and Hoffman.
Getting their feet wet in the midfield were seniors Carley Lambeth and Valery Standridge, two staples of the team. Junior Allyson Leggett also got several minutes at midfield.
Senior Avy Lucero anchored the team’s defense at center back, while junior Abigail Hudson, seniors Aerial Spooner and Hailey Miller and Maultsby, among others, split time in the back.
Against Gray’s Creek, Hoffman gave up a goal in the 12th minute, while freshman junior varsity keeper Chloe Nunn allowed a goal in the 31st minute. Both came on shots inside the 18-yard box.
McDougald would help Richmond off to a fast start against Purnell Swett in the second scrimmage, splitting a pair of defenders and blasting a shot from 10 yards for the team’s first goal, just 40 seconds into the half.
In the 14th minute, Miller corralled an outlet pass along the left side, and sent a pass to Whitley in the middle of the field. Whitley made a move into open space and sent a rocket in the net from the top of the box, crediting Miller with the assist.
Lady Ram Mya Sampson cut the deficit to one goal when she beat Nunn inside the box in the 25th minute.
The 33rd minute saw the final goal of the scrimmage, with Hoffman receiving a crossing pass deep in the box from Heaton. Hoffman gained possession in a swarm of defenders and tapped the ball into the open net.
Richmond also had several other second-half scoring chances, including free kicks on or near frame from Lucero and Hudson. Lambeth launched a shot from 20 yards that sailed just high.
“The first 20 minutes against Gray’s Creek saw us at a disadvantage because they had just played a full scrimmage,” Larsen said. “It took us four or five minutes to get the ball rolling and we had some nice opportunities.
“All in all, it was a good day,” he closed. “Now it’s time for the season to start.”
The Lady Raiders had a film session Saturday night and will use that as final preparation for the regular-season opener Monday at non-conference Southern Lee High School. The game is set for 6:30 p.m.
