PEMBROKE — A tough stretch in the final third of the regular season continued for the Richmond Senior High School girls soccer team Wednesday.
Facing familiar non-conference opponent Purnell Swett High School, the Lady Raiders weren’t able to find the back of the net for the second straight night.
In a back-and-forth match that was scoreless after the opening 40 minutes of play, Richmond suffered a close 1-0 defeat.
“We changed up the lineup and I thought had a little extra spark for most of the game,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “We contained (Purnell Swett) for the majority of the game, but we still struggled to create quality scoring chances.
“Our best opportunity came from a cross from Hanna Smith to Ella Gibson about 10 minutes into the second half,” he continued. “Purnell Swett scored on a long throw-in to No. 6 with about 16 or 17 minutes left. We challenged, but still couldn’t get any quality shots on goal.”
Looking for their first win in their last five matches, the Lady Raiders (7-8-3, 3-5-1 Sandhills Athletic Conference) will host Lee County High School (14-4, 6-2 SAC) Friday.
Currently fourth in the conference standings, Richmond and third-place Lee County will kick off at 6 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders end season with win
A strong first half led to a victory for the Richmond junior varsity girls soccer team in its final match of the season Wednesday.
Also playing on the road at Purnell Swett, the JV Lady Raiders won 3-0. All three goals were netted in the first half of action.
Three different players scored for Richmond — Kellie Gomez, Angelina Culbreth and Leslie Santiago.
“We came out in the first 15 minutes and played lights out,” head coach Bennie Howard said. “Kellie scored first and four or five minutes later Angelina made it 2-0. Leslie’s goal gave us a nice lead.
“The girls played just as well in the second half, we just didn’t score. I told the girls it was a great season and that I saw improvement from day one.”
The JV squad posted a 7-2-1 overall record this spring, including 2-2-1 mark against SAC opponents.
