RAEFORD — Another grueling match against a tough conference opponent for the Richmond Senior High School boys’ soccer team saw the Raiders drop a tightly contested game on the road Monday.
Richmond competed in its third Sandhills Athletic Conference matchup of the fall at Hoke County High School and was looking to hand the Bucks their first conference loss of the season. Unfortunately for the Raiders, and despite a handful of missed scoring chances that could have swayed the game’s momentum, they fell by a final score of 4-1.
What proved to be a physical match, the Bucks (8-1, 4-0 SAC) used two goals in each half to earn the win, which also proved to be the fourth time this season the Raiders have allowed at least two goals in the opening 40 minutes.
Scoring his team-leading third goal of the season was senior Lee Hayden, but his tally in the 35th minute would be all the offense could muster.
Hoke County’s Juan Santos-Eulogio scored two goals, netting his first one just 26 seconds into the game. He headed a cross from teammate Jeffrey Mejia-Nunez along the left post, bouncing it past sophomore keeper Jadin Wilson.
Twelve minutes later, sophomore Joey Nicholson committed a foul in the box, sending Hoke County’s Pedro Davila to the penalty kick line. His first shot was stopped by a diving Wilson to his right, but the rebound found Davila before the ball could be cleared, and he chipped it into the goal uncontested for the first of his two goals on the night.
Richmond had a chance to cut the deficit in half when senior Noah Jordan was awarded a PK in the 28th minute, but his shot went wide left.
With time dwindling in the first half and the score holding at 2-0 in favor of the Bucks, Hayden used his head to help the Raiders pull within a goal. Senior Chandler Sinclair started a run up the field and dropped the ball back to fellow senior Drew Davis, who launched a ball 30 yards inside the box.
Contesting with a Hoke County defender, Hayden muscled his way up and bumped Davis’ feed with the right side of his head, sending it up an over goalkeeper Brandon Wilkes’ hands and into the upper left corner of the goal in the 35th minute. Davis was credited with the assist.
“We put ourselves behind on a miscommunication early,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “Then the PK happened and I told the guys that any time we commit fouls against good teams, they’ll take advantage of us, and that got us tonight.
“Lee’s goal was a really good play and that lit a spark under us for the rest of the half and the first 20 minutes of the second half,” he added. “After the third goal, I decided it was in our better interest to save some legs for later in the week and sub more guys in.”
In the final 40 minutes of play, Nicholson had a near goal when blasted a shot on frame on a nifty pass through traffic by senior teammate Cole Deane. Larsen replaced Wilson with junior keeper Jay Ammons, who allowed Santos-Eulogio to score on a rip from the top of the box in the 62nd minute.
Hoke County’s final goal of the night would be scored on a set piece, seeing Davila make a near post run on a corner kick. The ball found its way through a line of players and Davila, who was unguarded, redirected the ball into the open net in the 69th minute.
Just prior to the final goal, Ammons made an athletic save, leaping up to grab a shot that between him and the crossbar.
“I told the guys that as we watch these other teams, we see them give 100 percent from the time they step on the field to the time they step off, regardless of their skill level,” Larsen explained. “My guys have the skill, but they need to have that want and desire to go.
“They have to sprint for 30 or 40 yards and turn around and sprint back,” he continued. “It’s a physical game and they have to be willing to go in hard and make a play. We also struggled to maintain possession and hit the target. When we don’t do that, it feels like the other team is always attacking.”
The head coach closed by saying “missed opportunities and not controlling the pace of play” hurt his team Monday. But he plans to “move forward and get back on track.”
Richmond (1-5-1, 1-2 SAC) will get another chance to pick up a conference win on Wednesday when it hosts Lumberton High School (4-4, 1-2 SAC). The Raiders have won four of the past five matches against the Pirates, and Wednesday’s start time is set for 7 p.m. in Rockingham.
JV Raiders come back to tie Bucks
In junior varsity action, the Raiders stormed back in the second half to end the match in a 2-2 tie. After allowing two goals in the first half, sophomores Justin McDougald (58th minute) and Keaton Sweatt (69th minute) each scored their first goal of the season.
The JV Raiders are now 3-1-2 on the season, and have a 1-1-1 mark against SAC opponents. They will also play Lumberton on Wednesday, starting at 5:15 p.m.
