SOUTHERN PINES — The fatigue of playing three matches in three days caught up with the Richmond Senior High School girls’ soccer team on Wednesday.
Playing in the semifinal round of the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament, the No. 5 Lady Raiders came up short to No. 1 Pinecrest High School in a 5-0 decision.
Head coach Chris Larsen noted the outcome wasn’t what the Lady Raiders wanted, but that he was proud of his players’ efforts against a competitive Pinecrest team.
“Playing three games in a row is really hard, even late in the season,” Larsen said. “I tried to do my best and spare some minutes, and unfortunately we gave them the first goal on a deflection while trying to clear the ball.
“We put ourselves behind, but the girls didn’t give up and they gave it all they had,” he continued. “Toward the end, we just ran out of gas. Everyone got some good experience and showed me that they’ve been working hard in practice. The girls are doing the right things that will make us successful in the future.”
The Lady Patriots (13-7-2, 12-1 SAC) scored three goals in the first half, before adding two more in the final 40 minutes.
Scoring in the opening half were Grace Queen (twice) and Abby Pittman. Notching tallies in the second half were Anna Depenbrock and Savannah Dunahay.
The Lady Raiders had several scoring chances in the first half, including two shots from sophomore forward Allie Rodgers, but both attempts trickled wide.
In the final minute of the first half, freshman Jamyia Lindsey and junior C’Nedra Hinson had opportunities from close range that just missed.
Freshman goalkeeper Quanna Bostic made 17 saves during the match in net for Richmond.
Freshman keeper Quanna Bostic (1) makes a save in the first half. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Pinecrest will play No. 2 Union Pines High School for the SAC tournament championship on Thursday.
The Lady Raiders (10-11-1, 5-8-1 SAC) will now await the release of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 4A East state playoff brackets on Friday.
According to the NCHSAA’s website, the Lady Raiders’ rating percentage index is 0.495897, putting them as the No. 31 team in the 4A East.
Larsen anticipates Richmond making the postseason, and expects to be on the road in the first round.
“We’ve been sitting on the bubble for a while and we gave some games away this season that would have secured our spot,” Larsen closed.
“I’m hoping what we’ve done is enough to get us in and give us a chance to see that our hard work has paid off.”
Richmond has made the state playoffs each season dating back to 2015, excluding the pandemic-shortened season in 2020.
The Richmond Observer will publish more information as it’s made available.
