RAEFORD — Two scrimmages at Hoke County High School on Thursday allowed Chris Larsen to zero in on what the Richmond Raiders will likely do to start their season.
Playing two 40-minute matches broken into three periods each, the Raiders finished in a scoreless draw against Purnell Swett High School.
Richmond’s second match against the host Fighting Bucks resulted in a 1-0 decision. Hoke County scored on a penalty kick in the final minutes of the match.
Larsen said he used the two live action matches to get an idea of lineups and what personnel he wants in certain positions and game situations moving forward.
“We switched a lot of things up tonight because there were a lot of different things I wanted to see the guys do in certain situations and with different teammates,” Larsen explained. “There were a lot of good things I saw, especially the things I’ve been trying to have them work on in practice.
“But there were also some things that we’ll put on the drawing board and correct at practice,” he added. “I saw a lot more good things tonight that throughout the season are going to be staples we’ll be able to use.”
Larsen played each of his 22 players a significant amount of time, and split senior goalkeeper Ian Williams and junior Ethan McDonald in net.
Against Purnell Swett, senior midfielder Pedro Molina had an early chance in the box, with senior teammates Luke Williams and Cameron Way also coming close to a goal.
Ian Williams made a punching save on a corner kick to keep the match scoreless.
In the second scrimmage, senior Cody Eason recorded two shots, including one on a direct kick from 30 yards out. Fellow senior Justin McDougald also put a ball on net for a shot.
McDonald made a jumping save late in the third period on a long shot from Hoke County, while Ian Williams made an acrobatic save by diving to his right in the second period.
“Overall, it was a good night and I told the guys we have a lot to talk about at practice (on Friday),” Larsen said.
“And then on Saturday we have three more chances to get a little bit better, and the real deal starts next week.”
The Raiders will play in the inaugural “B-Nice to Your Heart Soccer Jamboree,” at South View High School on Saturday. Richmond will open against South View at 9 a.m., followed by scrimmages against Cape Fear High School (10:05 a.m.) and Jack Britt High School (11:05 a.m.)
Below are photos taken by sports editor Kyle Pillar during Richmond’s scrimmages against Purnell Swett and Hoke County on Thursday.
