LAURINBURG — Wet weather pushed the Richmond Senior High School boys’ soccer game against rival Scotland twice this week, but when the two teams finally played Wednesday, the Raiders poured on the goals.
Using three goals in each half, the Raiders made quick work of the Fighting Scots to earn the 6-0 Sandhills Athletic Conference victory.
“We came out tonight and took the first 10 or 15 minutes to get in the swing of things,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “We knocked the ball around really well and we had a lot more chances to find the back of the net.”
Four different Raiders would find twine in the win, starting with senior midfielder Hector Castro, who netted two first-half goals. Larsen said Castro’s first goal came in the opening 10 minutes when he “kept his feet” after being tackled by Scotland’s keeper in the box.
Castro scored his third goal of the season 20 minutes later to give the Raiders a two-goal advantage. Larsen noted the lead allowed Richmond (4-2-1 SAC) to “take some weight off our chest and play a little more freely.”
Before the intermission, junior forward Luke Williams took a ball over the top from fellow junior Alex Medina and won a one-on-one battle with Scotland’s center back. In open space, Williams went to the left side along the far post in the closing minutes to give the Raiders a 3-0 lead.
The tally for Williams made it his seventh goal in seven games this season, which is the most of any Richmond player.
“After Luke’s goal, I was able to get a lot of the guys some playing time,” Larsen explained. “We were able to work on switching the point of attack and the big thing was trying to work on building depth for this year and next year.”
Richmond’s starters played the first “eight or 10 minutes” of the second half to keep their legs fresh, and Medina was able to capitalize for the Raiders.
Taking a touch from 25 yards out, Medina launched a shot on frame that trickled in the net following a deflection by a Scotland defender to put Richmond up 4-0.
Five minutes later after the Fighting Scots (2-4 SAC) committed a foul on Pedro Molina in the box, Medina stepped up and lasered a penalty kick past Scotland’s keeper to notch his second goal of the game and third of the season.
McDougald, who was one of several reserves to see ample playing time Wednesday, tallied the Raiders’ final goal near the halfway point of the second half. What Larsen described as “a cluster in front of the net,” McDougald won possession and tapped it for his second goal in as many games.
Larsen also praised the Raiders’ defense, which recorded its second consecutive shutout. It marked the team’s third blanking of an opponent this winter.
Swapping senior goalkeeper Jay Ammons and junior netminder Ian Williams at different points of the match, Larsen said “neither was tested too much” by Scotland’s offense. He added that each keeper made a handful of quality saves.
“We’ll take the win, especially since we haven’t played a lot this week,” Larsen closed. “It’s supposed to wet again (Thursday), so we’re anticipating our next game will be against Pinecrest on Monday.”
The Raiders are slated to host Purnell Swett High School on Thursday, but Larsen noted that the game will likely be made up next Saturday, should the field conditions not improve.
JV Raiders blank Fighting Scots
The Richmond Senior High School junior varsity boys’ soccer team was also in action at Scotland on Wednesday.
Thanks to two goals from freshman Noah Williams, and another from sophomore Luke McCormick, the JV Raiders earned a 3-0 win.
Despite the win, head coach Tad Hamilton said the team “missed numerous opportunities and played below our level.”
Williams, who now has four goals in five games this season, netted both of his tallies in the opening 10 minutes of the match. His first goal was scored on an assist from Mason Iacovone, and the second was a rebound opportunity that was spilled by Scotland’s keeper in the box.
The game remained 2-0 through halftime and with the clock waning in the second half, McCormick scored his first goal of the season when he made a solo run up the field from his center back position.
Earning their second win in a row, the JV Raiders improved to 3-2 on the season. Their next game will be against Pinecrest High School on Monday.
