FAYETTEVILLE — A strong first half of play from the Raider soccer team on Thursday was undone by four second-half goals by Terry Sanford High School.
Capping its second straight three-game week, Richmond Senior High School traveled to Tokay Park in Fayetteville in a non-conference meeting against the Bulldogs. The Raiders would drop their third straight decision, falling 5-1.
Scoring his second goal in as many nights for the Raiders was senior center back Drew Davis, who notched the final goal of the game in the 72nd minute. Playing up on offense, Davis made a hard run down the left sideline before beating the keeper for his second tally of the season.
“It was a decent match in the first half, and I thought the guys played pretty well in the first handful of minutes,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “We held them at bay, and no one really dominated until we gave up the second goal.”
Terry Sanford would break the scoreless tie in the 13th minute, seeing Davis Molnar head a ball in off a corner kick. That would be the only goal of the first half for either team.
The Bulldogs would open the game up in the first chunk of the second half, scoring goals in the 43rd, 47th and 50th minutes to take a 4-0 lead. Their final goal would come in the 67th minute, another header, this time on a throw in.
Scoring for Terry Sanford (6-3-1) in the second half were Ever Aguero-Aranda, Carson Collins, Graham MacLeod and Hunter Wiggins. Splitting time in the goal for Richmond were junior Jay Ammons and sophomore Jadin Wilson.
“After we gave up the second goal, it was a downward spiral from there,” Larsen said. “I decided to sub some of our younger guys into the game to get them some experience. A lot of our players are dealing with some bumps and bruises because of our full schedule, and it’s important for them to get some rest.
“The guys who went in did a great job,” he added. “They showed some good things that we can look forward to in the future.”
Now 1-7-1 on the season, and 1-3 against conference opponents, the Raiders will try to find some life as they continue Sandhills Athletic Conference play next week. Larsen noted that he “might be switching some things up to get the ball rolling in the right direction,” naming Davis’ push to the offense as a possibility.
Richmond will play three matches next week, beginning with SAC opponents Seventy First (4-5, 0-5 SAC) and Scotland (3-6-1, 1-4 SAC) high schools. The Raiders will host the Falcons on Monday and travel to the Fighting Scots on Wednesday. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m.
