ROCKINGHAM — A combination of soon-to-be graduates and underclassmen helped the Richmond Raider soccer team to a win on Wednesday.
Hosting Scotland High School, the Raiders earned a 4-0 Sandhills Athletic Conference shutout victory on senior night.
Three total players scored in the win, including two goals from junior forward Noah Gil. Seniors Danny Jaimes and Jesus Castro added a goal apiece.
Several helpers were also added to the scoring sheet as freshman Daniel Gomez, junior Gonzalo Morales and seniors James Eason and Diego Mendez each had one assist.
The shutout victory, Richmond’s fifth clean sheet of the season, was a combined effort from senior Edwin Estrada and junior Adrian Padron. Estrada, who started, played three-quarters of the game between the posts.
With all of the seniors starting, Richmond outshot the Fighting Scots 10-2 in the first half. The Raiders scored first off the foot of Gil, his second of three goals in two matches.
Gomez, credited with the assist, won a 1v1 battle in the right corner before sliding the ball in front of the net.
Collecting the pass, Gil blasted a close-range shot past goalkeeper Jack Herr to make it 1-0 in the 14th minute.
Other scoring opportunities in the first half included four shots from Eason and two by Jaimes. Richmond held a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Just 21 seconds into the second half, Gil found the back of the net again for his sixth goal of the season. This time Eason made the connection to Gil, who scored from the middle of the box.
Leading 2-0, the majority of the second half saw Richmond stay in its attacking third. The Raiders tacked onto their lead with their final two goals in the 75th minute, which came just 32 seconds apart.
The first was Jaimes’ goal, the result of a free kick following a foul just outside the top of the 18-yard box. Morales took the kick and faked a shot, sending an outlet pass to Jaimes to the right.
Jaimes, a center back playing up on the set piece, took a touch and squeezed a low bouncing shot inside the right post. It was his first tally of the fall.
Following the ensuing kickoff, Richmond’s offense made quick work to get back inside the Fighting Scots’ (1-12-1, 0-12 SAC) defensive third.
Mendez made a pass to Castro, who used his opposite foot to send a rocket from 25 yards into the upper right corner for his eighth goal of the season.
One more regular-season match awaits the fifth-place Raiders (9-9-1, 5-5-1 SAC), who will travel to second-place Pinecrest High School (13-4-1, 8-2-1 SAC) on Thursday.
In the first meeting, the two teams battled to a scoreless double overtime draw. Action will begin at 7 p.m.
JV Raiders blank Lumberton
The Richmond junior varsity soccer team defeated Lumberton High School 2-0 on Wednesday.
Netting a goal in each half, the JV Raiders used scores by sophomore Dougie Dickinson and freshman Patrick Smith.
Sophomore goalkeepers Robert Ammons and Camden Williams combined to register the shutout.
The JV Raiders (9-4-4, 5-3-2 SAC) close their season on Thursday at Pinecrest. Play will start at 5 p.m.
