CHARLOTTE — Head soccer coach Chris Larsen called Saturday’s preseason jamboree one of the Richmond Raiders’ “best skill performances” in recent memory.
Like the volleyball program, the Raider soccer team became one of the first fall sports teams to face live action on the road.
Richmond traveled to Independence High School and played three 35-minute scrimmages against Palisades, Olympic and Queen’s Grant high schools.
The Raiders finished the day with a trio of ties, opening the day with a scoreless draw against Palisades.
That scrimmage was followed by a pair of 1-1 draws against Olympic and Queen’s Grant.
“Overall, we played well the whole day,” Larsen said. “We only had two days of true practice to get ready to play, which is a shorter amount of time than normal. The competition level was something different than we’re accustomed to this early in the year, and it was good, physical soccer. I hope this sets the tone coming out strong this year.
“I mixed lineups around like I normally do and got everyone some game time experience. We’re still figuring out our starting lineup and we have to see how deep we are on the bench. Again, I told the guys it was a good day of soccer and that they showed a lot of promise.”
Against Olympic, junior forward Noah Gil found the back of the net in the final 10 minutes of the scrimmage to knot the game 1-1.
Sophomore forward Memphis Jacobs gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead early in their scrimmage against Queen’s Grant, which later tied it up.
Larsen said it was good to have the team play with a lead and also work together to eliminate a one-goal deficit.
“We scored two goals in a couple of shortened scrimmages and we had a lot of opportunities,” Larsen said. “That’s something we’ve struggled with so I was proud to see that. We only gave up one true goal, the other was a PK.
“The goal we gave up in the third game happened when we didn’t clear it out and that set up a free kick. They scored on some confusion in the back. But I told the guys what we gained is that experience of what happens in those situations. Hopefully we learn from it and grow.”
The Raiders will return to practice on Monday and open play on the road at non-conference St. Pauls High School on Aug. 14.
The Richmond Observer will publish a season preview in the coming week.
