ROCKINGHAM — Facing tougher competition on Wednesday, the Richmond Senior High School boys’ soccer team suffered its first loss of the season.
A night after earning a win in the final seconds, the Raiders couldn’t find the back of the net against non-conference Porter Ridge High School.
The Raiders lost 4-0, allowing all four goals to the Pirates in the second half.
“We started out pretty similar to how we did (Tuesday) night,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “The guys were able to get a lot of good possessions and we had some quality opportunities on net.
“(Porter Ridge) hit the post and we were able to sneak out of the first half scoreless,” he added. “Tonight was a good physical matchup, and I thought the guys played tough.”
Early in the second half, Larsen said the Raider defense “stabbed at the ball,” which led to a goal from the top of the 18-yard box.
Porter Ridge (1-1) scored again in the 70th minute and tacked on its final two tallies in the closing five minutes.
“In the second half, we had opportunities to score on crosses coming off set pieces, but we couldn’t get into a dangerous area to score,” Larsen explained. “After the first two goals, we started playing more long balls, which limited our chances to score.
“I told the guys it’s always difficult to play on back-to-back nights,” he closed. “Especially when it’s good competition. This week was a good early challenge for us, and being 1-1, we’ll see what we can do next week.”
Ending the first week of the season 1-1, Richmond will play at home on Monday against non-conference Independence High School (2-0). Varsity action will start at 7 p.m.
JV Raiders also shutout on road
The Richmond junior varsity boys’ soccer team also suffered a 4-0 loss to Porter Ridge on Wednesday.
The JV Pirates scored two goals in each half, resulting in Richmond’s first loss of the season.
The JV Raiders (1-1) will also host Independence on Monday and begin at 5:30 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Coaches Chris Larsen and Bennie Howard contributed to this article.
