Home Local Sports Raiders use 4 goal scorers, solid defense to blank rival Scotland

Raiders use 4 goal scorers, solid defense to blank rival Scotland

Senior Bryan Stanback (7) moves around Isaiah Jackson just before his goal in the second half of Wednesday's win.
Kyle Pillar — Sports Editor.

ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Raiders collected their sixth shutout of the winter and extended their season-high winning streak to five matches on Wednesday against rival Scotland High School.

Using four different goal scorers, the Raiders earned a 4-0 win over the Fighting Scots. It was the team’s fourth shutout during the win streak, a stretch of games that the Raiders have outscored their opponents 27-4.

The Raiders scored a goal in the 10th minute, but it was two goals in the opening seven minutes of the second half that helped complete the season sweep of Scotland (3-10-1). 

An insurance tally near the midway point of the second half helped the Raiders improve to 9-3-1.

“We had to play our game tonight,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “Scotland was sitting in a little bit and I thought we struggled when they sat back. We have to be more methodical picking teams apart.

“At halftime, I told the guys to speed our play up in the midfield and that our transition game would open up,” he added. “That’s what helped us get ahead in the second half. We worked the ball around great and made some better passes later on.”

Larsen noted that like the last handful of games, once the second goal goes in, the Raiders’ scoring becomes “contagious” and the team’s stress level is lowered allowing Richmond to play its style of game.

Juniors Luke Williams and Cody Eason helped put the Raiders on the board in the 10th minute. Williams entered Scotland’s zone down the right side of the field and made a cross into the six-yard box.

Eason was on the doorstep to redirect the assist from Williams, which was his second goal in as many games.

Junior Cody Eason moves the ball down the field during Wednesday’s shutout of Scotland.

“It’s great to score twice in the last couple of games, but I couldn’t do it without my teammates,” Eason explained. “They’ve made some great passes. On my goal tonight, I yelled to Luke to slide the ball into the box, he put it right there, and luckily I got it in the corner of the goal.

“Coach Larsen has been telling us to put the ball on frame more, and I think we’ve done better with that during the winning streak,” he continued. “We’ve learned to work as a team and we’re keeping better possession. Our chemistry is a lot better and we’re getting wide to switch the field, which is leading to more goals.”

Williams increased Richmond’s lead to two goals just 58 seconds into the second half. Netting his team-leading 12th goal of the season, he settled a pass from junior teammate Alex Medina inside 10 yards, spun and chipped it up and over goalkeeper Blake Wood’s hands.

Senior midfielder Hector Castro has been crafty with his footwork during the current winning streak, and he used a laser on frame to help the Raiders take a 3-0 advantage in the 47th minute.

From 25 yards out, Castro sent a shot that banged off the crossbar for a near miss. The ball fell straight down into the goalie box, where senior River Meacham collected the loose change and blasted it past Wood.

It was Meacham’s third goal in two games, and his fourth of the season, while Castro collected his fourth assist in 13 games.

Ending the night’s scoring was senior outside back Bryan Stanback, who has seen his scoring foot come alive the last handful of games. With Richmond maintaining possession near midfield, Stanback used his speed to tear down the left side.

Advertisements

He made a turn around a defender and ran the length of the end line before lacing a tight-angled shot on frame. It deflected off a Scotland defender and rolled to the back of the net in the 61st minute.

Larsen was quick to credit senior goalkeeper Jay Ammons and junior netminder Ian Williams for their combined shutout. Williams entered the game following Meacham’s goal.

Senior GK Jay Ammons comes out to make a save on Daniel Caudill in the first half.

“Both of them are solid keepers and I’m comfortable with either one in the goal,” Larsen said. “Jay did a great job last year and has made some great stops all year. Ian is a junior and he’s played a lot of minutes and made a great stop tonight with seven seconds to go.

“That’s a testament to them, and to the four guys who are in front of them on defense,” he added. “Bradford (Pittman) has been solid in the middle, and so has Bryan on the outside. Keaton (Sweatt) and Abrahm (Padron) have split time and up until he got hurt, Cale (Luckey) has been a staple.”

Scotland’s best scoring chance came in the final seconds of the game when Andrew Hamilton had a one-on-one rush against Ian Williams in net. Hamilton sent a ball on frame, but Williams made a kick save to keep the shutout intact.

“I was yelling to my defense to not allow a shot and then I saw where (Hamilton) was looking to shoot the ball,” Williams explained. “And I just stuck my leg out naturally and made a good save.

“Jay and I are both talented keepers and we have a good defense that communicates well,” he added. “The shutouts help with our confidence and that gets us ready for the next game. The clean sheets look good and hopefully we play our game and play quality soccer tomorrow.”

Richmond will close its regular season on Thursday at home against Sandhills Athletic Conference leader Pinecrest High School (13-0). Currently, Larsen and company sit alone in third place in the SAC standings, a half game ahead of Lumberton High School (8-3-2).

JV Raiders earn two wins in back-to-back nights

The Richmond junior varsity boys’ soccer team picked up two more wins this week, starting with a 4-0 shutout at non-conference Union Pines High School on Tuesday.

Freshman James Eason had a hat trick, scoring the game’s first goal to give Richmond a 1-0 lead at halftime. He added the second and fourth goals in the win, while sophomore Ayden Mabe netted a penalty kick in the second half.

Against Scotland on Wednesday, the JV Raiders scored a season-high in goals to earn a 7-1 victory. Eason and freshman teammate Noah Williams each had two goals, bringing their season totals to 14 and 7 goals, respectively.

After allowing Scotland to take a 1-0 lead in the 5th minute, Williams knotted it with a penalty kick following a foul in the box in the 21st minute. Freshman Samuel Hawks netted his second goal of the year in the 22nd minute on a shot from 15 yards.

Eason sent a shot off the crossbar in the 25th minute and crashed the box, heading in his own rebound. He also opened the second half with a goal in space in the 44th minute to put the Raiders up 4-1.

Williams scored his second goal on a run in the 52nd minute, freshman Andrew Conyers scored his first goal of the season in the 60th minute and fellow freshman Jeremiah McLean tallied a goal in the 67th minute.

The JV Raiders improved to 8-2 and will host Pinecrest on Thursday.



Previous articleHamlet Council approves bringing back rec baseball
Next articleBarbara Sue Smith McLean
Kyle Pillar is a 22-time North Carolina Press Association award-winning sports editor with The Richmond Observer. Follow the sports department on X @ROSports_ for the best in-depth coverage of Richmond County sports.