ROCKINGHAM — After missing the state playoffs by a couple of spots last spring, the Richmond Senior High School girls soccer program is looking to make a comeback.
A new season of Lady Raider soccer is less than a week away, and with it, a hope for Richmond to once again be competitive in the Sandhills Athletic Conference.
As sixth-year head coach Chris Larsen directed drills at Tuesday’s practice, the Lady Raider soccer team fine-tuned its mechanics after a weekend full of scrimmages.
On Saturday, the Lady Raiders traveled to West Cabarrus High School and played Robinson, West Cabarrus and Central Academy of Technology and Arts.
Richmond drew even with Robinson and CATA, 1-1 and 4-4, respectively, and battled in a 2-1 loss to the host team.
Larsen said the scrimmages provided a good window into what the expectations are this season, noting the Lady Raiders are more athletic than seasons past.
But with a younger roster, he also said building soccer IQ will be part of the team’s course this spring.
A season ago, the Lady Raiders posted a 13-8-1 overall record. Against SAC teams, they went 6-6 during the regular season and took fourth place in the final standings.
Noting the SAC will be “top heavy” again with reigning conference champion Union Pines, along with Pinecrest and Lee County high schools, Larsen expects Richmond to be a contender near the top two or three spots.
With the proper training and expected growth throughout the campaign, Larsen believes the right pieces will fall into place to have a successful run.
This year’s roster has 21 players, and among them are a dozen players who had starting roles or who played significant minutes last year.
Anchoring the team will be junior goalkeeper Quanna Bostic as she returns for her third season. She’s started every game between the posts for Richmond the past two years and has played nearly every minute.
In front of Bostic, returning junior defenders Nevaeh Harris and Ava Thompson will lead the back line. Sophomore Jentry Denson, who was pulled up halfway through last season, will play her first full varsity season and add depth at defense.
Three of the Lady Raiders’ top-five goal scorers from last season return — senior forward Allie Rodgers (9 goals), junior forward Ashly Gonzalez (5 goals) and junior midfielder/forward Hanna Smith (4 goals).
Captaining the team’s pace will be three-year varsity midfielders Kaleigh Cloninger, Jenna Gardner and Gabby Lutz, the team’s lone All-Conference returner.
Gardner and Lutz each had one goal as juniors, but Larsen said their contributions of directing the flow of the game aren’t something recorded on the stat sheet.
Senior midfielder Evie Howell and sophomore forward Yulissa Avalos round out the Lady Raiders’ contributors from a season ago.
Newcomers to the varsity team include senior Emma Altman (defender) and juniors Samantha Barnes (midfielder) and Yarely Vargas (midfielder).
Also new are sophomores Makayla Brown (midfielder), Ella Gibson (forward), Nola O’Neal (midfielder), Jada Scott (defender) and freshmen Colbie Covington (midfielder) and Mariana Gonzalez (forward).
Finding a balance between the team’s athletic ability and its understanding of the game will be a primary goal for the Lady Raiders, Larsen explained.
He also hopes the scoring output will increase, as Richmond netted 2.59 goals per game in 22 contests last year. The team will be without former players Sheccid Heaton and Cheyenne Jacobs, who combined for 17 of the team’s 57 goals.
Assistant coaches for the Lady Raiders this spring will be Michelle Denson, Ashleigh Buie and Bennie Howard, the latter of whom will also be the head junior varsity coach.
The Lady Raiders are set to kick off their new season Tuesday at non-conference Jack Britt High School. Varsity will begin play at 7 p.m.
SEASON SCHEDULE: Click here for an always up-to-date schedule for the Richmond softball team.
The Richmond Observer will continue its award-winning coverage of the varsity and junior varsity girls soccer teams this spring.
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