FAYETTEVILLE — Looking to cap off the week with its third win and longest streak of the season, the Lady Raider soccer team overcame a slow start to defeat Seventy-First High School on the road Friday.
Using six different goal scorers, the Lady Raiders flew by the Lady Falcons 6-0 in its third Sandhills Athletic Conference match of the week. The goal total tied the team’s highest tally of the season (also scored six against Cape Fear High School), and it was Richmond’s fourth-straight win over Seventy-First.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kelly Hoffman earned her second shutout of the season. The Lady Raiders would use three goals in each half to secure the win.
“It was a slow start for us tonight,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “I think we went through the motions for first little bit. We were there in body, but not really playing our style of play. We were missing that edge we’ve had the last few games.
“But once we started playing our game, passing the ball and getting good shots on frame, we started being successful,” he added. “It was a good trip and a good win to end the week.”
Neither team possessed the ball well in the opening 25 minutes of play, trading the ball on opposite ends of the field. A couple of offsides calls against Richmond (6-2, 5-1 SAC) negated some nice runs, and it wasn’t until the 26th minute that freshman forward Kaitlyn Huff scored her team-leading sixth goal of the season.
With a little help from senior midfielder Chloe Wiggins, who made a run down the right sideline, Huff tapped in a cross at the goal mouth past senior keeper Kaliyah Cotton for the eventual game-winning goal.
Senior midfielder Morgan Hooks nearly scored less than a minute later on another Wiggins pass, and fellow senior forward Jessi Graham made it a 2-0 ball game just inside the 28th minute.
This time the assist came from the other side of the field, as senior midfielder Emily Parsons chipped a ball with her left foot to Graham in the goalie box, who used her body to redirect it past Cotton.
Just 29 seconds after Graham’s fourth goal of the spring, senior midfielder Deanna Gomez took advantage of a misplayed ball by Cotton to net her second goal this week. Cotton lost possession trying to make a save, and Gomez was there to jab it past a sprawling Cotton.
Out of the halftime break with a 3-0 lead, senior midfielder Jayana Nicholson joined the scoring parade just two and a half minutes into the second half. Her shot slid past Cotton to give Richmond a four-goal advantage.
Wiggins, who’s best known for her passing abilities, was rewarded in the 47th minute with her third goal of the season. Her shot from the right side was bobbled by Cotton and trickled into the twine.
Capping off the win with her second goal of her junior year was defender Avy Lucero, who booted the ball in on a free kick in the 54th minute.
Seventy-First fell to 4-5 overall and 0-5 in SAC play.
Richmond continued its winning streak despite not having three veteran starters due to injury. Also out Friday due to illness were senior Abbey Coward and sophomore junior varsity call-up Jayla McDougald, who scored in Tuesday’s win over Lumberton.
“We have a big week coming up with two conference games against Scotland and Purnell Swett (high schools), and a non-conference game with Pine Forest,” Larsen concluded. “I’d like for us to get back to being more aggressive so we can be successful. I hope we can stay healthy and have a full squad going into next week.”
Richmond will host Scotland (0-7, 0-5 SAC) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Lady Raiders will end the week at home with Pine Forest on Thursday (7 p.m.) and Purnell Swett on Friday (7 p.m.)
Note: The junior varsity team did not play Friday. It will continue action next Tuesday against Scotland at 5:15 p.m.
