ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Senior High School girls’ soccer team got back in the win column to close out its regular season on Monday.
Making up a rain-out from Friday, the Lady Raiders held on to defeat rival Scotland High School 1-0 on senior night.
The team’s eight seniors were recognized ahead of the match by family members, coaches, teammates and fans, and given a flag of Richmond’s crest with their number on it.
This year’s senior class included team manager Lauren Hudson, Stephanie Alvarado, Destiny Barrick, Ellie Buck, Paxlee Faircloth, Kaitlyn Huff, Meghan McKenzie and foreign exchange student Michala Nechvilova.
Left to right: Seniors Destiny Barrick, Kaitlyn Huff, Michala Nechvilova, Ellie Buck, Paxlee Faircloth, Meghan McKenzie, Lauren Hudson and Stephanie Alvarado. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Richmond and Scotland (3-14-2, 0-11-1 SAC) played a scoreless first half of soccer, with the Lady Scots outshooting the Lady Raiders 4-2.
Barrick and junior Jennifer Gomez both had a shot on frame in the opening 40 minutes, and freshman goalkeeper Quanna Bostic made saves on all of the shots she faced.
McKenzie and Nechvilova each had goal-saving clears in the first half to keep Scotland off the board.
Upping the momentum to start the second half, Alvarado nearly redirected a shot into the net following a free kick in the 49th minute. Faircloth also made a clear a minute later to send the ball out of bounds on an open net.
Junior Kalei Sriratanakoul, an outside back, would score the game-winning goal in the 52nd minute on a counterattack to give the Lady Raiders a win on senior night.
Charging down the left side of the field, Sriratanakoul ripped a shot from 35 yards toward the back post. The ball bounced twice before sneaking inside the net for her first goal of the spring.
Adding shots on net in the final 25 minutes were Nechvilova, Gomez and junior Karter Walker. Nechvilova skipped a shot on frame on a free kick, Gomez hit the right post and Walker’s shot from inside the box was saved.
Faircloth made another impressive save in Richmond’s defensive end in the closing minutes, a kick-save on a free kick that was quickly moved out of the zone.
The Lady Raiders (9-10-1, 4-7-1 SAC), who finished in fifth place in the SAC standings, will now have a quick turnaround and start the conference tournament on Tuesday.
As the No. 5 seed, Richmond will travel to No.4 Southern Lee High School (6-9-1, 6-5 SAC). The teams split their two regular-season meetings. Play will begin at 7 p.m.
VIDEO INTERVIEW: Seniors Paxlee Faircloth and Meghan McKenzie
VIDEO INTERVIEW: Junior Kalei Sriratanakoul and head coach Chris Larsen
