ROCKINGHAM — Earlier this week, head coach Chris Larsen said he expected Wednesday’s meeting with Purnell Swett High School to be an early-season test for the Lady Raider soccer team.
Continuing their best start to a season since 2018, when they won four of their first five matches, the Lady Raiders registered their fifth straight win.
Also the team’s longest winning streak since recording six in a row during the 2021 season, Richmond earned a 3-1 win, passing the non-conference test.
Larsen credited an aggressive attack in the first half to the win, along with another strong outing by sophomore goalkeeper Quanna Bostic. She faced eight shots from the Lady Rams, allowing just one goal in the second half.
Richmond registered a dozen shots on frame against sophomore keeper Adisyn Bland, led by junior forward Allie Rodgers’ six shots.
Senior Cheyenne Jacobs recorded two shots, and sophomores Ashly Gonzalez and Hanna Smith, junior Kaleigh Cloninger and senior C’Nedra Hinson each had one.
Spearheading the offensive attack, Rodgers and Jacobs combined to score all three goals. Rodgers netted the first one, her team-leading fifth goal of the season.
Jacobs scored the other two tallies, making it her second game in a row with two goals.
Both teams jockeyed to set the game’s tempo in the opening 20 minutes, trading runs in the offensive ends. Bostick made a pair of saves early on, including using her body to block a shot inside the box.
Rodgers used her speed to get the Lady Raiders on the board in the 21st minute. Splitting a pair of defenders up the middle of the field, Rodgers blasted the ball inside the right post as she fell to the ground just inside the 18-yard box.
Richmond scored all three of its goals in a five-minute span. Jacobs scored her first, and eventual game-winning goal, in the 23rd minute. She gained possession of the ball after a deflection and fired a tight-angled shot from the right side of the six-yard box to make it 2-0.
Just two minutes later, Jacobs tallied her fourth goal of the spring from near the same spot. This time she took a couple of touches to create space and chipped the ball into the net to make it a three-goal advantage.
That 3-0 lead would hold until halftime. Purnell Swett (3-1) scored its lone goal in the 44th minute on a shot from freshman Maryah Locklear.
Rodgers had three more looks on frame in the final 40 minutes, as Cloninger added the other shot on goal.
Richmond (5-0) will play one more non-conference home game on Thursday against Uwharrie Charter Academy (0-1).
A team that Larsen said the Lady Raider have never played, he expects it to be another competitive match. The game is set for 6 p.m.
