ROCKINGHAM — A strong defensive showing Thursday helped counter a scoreless outing for the Richmond Senior High School girls’ soccer team.
In their second of three matches this week, the Lady Raiders drew even with non-conference Porter Ridge High School 0-0.
Anchored by three senior defenders who all played the full 80 minutes — Samantha Barnes, Nevaeh Harris and Ava Thompson — Richmond repelled a barrage of shots against senior goalkeeper Sa’Quanna Bostic.
Junior Jentry Denson and sophomore Madisen Jackson added support to the defensive line in the shutout.
The highlight of the match was when Bostic made a diving save to her left on a penalty kick in the 64th minute. Following a hand ball in the box, Bostic made the right read and deflected the ball out of bounds, which was then cleared by the defense on the ensuing corner kick.
Head coach Chris Larsen noted the Lady Raiders played a strong first half, but said the team regressed a little bit in the final 40 minutes.
“We played a great first half,” Larsen said. “We watched film and corrected a few things that we weren’t doing well the other night. The girls connected some passes and created a few opportunities, although not as many as I’d hoped.
“It was a back and forth game, which we knew it would be because (Porter Ridge) is a good team. I encouraged the girls at halftime to continue working, but I think we took our foot off the gas and reverted back a little bit.
“We lost our ability to connect as many passes in the second half,” he added. “We put ourselves in some undue situations but the defense stepped up and Quanna stopping the PK was the biggest thing for us.”
Richmond and Porter Ridge played a scoreless first half with most of the action taking place in the middle third of the field. Bostic made a couple of saves from distance and just inside the top of the box.
The Lady Raiders had a couple of chances late in the first half, connecting passes to create runs down the wings. Their best scoring chance came in the 25th minute when senior Mariana Mendez slid a pass into the six-yard box from the right side, which was deflected.
Senior Ashly Gonzalez also had a couple of long shots on or near frame.
The Lady Pirates (5-3-3) upped their offensive pressure in the second half, spending much of the time in Richmond’s defensive third and putting shots on net.
Bostic tipped a strong shot over the bar in the 45th minute and the Lady Raiders used the upper left 90 to thwart a scoring chance in the 56th minute. A tight-angled shot from the right side of the box was saved by Bostic in the 60th minute when she cut down the shooter’s angle.
One of Richmond’s scoring chances came in the 61st minute when Gonzalez powered a long free kick on frame from about 35 yards. Her shot over the wall bounced once but was saved by the keeper.
Bostic made back-to-back athletic stops in the 64th and 65th minutes, which were the PK save and another tip over the crossbar.
Mendez nearly put Richmond ahead in the 66th minute when she one-timed a cross from senior Hanna Smith inside the 18-yard box that zipped on frame but was right at the keeper.
In the closing 10 minutes, Barnes eliminated a scoring threat when she used her speed to force a turnover deep in the defensive zone and kick the ball back upfield. Bostic made one more save on a quality shot with three minutes to play, holding onto the save despite contact from a Lady Pirate.
Richmond’s final scoring chance came in the 75th minute when Smith put a header on frame. She redirected a corner kick from sophomore Colbie Covington.
“I’m proud of the girls for being able to hang on and pick up a tie,” Larsen closed. “That stopped our losing streak, so hopefully we’ll play a little more rejuvenated and see what we can do tomorrow.”
Richmond (2-6-1) will play a match against non-conference Uwharrie Charter Academy Friday. The varsity-only contest will begin at 6 p.m. at the Cone Health ZooCity Sportsplex.
Sports editor’s note: The Richmond junior varsity girls’ soccer team didn’t play Thursday.
