CAMERON — Finishing what it started two days earlier, the Richmond Senior High School soccer team secured its first Sandhills Athletic Conference win of the season in exciting fashion on Friday.
Continuing a weather-delayed match on the road at Union Pines High School, the Raiders used a pair of goals from sophomore Jesus Castro to defeat the Vikings 2-1.
The match was postponed on Wednesday due to lightning, and Friday’s second attempt picked up with 26:47 remaining in the first half with the Raiders leading 1-0.
On Wednesday, Castro scored in the 8th minute on an assist from Luke Williams in what was a fast start for the Raiders.
“I’m happy the guys were able to come back and finish what they started on Wednesday,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “We played pretty good soccer out of the gate and we had quite a few chances early.
“This first win in conference is going to do us well moving forward, and hopefully we can continue it,” he added. “We know that when we play well, we can play with any team in the conference. We just have to do it night in and night out.”
Richmond peppered Union Pines goalkeeper Sean Blatz with several shots in the remainder of the first half. Senior Pedro Molina missed wide in the 15th minute and fellow senior Han Jalbasuren made a run down the left side in the 22nd minute.
Also with chances on net were junior Ty Murray, Williams and senior Alex Medina, whose shot from 30 yards in the 33rd minute went just over the crossbar. Senior goalkeeper Ian Williams made a diving stop on a shot from Isaac Finicum a minute later.
Senior Han Jalbasuren (17) attempts a shot in the first half of Friday’s win. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Holding a 1-0 lead at the break, Richmond surrendered a goal in the 49th minute. Blatz, who came out of the net to play the field, made a cross to Gabe Phillips for the goal.
For much of the second half, the Raiders turned up the offensive pressure running two forwards in Luke Williams and senior Justin McDougald at the top of the attack. Luke Williams had a header attempt that just missed in the 58th minute.
Senior Cody Eason added two shots on goalkeeper Liam Thayer in the second half, and Medina lasered a shot that bounced straight down off the crossbar in the 72nd minute that was cleared before it could cross into the net.
Continuing to make long runs up the field, Castro and the Raiders struck again in the 76th minute for the game-winning goal.
Junior midfielder Jullian Cline started a run near midfield down the left side, connecting a pass to Luke Williams inside the 18-yard box. Sliding the ball across the box, Castro one-timed his shot from 10 yards between Thayer and the right post. Williams was credited with his second assist.
“Luke made a great pass to me in the middle and I was able to place it pretty good on the right side,” Castro said. “It was a really good feeling because we really needed this win and I was proud to be able to help my team.
“This was a conference game, so it was really important for us. Hopefully we can keep getting more wins moving forward.”
Senior Cameron Way (23) battles for possession against Evan Gettis (22) in Richmond’s defensive zone. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Fifty seconds after Castro’s goal, a Union Pines player received his second yellow card of the match, forcing the Vikings (2-7-2, 0-2 SAC) to play a man down the remainder of the game.
“Those are two big-time goals that will help boost his confidence,” Larsen said of Castro.
Leading by one goal, Richmond relied on its defense and Ian Williams to close out the final six minutes to secure the win. Larsen said he didn’t change his scheme, but made sure his players maintained possession and kept the ball forward.
“I wanted to make sure we had 10 guys behind the ball. In the winding minutes of a game it’s not about scoring a goal, it’s about possessing the ball and trying to make sure to limit the other team’s chances,” Larsen noted.
“The guys did a good job of that tonight and made sure we kept everything in front of us going the other way. I was pleased with their ability to adjust and it was fortunate for us to be playing 11 on 10.”
Senior center back Cameron Way explained the defensive unit playing together and limiting opportunities was a crucial part in Richmond’s win.
“After the game got delayed, Union Pines made more adjustments and was a lot faster,” Way said. “They were playing a lot more through balls, so we just had to adjust as the game went on. But our game plan coming in was good and holding them to one goal was good for us.”
Richmond (3-6, 1-3 SAC) will return to play on Monday with a home conference game against Lee County High School (6-3-1, 2-0-1). The match will start at 7 p.m.
