ROCKINGHAM — A late goal in Tuesday’s soccer match kept Richmond Senior High School from nearly upsetting the current conference leader.
The Lady Raiders hosted Union Pines High School and dropped the Sandhills Athletic Conference match 2-1.
Both teams scored in the first half, and it was the Lady Vikings (12-3-1, 8-0 SAC) who recorded the game-winning tally in the closing 40 minutes.
Finding the back of the net for Richmond was sophomore Mariana Gonzalez. That goal was her fifth of the season, tying her with senior Ashly Gonzalez and sophomore Colbie Covington for the team lead.
“Tonight was another good match for us against a quality opponent,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “Even though we got down early, the girls continued to do the things we’ve worked on in practice and we were able to score before the half. That was a big confidence boost for us.
“The second half was back and forth, especially late,” he added. “But we did spend too much time in our own defensive end and didn’t connect passes as well as in the first half. We had chances, but couldn’t get another one in the back of the net.
Union Pines opened the scoring in the sixth minute when Kylie DiMayo weaved through the box and beat senior goalkeeper Sa’Quanna Bostic from close range.
Bostic made a sliding toe save on DiMayo in the box with 3:11 to play in the first half. That stop started a counterattack that led to Gonzalez’s goal.
Junior Makayla Brown gained possession on the clear down the right sideline. Moving around a defender, Brown slid a pass to Gonzalez cutting across the middle of the field.
Taking a touch, Gonzalez ripped a shot low and inside the left post of the goal to make it 1-1 in the 38th minute.
The first 22 minutes of the second half saw both teams trade possession, with Bostic fending off a flurry of shots by the Lady Vikings.
DiMayo made a run down the left side of the field in the 62nd minute and scored her second goal of the match to the back post.
Richmond turned the tide in the final six minutes of regulation and put offensive pressure on Union Pines’ defense. The Lady Raiders’ best chance to tie it came when senior Hanna Smith moved through traffic and sent a through ball to Covington, whose shot was just left of the mark.
Ashly Gonzalez headed a shot attempt that sailed just right of the goal and freshman Erin Drumwright started a run that was nearly finished by Covington inside the box with a minute to play.
The Lady Raiders (6-9-1, 3-6 SAC) play at Lee County High School (7-6, 4-5) Friday. That match will begin at 6 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders close season with loss
In its final match of the season, the Richmond junior varsity girls’ soccer team hosted Union Pines and was shut out.
Falling 2-0, the JV Lady Raiders allowed one goal in each half.
The JV Lady Raiders finished the season with a 5-5 overall record and a 1-4 mark against conference opponents.
Leading the team with 13 goals was sophomore Cadence Gazoo.
“We had opportunities to score tonight,” head coach Bennie Howard said. “I’m happy with the girls going 5-5 this season. We had a young team and I think everyone grew and got better each day.
“We’ll have a good group coming back next season and we’ll go from there. There are also a lot of good players who will be making the jump to varsity.”
