FAYETTEVILLE — The second meeting between the Richmond Senior High School and Jack Britt High School girls’ soccer teams didn’t have the fireworks of a penalty kick shootout like the first time, but the end result was the same.
The Lady Raiders traveled to face the Lady Buccaneers Monday in the Sandhills Athletic Conference regular-season finale, and came away with a 2-1 victory.
It was a pair of goals by freshman forward Kaitlyn Huff, paired with a stout performance from sophomore goalkeeper Kelly Hoffman and the Lady Raider defense, that helped Richmond complete the sweep of Jack Britt.
The victory extended Richmond’s winning streak to three games against the Lady Bucs, and was the team’s fifth consecutive win dating back to its four wins prior to spring break. It was the Lady Raiders’ first bit of action in 11 days, and although the team came out slow like head coach Chris Larsen anticipated, Richmond overcame a physical Jack Britt team.
“We came out slow in the first 15 minutes and we let them score first,” Larsen said. “But from that point on, the tone of the game changed. We played with a chip on our shoulder and we knocked it around really well. The confidence we were playing with before break came back and we were able to get some momentum going.”
Jack Britt opened the game’s scoring with a goal in the sixth minute, but after that, it was all Huff and the Lady Raider backfield.
Huff, who entered the night with 11 goals on the season, scored her 12th tally in the 27th minute. She ripped the shot past Jack Britt keeper Rebecca Karris on an assist from senior Morgan Hooks.
Both teams went into halftime with one goal apiece, although Larsen noted his team “had several scoring opportunities” that didn’t connect.
“It was a physical game like we’re used to when we play them,” Larsen said. “The officials let us play, and at halftime I told the girls we had plenty of chances to score. But they weren’t doing to final part of finishing their shots.
“The second half was very similar to the first, and Kaitlyn made a nice play to put one in the back of the net to give us the win,” he added.
Halfway through the second 40-minute period, Huff scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 60th minute. Larsen explained it was a back-and-forth affair for both teams, but it was his defense and net minder who made the difference.
“Kelly kept us in it more than anything,” Larsen said. “Jack Britt had several one-on-one opportunities to score in box, but Kelly came out and won those balls to keep them from scoring. Our defense played really well tonight, too, limiting their chances.”
The win moved the Lady Raiders’ overall record to 14-3, and improved their SAC record to 12-2. Richmond had already secured the No. 2 spot in the conference standings on senior night two weeks ago behind leader Pinecrest High School (20-0-1, 14-0 SAC), and now await the SAC tournament, which will begin Wednesday.
“It was a great way to finish out conference play with a victory,” Larsen concluded. “Hopefully the way we played the last three-quarters of the game will carry over to Wednesday and get us ready for the state tournament.”
The No. 2 Lady Raiders will host either Jack Britt (10-6, 9-5 SAC) or Purnell Swett High School (11-5, 8-5 SAC) in the four-team SAC tournament. The seeding for the other two schools has yet to be decided at the time of publication. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Rockingham.
