ROCKINGHAM – Prior to Wednesday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference matchup between the third-place Lady Raiders and second-place Jack Britt High School, an ere of vengeance hung over the home team’s bench.
Back on March 16, the Lady Raiders lost a tough game to the Lady Buccaneers, a 1-0 final that saw an overturned Richmond goal change the momentum of the game. But that wasn’t the case Wednesday, as the Lady Raiders avenged the earlier loss with a 2-1 victory in a very physical game.
Richmond’s win also snapped a 12-game losing streak to Jack Britt, dating back to 2006. The Lady Raiders would score a goal in each half to secure the big-time SAC victory as their hunt for second place in the conference continues.
Out of the gates, there was obviously no love lost between the two squads, as both teams came out firing on all cylinders. Much like the first meeting, Richmond (10-3, 7-3 SAC) maintained possession much better than its counterpart, using efficient passes and touches in the middle of the field to keep the Lady Bucs (8-4, 8-2 SAC) on their heels in their defensive zone.
Elbows, forearms, hip checks and the like were exchanged by players on both teams, as the aggressive tone was set early and without much redirection from the game’s officials. Sophomore goalkeeper Allexis Swiney made two sprawling saves on pesky Jack Britt shots in the 25th and 27th minutes to keep the game scoreless as the clock dwindled into the final few minutes of the first half without a goal.
“I’m very proud of the girls,” head coach Bennie Howard said following the game with his trademark grin spread across his face. “It very easily could have been a 4-1 game in favor of us, and both teams had great opportunities to score. The girls stepped up in the second half and Morgan (Hooks) got that key goal that we needed.
“It was a physical game, a chippy game,” he continued, half-joking that he’d almost lost his voice because of the amount yelling he’d done through the 80 minutes of action. “There were a lot of cards given tonight.”
Despite the “chippy” play traded between players on both teams, the momentum of the game would embark on a rollercoaster ride in the closing minutes of the first half. The Lady Raiders would break the scoreless tie in the 37th minute.
Junior midfielder Chloe Wiggins finessed her way past a flurry of Jack Britt defenders, and entered the box along the right sideline. Closing in on a breakaway against Jack Britt goalkeeper Lauryn Harding, the defense was left with no choice other than to commit a foul. Wiggins was tripped from behind as she entered the goalie box, resulting in a penalty kick.
Sophomore defender Avy Luero, who had set up several possible scoring chances earlier in the half with near-perfect crosses, squared up against Harding and sent a bullet whizzing into the lower left corner to give the Lady Raiders a 1-0 lead with just over three minutes left before the break.
Avy Lucero rips a penalty kick for the first goal of the game in Wednesday's SAC win over Jack Britt.
The Lady Bucs would answer, however, on a penalty kick of their own under two minutes later at the 1:32 mark. Jack Britt sent a ball on net, and Swinney leapt up and snagged the oncoming shot. However, on the way down, she clipped an opponent’s upper body with her arms, and a foul in the box was called. Similar to Lucero’s scoring play, a penalty kick was put past a diving Swiney to knot the game at one.
The second half was as tightly contested as the opening 40 minutes, but the Lady Raiders continued to find their groove and put shots on net. Swiney came up big with another timely save in the 56th minute, and Hanna Millen nearly scored for Richmond when she crashed the box and charged head-first into a sliding Harding on the ensuing possession after Swiney’s save.
Wiggins, whose speed along the right side of the field often gives her open looks at the net, nearly broke the game wide open with several near misses. With just over 23 minutes left in regulation, she took an outlet pass from Hooks and rushed into the box, only to have her shot sail mere inches above the crossbar.
It was Hooks who would play hero and connect on the game-winning goal in the 64th minute. Following a foul committed by the Lady Bucs near the left sideline, Lucero launched a free kick from 40 yards out into traffic in front of the box. The ball dropped at the feet of Hooks, who gained possession, turned toward the net, and sent a laser from close range past a diving Harding. With 17:11 left in the game, the Lady Raiders kept their foot on the gas and limited Jack Britt’s scoring chances.
“With a great pass from Avy, I was able to find and open hole in their defense,” Hooks explained of her sixth goal of the season. “Jack Britt is a tough team with great players, so pulling off a win against such a competitive team is really special for us.”
The Lady Bucs had one final opportunity to make things interesting when Richmond committed a foul just outside its own box with 5:20 to go. Setting the play up quickly, the Jack Britt free kick was sent toward the upper left corner of the net, but Swiney made an athletic diving play and punched the ball up and over the crossbar.
“Allexis had a big key save on the free kick late in the game,” Howard said. “Her volleyball skills came in with that punch over the net. We needed that performance.
“When we played Jack Britt the first time, we got frustrated because they shut us down on the outside, and then we tried to go down the middle,” he explained, alluding to adjustments his team made. “Yesterday during practice we spent 30 minutes playing diagonal balls, and it worked out fine tonight, with Avy having some great crosses.”
Yellow cards were awarded to both teams throughout the game, including one red card (double yellow) to Jack Britt in the game’s final 30 seconds, but it was the Lady Raiders who persevered the physicality to notch the win.
Earning its 10th win of the season, Richmond pulled within a half of a game behind Jack Britt in the SAC standings. Wiggins led the Lady Raiders with five shots, two of which were on goal. Sophomore Emily Buie booted three shots (one on goal), and Lucero, Hooks and Jayana Nicholson all recorded two shots.
“Right now, we have to hope that Pinecrest (High School) will beat Jack Britt,” Howard noted. “We needed this win tonight to put that scenario on them.”
Richmond will take a short hiatus from SAC action, as it’ll host the Central Academy of Technology and Arts (Monroe, N.C.) on Friday. The Lady Cougars are 5-4-1 on the season, with the game set for 6 p.m.
