ROCKINGHAM — Spreading the wealth of scoring around Monday, the Richmond Senior High School girls’ soccer team entered the win column.
Playing in their home opener, the Lady Raiders used five different goal scorers to defeat non-conference Lumberton High School 5-0.
Bouncing back from a shutout loss to start the season last Wednesday, Richmond scored a pair of goals in the opening 40 minutes and padded its lead with three tallies in the second half.
Finding the back of the net, in order of scoring, were junior Kellie Gomez, freshman Nayeli Chavez, junior Colbie Covington, sophomore Erin Drumwright and junior Cadence Gazoo.
Credited with assists in the win were freshman Kaylea Peele and Covington on the first two goals, respectively.
Having a relatively quiet night between the posts was junior goalkeeper Kenley Smith, who earned her first career shutout victory.
“It’s great to get that first win under our belt,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “I thought the girls played really well tonight and controlled possession and connected passes the way we’ve talked about doing. I was glad to see five different girls score and it was beneficial for us to find the back of the net early in the game.
“This was the type of match we needed to have to show the girls what they’re capable of doing this season,” he added. “It was a team effort and our defense and Kenley did a great job of keeping the ball forward. This will be a confidence builder for us, especially since everyone got some minutes tonight.”
Smith was tested early in a 1v1 situation in the 10th minute, but she made an athletic save from close range to keep the game scoreless.
That stop led to a counterattack that resulted in Gomez scoring to make it 1-0 just 40 seconds later. Peele brought the ball into the box along the right side and slid it to Gomez, who redirected her shot past the keeper.
On a similar play in the 18th minute, Covington used her speed to get down the left sideline on an attack. Cutting into the box, Covington sent a dart to the back post where Chavez one-timed it into the net to extend the lead to 2-0.
In the closing 15 minutes of the half, Peele, who was everywhere but in the net Monday, had three scoring chances for the Lady Raiders in quick succession.
Sophomore Mavery Hooks and junior Allison Sanchez each had an opportunity in front, and junior Mariana Gonzalez nearly scored on a shot just over the crossbar.
To start the second half, Covington turned on the jets and possessed the ball the majority of the way down the left sideline. Making a final move around a defender, she slotted a tight-angled shot from 15 yards into a small window between the left post and the keeper to make it 3-0 in the 38th minute.
Preserving the three-goal lead five minutes later, Smith made another 1v1 stop, this time charging the ball and making a sliding takeaway.
Richmond’s other two goals came in a span of six minutes later in the half. Drumwright found space near the top of the 18-yard box and blasted a shot in the upper part of the net in the 63rd minute, making it 4-0.
Gazoo was responsible for the final tally in the 69th minute when she collected a loose ball and rocketed it into a wide open net. Lumberton’s keeper misplayed a save attempt, which gave Gazoo plenty of time to find twine.
“We’ve got three games this week, so hopefully we’ll be able to build some momentum with this win,” Larsen closed. “The plan is to rotate everyone into the games to continue to build ur chemistry and keep learning.”
The Lady Raiders (1-1) are set to play a varsity-only match Wednesday at rival and former conference foe Scotland High School (0-1), The match will begin at 6 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will post photos of Monday’s varsity win soon.
