FAYETTEVILLE – Just one night after suffering a mercy-rule loss to Sandhills Athletic Conference powerhouse Pinecrest High School on its home field, the Richmond Lady Raiders soccer team bounced back with a 1-0 victory over non-conference opponent Pine Forest High School Thursday.
Playing their third game in four nights, the Lady Raiders (4-1) may not have produced a lot of offense on the scoreboard, but head coach Bennie Howard was pleased with his team’s resiliency to finish the week with a strong performance.
“It’s good to get a win tonight after that thrashing we took against Pinecrest,” Howard said. “I thought everyone played well considering last night. We have some players with bumps and bruises, but we used good subbing and got some players to play in different positions.”
The Lady Raiders were without senior starting center back Shelby Matheson for the second straight game (illness), and Jessie Matheson did not make the trip. But their absences didn’t matter, as it was a pair of juniors who helped set up the game’s only goal.
In the closing moments of the first half, Richmond had several scoring chances against the Lady Trojans (3-2). Junior forward Chloe Wiggins crossed a ball into the box to teammate Morgan Hooks, who volleyed the ball just wide of the frame.
But with the seconds winding down, and keeping the offensive pressure on, junior Jayana Nicholson and Wiggins found magic and broke the scoreless tie.
Nicholson sent a cross into the box, finding Wiggins, who headed the ball into the opposite side of the net away from the goalkeeper. It was Wiggins’ team-leading third goal of the season.
Howard noted that both teams had several second half scoring opportunities, and he believed Richmond had the better chances, despite not adding to its one-goal lead.
Sophomore defender Avy Lucero just missed her first goal of the season when she hit the post on a free kick with about 10 minutes to go in regulation.
Sophomore goalkeeper Allexis Swiney had another solid performance in net, as Howard explained she had several timely saves to keep the Lady Raiders in the game.
“The game could have gone either way in the second half,” Howard commented. “Avy had a good shot that just hit the post. It was unlucky. I’m proud of the girls for hanging on for a 1-0 victory, and we’re going to get ready for another busy week and Jack Britt (High School) on Monday.”
In junior varsity action, the Lady Raiders (4-1) also rebounded from a loss to Pinecrest Wednesday. Freshman Jayla McDougald netted a hat trick, while Jakerra Covington and Kelsey Sheffield each added a goal in the 5-2 victory.
“It was a good game to get back in the win column,” JV head coach Chris Larsen said. “Hopefully it will build some momentum and carry us into another three-game week.”
Richmond, which had three games this week, will stay busy next week as they’ll be on the road at Jack Britt (Monday), Hoke County (Wednesday) and South View (Thursday) high schools. All game times are set for junior varsity at 5:15, followed by varsity at 7 p.m.
