ROCKINGHAM – For the second time in three nights, the Richmond Senior High School Lady Raiders varsity soccer team scored more goals than its opponent. As easy as it sounds, it’s a simple philosophy that head coach Bennie Howard reiterates to his players night in and night out.
Playing on their home pitch for the first time this season, the Lady Raiders (2-0) played host to the Jay M. Robinson Lady Bulldogs. Having lost its last two matchups to the visiting team, most recently a 4-0 loss on March 5, 2016, Richmond managed to keep its opponent off the scoreboard and secure a hard-fought 2-0 win Friday.
“The girls played well tonight, despite starting off a tad bit sloppy,” Howard noted in a postgame interview. “We had some words with them and got refocused. Then we woke up a little bit and played some great soccer.
“I told the team at halftime that it doesn’t matter who scores the goals,” Howard added. “Just as long we have more than the opposition. And so far, knock on wood, we’ve done that.”
Howard’s squad earned him a win in his final home opener, and it was a tough defensive battle but saw both teams have plenty of scoring opportunities.
The Lady Bulldogs (0-1) dominated possession in the opening 15 minutes of the first half, but a solid wall of defenders, including senior Kathleen Pittman, junior Tatum Hubbard and sophomore Avy Lucero staved off any would-be Robinson goals.
Sophomore goalkeeper Allexis Swiney, who started only her second game in net at the varsity level, collected the first shutout of her career by making five saves against a resilient Robinson team. One of her bigger moments on the night came when she made an athletic save on a free kick to start the second half. Howard noted that it was “nice for (Swiney) to get a clean sheet” with her shutout.
Both teams traded ends of the field for the majority of the first half, with several near misses coming by the Lady Bulldogs. But Richmond started to gain momentum when Howard substituted fresh bodies for his starters. Soon, the Lady Raiders took control, and over an eight-minute span played their best soccer of the night. And that’s all they would need to pick up the win.
With just under 10 minutes to play before the half, the Lady Raiders broke the scoreless tie when junior midfielder Chloe Wiggins sent a right-to-left cross into the box. Fellow junior teammate Jessi Graham got position on the outside of the keeper near the back post and played the ball in the air off her head, sending it to the opposite corner, away from the turning keeper.
At the 9:05 mark, Graham (with her team-leading second goal of the season) gave Richmond a 1-0 lead on what would prove to be the game-winning score. Wiggins was credited with an assist, her second of the young season.
Richmond kept up the offensive pressure and kept the ball in its offensive zone for much of the remaining portion of the first half. Several scoring chances came, but none more important than when Wiggins corralled a loose ball just outside the 18-yard box.
She finessed her way around a defender and ripped a shot from just inside the box to beat the keeper on a solid strike. Up 2-0 with just 1:59 to play in the half thanks to Wiggins’ first tally of the year, Richmond would extend its lead going into the break.
“The two goals were great goals,” Howard noted of Graham’s and Wiggins’ work. “Especially the first one (Graham) – you couldn’t ask for a better cross. On top of that, the way that Jessi put the ball on the opposite side of the net, that’s what she’s supposed to do.
“Chloe muscled her way into the box and let it fly and put the ball in the net,” he continued. “The team is playing as a unit (so far this season). You don’t want to see individualism. We will be more successful playing together as a unit.”
Neither team did much damage in the second half, but play did become more physical as Robinson tried to squeeze its way back into contention. Hubbard, who Howard has noted as doing a fantastic job filling the role of center back with the departure of former player Altman Griffin, picked up a yellow card part way through the second half. But the Lady Bulldogs, which took the kick just outside the box, weren’t able to convert.
Other scoring opportunities for the Lady Raiders came when junior striker Jayana Nicholson split opposing defenders and made it within a couple yards of the goal, only to have her shot go right into the arms of the goalkeeper. Sophomore midfielder Valery Standridge also connected on a strong shot from 10 yards outside of the box, but it just sailed over the crossbar.
“Once a few of our ones in the back (defenders) woke up, and found their marks, we played better,” Howard explained. “We’re still not doing the simple things, like communicating and marking up. But hopefully we figure it out before our busy week next week.
The Lady Raiders will get the weekend off before returning to play on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, with Sandhills Athletic Conference play getting underway. Richmond will host SAC opponents Purnell Swett and Pinecrest high schools on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, before hitting the road Thursday to Pine Forest High School (Fayetteville, N.C,). All three games are schedule for 7 p.m.
In junior varsity action, head coach Chris Larsen’s team also improved to 2-0, this time in 5-1 fashion. Five different players got on the board, including: Morgan Cauley, Jakerra Covington, Jayla McDougald, Katelyn Millen and Kelsey Sheffield. Also picking up one assist each on the night were Jali Blue and Covington.
“We played pretty good for missing a day of practice this week, and not being able to work on what we learned from Wednesday’s game,” Larsen explained. “Every day we try to get a little better.
“We struggled with putting the ball in the net with many missed opportunities, but I was happy to see that we kept our heads up and figure out a way to get it done in the second half. As a team, we look forward to the next opportunity to improve in three games next week.”
The JV Lady Raiders will follow the same schedule as the varsity squad.
