LUMBERTON, N.C. – For the second time in the last four weeks, the Richmond Senior High School Lady Raiders soccer team hung a zero on the board against Sandhills Athletic Conference foe Lumberton High School.
But they happened to be good zeroes.
On the road Wednesday night against the Lady Pirates, the Lady Raiders’ second zero was as impressive as its first. Richmond completed the regular-season sweep of Lumberton, securing its third-straight SAC win in a 1-0 shut out win. On March 19, the Lady Raiders dominated their way to a 4-0 win on their home pitch.
The win Wednesday was essential for Richmond (12-4, 9-3 SAC), as it’s trying to keep pace with Jack Britt High School to try and finish the season tied for second place in the conference. The Lady Buccaneers currently sit a game above Richmond in the standings with a 10-2 SAC tally, with just a handful of games remaining before the conference tournament.
“We needed this win tonight to keep the pressure on Jack Britt to keep winning,” head coach Bennie Howard said following his team’s clutch road win. “I thought the wind affected both teams tonight, as it carried the ball and affected our touches. But I felt like we had the better chances tonight, but didn’t take advantage of some opportunities. We survived tonight”
Junior forward Morgan Hooks continued her hot streak, as she would score the game’s only goal in the 60th minute. Fellow junior Chloe Wiggins carried the ball into the offensive zon, and sent it back toward the middle of the field to sophomore defender Avy Lucero. On the rush, Lucero arched a ball to Hooks, who corralled the ball in the 18-yard box, split two defenders and booted the ball past Lumberton goalkeeper Emma Barnes.
Hooks’ goal against Lumberton was her fourth in as many games (one against Jack Britt last week, and two against Hoke County Monday). It was also her team-leading ninth goal of the 2018 campaign. Scoring goals against Lumberton hasn’t been easy for Richmond over the last couple of seasons, as the four scored in the first matchup in March was the first time the Lady Raiders had scored that many against their conference foe since a 5-4 loss on March 12, 2012.
In the first half of play, Howard noted that his team had “several opportunities” to score the ball. Richmond sophomore goalkeeper Allexis Swiney, Howard also explained, “made several key saves” to keep the Lady Pirates off the board. He also credited his defense for its solid play. The second half also saw several more scoring chances, but none of the Lady Raiders could add onto Hooks’ goal.
Entering the half, both teams were scoreless.
In the first minute of the second half, Barnes came out of her box to make a play on the ball. However, she overstepped and misjudged the ball, and fell out of position, leaving the net wide open. Richmond senior striker Hanna Millen collected the loose ball about 10 yards in front of the goal and ripped a shot, but she missed a wide-open net.
Also having scoring chances in the second half were Lucero and Wiggins. Before Hooks’ goal, Lucero took a direct kick and launched it at Barnes, but the Lumberton keeper made an impressive save. In the final sequence of the game with Richmond trying to extend its lead, Wiggins dribbled down the right sideline and sailed a shot to the near post, and again, Barnes made a nice save to keep the game a one-goal Richmond advantage.
The Lady Raiders will wrap up this week of play with their third game by traveling to non-conference Forest Hills High School on Thursday. The game is set to begin at 6 p.m. Howard expressed his concern that his team will have “tired legs,” but expects his players to perform well.
NOTE: In junior varsity action, Richmond also beat Lumberton 2-1. Freshmen Jakerra Covington and Katelyn Millen each had a goal, boosting the JV Lady Raiders to a 9-2 record on the season.
