ROCKINGHAM — A barrage of shots from the Richmond Senior High School boys’ soccer team was everywhere but in the back of the net, save for one goal Wednesday.
Still searching for their first win of the season, the Raiders suffered a 2-1 loss to Central Academy of Technology and Arts.
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, and later by two goals in the second half, Richmond made things interesting with its goal in the final minute from senior Elen Fonseca Garcia.
Head coach Chris Larsen called Wednesday’s performance the best team effort through three matches this season despite not earning the victory.
“I was pleased with the way we worked the ball around,” Larsen said. “This was our best outing for doing that. We were able to maintain possession and connect passes. We created ample opportunities tonight, whether they were off corners or runs into the box.
“Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get more than one to go into the goal,” he continued. “(CATA) had a good keeper who stopped at least two 1v1 chances for us. It was good for us to get a goal late off a set piece from Elen, who sent a low strike in to make the last 30 seconds interesting.”
Both teams had spurts in the first half that resulted in offensive chances. Senior Memphis Jacobs had the first shot of the match in the third minute when he redirected a shot in front that was saved.
Sophomore Bryan Mendez Mendoza had Richmond’s next quality chance in the 15th minute when he sent a tight-angled shot from inside the keeper’s box that was saved after a run down the left side.
CATA responded with a flurry of shots in a short span in the 22nd minute. Senior goalkeeper Camden Williams, who played the first half, stopped two shots, including a leaping save from distance.
On a counterattack, the Cougars pulled Richmond’s defense wide and snuck behind the line for a goal in the 24th minute. Williams made a charge on a 1v1 situation but couldn’t get a hand on it, leading to a 1-0 deficit.
Other chances for the Raiders in the first half came from junior Kevin Diaz Lopez, Jacobs and junior Brian Griffith.
Diaz Lopez made a run and saw his shot stopped and Jacobs sent a blast wide left following a stop by Williams on a free kick. Griffith made a leaping header attempt in the 35th minute on a corner kick but it didn’t have enough power to find the net.
Richmond upped the pressure in the second half and remained in its attacking third for a majority of the first 25 minutes.
In the 51st minute, Jacobs created space along the right side and sent a hard shot on net that was blocked. On the ensuing corner kick, he saw a header attempt pushed wide.
Junior goalkeeper Eric Legrand, who played the full second half, kept Richmond’s deficit at a goal in the 53rd minute when he made a jumping save on a hard shot from distance.
Fonseca Garcia nearly tied the match a minute later when he rocketed a shot just over the crossbar. Diaz Lopez and junior Patrick Smith created a scoring chance in the box in the 59th minute when they crashed on a bouncing ball, but couldn’t get a foot on it before it was scooped up by the keeper.
Following a foul by Richmond in the 65th minute, CATA was awarded a free kick from 20 yards out in the middle of the field. Legrand made the initial save on a bending shot around the wall, but the Cougars made it 2-0 when they scored on a second chance ball.
Jacobs had two more quality chances in the final 15 minutes of regulation, first with a shot over the bar followed by a banger off the right post.
Smith drew a foul just outside the 18-yard box in the final minute of play, which gave Richmond a free kick. Larsen sent Fonseca Garcia to the line who worked a set piece spectacle with Smith, who was credited with the assist.
Playing tic-tac-toe, Fonseca Garcia sent the initial kick left to Smith, who one-timed the pass back for Fonseca Garcia. Taking a touch, Fonseca Garcia arced his shot low around a wall of defenders and inside the left post for his first goal of the season.
With 27 seconds to play, Richmond made a couple of runs on net but wasn’t able to score the equalizer.
“I can tell we’re getting better and hopefully the guys are seeing that too,” Larsen closed. “Our lack of getting a win early on is frustrating, but it doesn’t take away from the progress we’ve made.
“Hopefully the guys are encouraged by that growth and they continue working to get even better. We’ve improved each night we’ve played, now it’s a matter of getting the ball into the back of the net.”
Now 0-3 on the season, Richmond will practice until its next match Monday. The Raiders will travel to longtime rival Scotland High School for a non-conference match, set to start at 7 p.m.
Click here to read about the Richmond junior varsity boys’ soccer team’s win over CATA.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Wednesday’s match soon.
