FAYETTEVILLE — Amid the busy Thursday that saw high school athletics across the state get suspended due to the threat of COVID-19, the Richmond Lady Raider soccer team kept its composure and earned a “quality team win.”
Playing in their last game until at least April 6, according to a press release from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, the Lady Raiders used a powerful first half to defeat Sandhills Athletic Conference foe Jack Britt High School 3-1.
Dating back to the 2018 season, it was the sixth straight victory for Richmond over the Lady Buccaneers.
The Lady Raiders would score all three of their goals in the first half, and the defense and junior goalkeeper Kelly Hoffman nearly played 80 minutes of shutout soccer. Jack Britt scored its lone tally in the final 11 minutes of the game.
“I was happy with the way we came out, and I think we caught ourselves by surprise by how fast we started the game,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “It was a full game, and I told the girls they had to play until the end and they did that tonight.
“We played a pretty good game as a team,” he added. “The unit in the back was really compact and didn’t give Jack Britt too many chances. I wish we could have scored one or two more, but I’m pleased with the victory.”
Junior forward Jayla McDougald and sophomore striker Kaitlyn Huff continued their respective fast starts to the new campaign. McDougald would lead all scorers with two goals and added an assist, while Huff tacked on the other Lady Raider tally.
Through five games this season, both Huff and McDougald have scored three goals each, which leads the team.
McDougald wasted no time in putting the Lady Raiders ahead by a goal, notching her first of the night in the second minute. Senior outside midfielder Layne Maultsby started the scoring run near midfield and passed the ball to McDougald, who was making a charge up the middle.
Jack Britt goalkeeper Rebecca Karis came out to meet McDougald, but came off her line, leaving a wide-open net for the ball the sail into.
Huff nearly had a goal in the fourth minute, but her contested shot was wide left. McDougald added to Richmond’s lead in the sixth minute on a breakaway rush that saw her go one-on-one with Karis.
Again the keeper made the first move, allowing McDougald to maneuver into open space and send a grounder inside the left post for the score.
Much of the game was played in Jack Britt’s defensive zone, as several players had shots on net. In total, Richmond had 22 shots on frame, with Huff leading the charge with eight blasts.
Following her was McDougald with five, senior center back Avy Lucero added four shots on frame, Maultsby forced Karis to make three saves and seniors Carley Lambeth and Valery Standridge both had one shot.
Hoffman only faced 12 shots in comparison, and made 11 saves to help preserve the win.
Huff notched Richmond’s final goal in the 13th minute, using her right foot to score a pretty one-timer on a cross from McDougald out of the right corner. Again it was Maultsby’s efforts near midfield to gain possession to start the run.
After Richmond took a 3-0 lead into halftime, Jack Britt (3-1-1, 2-1 SAC) made a push late in the second half. Following a foul inside the box in the 69th minute, Morgan Cloud took a penalty kick and snuck a shot past Hoffman just under her outstretched right hand.
Just prior to the PK goal, Lucero made two big saves with her feet just in front of Hoffman. In the closing two minutes, Hoffman recorded her final save when she dove and caught a shot by Dayna Kenworthy.
“Regardless of what happens next (with the suspension), we’ve put ourselves in a great position in the conference so far with good wins over Purnell Swett and Jack Britt,” Larsen commented.
“I hope that the girls will continue to stay in shape and get some touches on their own, so when we come back we’ll be ready to play,” he closed.
Richmond (2-2-1, 2-1 SAC) will now wait out the statewide suspension, and if sports resume as projected, its next game won’t be until April 7 at Pinecrest High School. ROSports will update any scheduling changes as they become available.
JV Lady Raiders return to win column with shutout
The Richmond junior varsity girls’ soccer team also returned to the win column on Thursday, holding off the Lady Bucs 1-0.
Scoring the lone goal of the game in the first half was freshman Karter Walker. It was her third goal of the season.
Fellow freshman goalkeeper Chloe Nunn recorded her third shutout in four tries this season. The JV team sits at 3-1 overall and 2-1 in SAC play.
