ROCKINGHAM — A rainy end to the regular season earlier this week resulted in the Richmond Senior High School boys’ soccer team splitting its final two matches.
Better yet, the Raiders and head coach Chris Larsen clinched a playoff spot for the upcoming NCHSAA 7A postseason.
Richmond closed its Mid-South Conference schedule Monday at Pinecrest High School. Battling a driving rain, the Raiders lost 5-1 to the regular-season conference champs.
Junior Patrick Smith netted the goal late in the first half off a set piece. With two minutes to go before the break, senior Phoenix Jacobs set a free kick into the danger zone that was batted down by the keeper.
Sophomore Allen Franco collected the loose ball in the box and passed it to Smith, who scored from close range. Smith’s goal made it 1-1.
Pinecrest, however, scored a goal before the break and added three insurance goals in the second half. Larsen noted the Raiders “didn’t play up to our potential” in the second half.
The Raiders’ regular season ended Tuesday with a 1-0 win over non-conference Union Pines High School. Due to field conditions at Union Pines, the match was played at Rassie Wicker Park.
A scoreless first half was broken by sophomore Bryan Mendez Mendoza in the 68th minute, which proved to be the only goal for both teams.
A shot into the box by junior Cailin Moore was initially cleared on a header by the Vikings defense, but Mendez Mendoza was there on the back post to collect the second chance and score.
“It was a good back-and-forth battle to end our regular season,” Larsen said. “We scrimmaged Union Pines before the season and it was good to see how much both teams improved. Bryan’s goal was a nice one and we were able to hold on defensively.”
Due to the wet weather this week, the NCHSAA announced that it was pushing its playoff bracket release to Sunday.
Finishing the season with an 8-12-2 overall record, the Raiders secured their first trip to the playoffs since the shortened spring season of 2020-2021.
Larsen shared that Richmond is currently ranked 40th in the 7A classification and said that may “change a spot or two in either direction” depending on how the rest of the week shakes out with other teams still needing to finish regular season matches.
“The good thing is I know we’ll make the playoffs,” Larsen said. “That ends a little bit of a postseason drought for us, so it’s nice to see the guys’ efforts rewarded.
“In terms of where we’ll play, that’s the question mark until the brackets come out.”
According to his own math, Larsen projected Richmond will play in the 7A West and will likely face one of three teams in the first round — Ballantyne Ridge, Cox Mill or Southwest Guilford high schools.
“These are the three likely teams we’ll face,” Larsen said. “All of them are quality opponents and we’ll be on the road in the first round.
“We played Ballantyne Ridge early in the season, and even though that match was lopsided, I think we’ve gotten much better throughout the season. Wherever we end up going, we’re going to keep practicing and get as ready as we can.”
Brackets are expected to be released Sunday with the first round of the playoffs slated for Tuesday. The Richmond Observer will publish a playoff preview once brackets are finalized.
