RAEFORD — Head coach Chris Larsen called Wednesday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference soccer match “probably the best game” the Richmond Raiders have played all season.
Continuing to show improvement in the areas Larsen has wanted the team to focus on, the Raiders let an early lead slip and lost to Hoke County High School 3-1.
Senior forward Luke Williams recorded Richmond’s lone goal in the 23rd minute, putting the Raiders ahead by one score. He won a long ball over top and beat a defender on his hip, before cutting back and shooting the ball past the keeper.
Hoke County would knot the score with a goal in the 30th of the first half.
“We scored first which was good to see,” Larsen said. “We went into half tied and we both had chances to score. I thought we played a great first half and didn’t change a lot since we had so many chances on offense.
“It was the most complete game this season, and the guys fought the whole 80 minutes,” he added. “It wasn’t a one-sided game, just a good soccer match between both teams. That’s the effort I want to continue to see.
Larsen noted that he wasn’t disappointed in the effort the Raiders put forth, and said the team will use the game as motivation to finish the last two weeks of the season.
The Bucks (13-4, 6-3 SAC) scored the game-winning goal in the 60th minute on a corner, before adding an insurance goal with three minutes to go.
“We pulled a defender late to put another guy up top to try and score,” Larsen explained. “And we were able to hit James (Eason) at least twice in the final couple minutes, but we couldn’t get enough power on the ball to get it into the net.”
Richmond (4-11, 2-7 SAC) has four games remaining in the regular season. The Raiders’ next match is home on Monday against Union Pines High School (3-11-2, 1-5 SAC), which they beat 2-1 earlier this season. Play will start at 7 p.m.
JV Raiders edge Bucks by one goal
In Wednesday’s junior varsity soccer match, a goal by sophomore Noah Williams helped the JV Raiders to a 1-0 win.
The victory moved head coach Bennie Howard’s team to 9-2-1 overall and 3-1-1 in SAC play. Returning to action on Monday, the JV Raiders will host Union Pines at 5 p.m.
