SOUTHERN PINES — Playing in its first competitive match in 15 months on Thursday, the Richmond Senior High School boys’ soccer team learned a lot about itself, according to head coach Chris Larsen.
Opening the condensed 2021 season at Pinecrest High School, the Raiders dropped the Sandhills Athletic Conference match in a 7-0 decision.
Noting the score wasn’t indicative to how Richmond played, Larsen said the game was a good tune up for the rest of conference play.
“Even though tonight didn’t go our way, I was able to move some guys around and get a feel for what we need to do to get better,” Larsen, who’s in his third season, said. “We got to try some different things out and we’re still looking for what our best options are.
“I told the guys that playing a team like Pinecrest, we’re able to see what areas we need to improve on,” he added. “Our weaknesses were pretty clear and this was our first real game. Now we see where the bar is and we know what we have to do.”
The Raiders were competitive in the opening 40 minutes of play, trailing by just two goals at the half. Pinecrest broke the game open with five second-half goals. Senior Nick Vences would lead the way with two goals, netting them in the first and 79th minutes.
Richmond tallied four shots on frame, two coming from senior Noah Aiken. Senior Cale Luckey and junior Padron Abrahm were responsible for the others.
Pinecrest had 11 corner kicks in the match, compared to Richmond’s one. Larsen said in order for the team to remain competitive, it has to present more set piece opportunities for itself in the coming months.
“We spent a lot of time trying to survive tonight, clearing the ball out to try and regroup,” Larsen explained. “The guys will learn from making it a habit to clear the ball for a throw in instead of a corner.
“Another thing we have to do better is win the ball in the middle,” he continued. “We figured it out a couple of times, switching the point of attack, but those are things that will come with playing experience.”
Vences scored the game’s first goal just 50 seconds in, capitalizing on a loose ball inside the 18-yard box the Raiders didn’t clear. Landon McMinimy added to the lead in the 11th minute, booting a ball to the far post past senior goalkeeper Jay Ammons.
In front of Ammons, senior back Bradford Pittman made several goal-saving plays in the first half. He made a kick save in the 20th minute and made back-to-back sliding saves in the goalie box with under 90 seconds left.
Ammons also kept Richmond in it early, making diving saves on Johnny Grgurevic, Connor Morgan and Matthew Mueller. Junior Luke Williams and sophomore Ty Murray both made first-half runs at the net for the Raiders, but both attempts failed to produce a goal.
To start the second half, Ammons made an athletic save on another Mueller strike, but Grgurevic gave Pinecrest a 3-0 lead in the 42nd minute. He punched a roller into the net from 10 yards out along the right side of the box.
Ammons responded with a punch save over the bar on McMinimy moments later, and Luckey laid out across the goal line to save two shots in the next sequence.
“Tonight helped me get back in my groove, especially after not playing in over a year,” Ammons said. “We didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but we’re starting to bond more in the back. I think we’ll get better from this and lock it down more in the rest of our games.”
Aiken nearly scored in the 47th minute, launching a rocket off the crossbar from 20 yards out. Senior Hector Castro weaved through a pair of defenders to find Aiken in open space along the right side.
William Smith notched Pinecrest’s next goal to make it 4-0 in the 50th minute. Ammons made a stop on a corner kick but failed to handle the ball, allowing Smith to tap it in from a few yards out. Larsen replaced Ammons with junior keeper Ian Williams.
The next two goals from the Patriots came in the 54th and 57th minutes. Gerald Ofosu netted the first on a grounder and P.J. Woodard answered three minutes later with a shot from inside the 18-yard box.
Junior Alex Medina gave Richmond its best chance to score in the second half on a free kick with 5:45 to play. He dropped the ball to Aiken and Castro, who both had scoring chances.
For Medina, he said the team will take the loss in stride and use it as a teaching moment moving forward.
“During the first half we didn’t play to our full potential, but we had some impressive moments,” Medina said. “It was satisfying to see how we played tough.
“But the second half came around and Pinecrest was more mentally and physically prepared,” he added. “Tonight was a learning experience and hopefully we take this game and use it to get better.”
With 32 seconds left in regulation, Vences scored his second goal of the match for the Patriots (1-0 SAC).
“Jay and Ian are both capable goalies, and I want them both to have that live action,” Larsen said of his keepers. “Depending on the situation, you never know which one could potentially be in net.
“Tonight was about both of them getting some minutes. I want them to get that experience so they can both help us in the long run.”
The Raiders (0-1 SAC) will regroup on Friday and Larsen said the team will watch game film to prepare for a road game at Purnell Swett High School (0-0 SAC). Richmond and the Rams will begin at 3 p.m.
