ROCKINGHAM — Celebrating its senior players and ending a monthlong drought, the Richmond Senior High School girls’ soccer got back in the win column in a big way Monday.
Playing the first of their three matches this week, the Lady Raiders defeated non-conference Forest Hills High School 8-0.
Earning its first win since March 17, Richmond snapped a stretch of five losses and one draw.
The Lady Raiders used a total of seven goal scorers and scored five goals in the first half and added their final three goals in the closing 40 minutes.
Junior Colbie Covington led the way with two goals for Richmond. Adding solo tallies were Olivia Brown, Denson, juniors Cadence Gazoo and Mariana Gonzalez, and freshmen Nayeli Chavez and Alley Crouch.
It was a relatively quiet night for junior starting goalkeeper Kenley Smith, who played 68 minutes in the net. She faced one shot in the first half and also made a diving save on a penalty kick in the 43rd minute to keep the shutout intact.
Olivia Brown, who started up top on offense, finished the final 12 minutes in the goal to combine for the shutout.
A quick start resulted in two goals for the Lady Raiders in the first five minutes.
Covington scored her first goal on a rush into the box along the left side and beat the keeper 1v1 with a low, hard strike to the far post just 45 seconds into the match.
Gonzalez made it 2-0 in the fifth minute on an assist from Olivia Brown. Taking a pass from Brown just outside the 18-yard box, Gonzalez made a turning shot that hooked its way into the upper netting.
A flurry of near-goals on corner kicks near the midway point of the half kept the momentum going for Richmond. Gazoo netted her tally in the 27th minute when she won a 1v1 battle, flicking her shot up and over a sliding keeper to make it 3-0.
Less than two minutes later, Covington struck again. Similar to her first goal, she made a move along the left side of the box to create space and put her shot into the right side netting for the team’s fourth goal.
Before the break, Denson showed off her ability from distance and made it 5-0 in the 34th minute on a free kick goal from 30 yards. Her shot hit the keeper’s hands and was deflected into the goal under the cross bar.
Early in the second half, Richmond was whistled for a foul in the box. Standing tall, Smith made the correct read and dove to her left to stop a PK attempt. Forest Hills (1-12-2) managed to score on the rebound attempt, but it was negated because the Lady Yellow Jackets crashed the goal too early.
Richmond’s trio of second-half goals came in the 49th, 68th and 71st minutes. Olivia Brown made it 6-0 when she followed the ball and ran through the goalkeeper after a misplayed save attempt on a slow roller.
Chavez scored the seventh goal when she bent a shot from 15 yards from the right side of the field into the far post netting.
Capping the scoring was Crouch, who flicked a header into the net along the near post on a corner kick by sophomore Erin Drumwright, who got the assist.
The win was Richmond’s third shutout victory of the season and the team’s +8 goal differential was its second-largest this spring (Scotland High School, +9).
The Lady Raiders (4-9-2, 0-5-1 MSC) will continue their busy week at home Tuesday and resume Mid-South Conference action. They’ll host Jack Britt High School (4-6, 2-4 MSC) at 7 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Monday’s junior varsity soccer match was canceled and will not be made up.
