ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond boys soccer team got the job done Wednesday night.
Head coach Bennie Howard wasn’t too happy about how his team got the win, but the Raiders were able keep their overall record unblemished with a 3-1 win over Central Academy of Technology and Arts.
“Like I told them, I’m happy that we won but I’m not happy how we went about it,” Howard said. “This group has the talent, but they’ve got to listen…and some of them aren’t listening.”
Richmond (3-0) took a 1-0 lead after junior Carlos Alcocer scored the only goal of the first half, but the Cougars’ Tyler Temprile was able to tie the match after the break with his goal in the 45th minute — a shot from the right side of the field that hit the left post and bounced into the back of the net as Richmond’s Marco Acosta stretched out for the save.
Similar to Monday’s match against Union Pines, the Raiders missed out on a handful of scoring opportunities. A perfectly set shot from Richmond sailed over the goal post, an attempt from Alcocer hit the left post and a shot from Jonathan Tadlock rolled left in the 55th minute.
Alcocer was able to end Richmond’s cold streak, however, after a flawless give-and-go with teammate Noah Jordan in the 70th minute. Tadlock would capitalize on a rebound shot with 2:39 left in the match, wrapping up the scoring for the Raiders.
Richmond hosts Pine Forest in another non-conference bout Thursday evening, its last game of the week.
“My ultimate goal was to get more people in tonight, but that didn’t work. We’re going to have some tired legs tomorrow,” Howard said. “Hopefully they’ll change their minds and do what I ask them to do.”
Reach sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr. at 910-817-2673 and follow the sports section on Twitter @RCDailySports.