ROCKINGHAM – The Richmond Senior High School Raider Soccer Team continues clawing at the win column ending their second consecutive game with a tie last Wednesday.

The Raiders and Vikings went more than 100 minutes without a score, halting the game with a 0-0 tie and marking the second consecutive stalemate for the Raiders, who finished the previous game in a 1-1 tie with Jack Britt thanks to a goal by senior Noah Gill in the final 2 minutes.

“I think we left some chances out there. We did not capitalize. We did not come out of the game, and play as well I as I expecting. On the flip side, we did not give up anything stupid. We tried to shoot ourselves in the foot early, but [Camden Williams, keeper] did a good job,” Raider coach Chris Larsen said.

Although ending in a 0-0 tie, Wednesday’s game did have a few statistical highlights. Gil nearly hit pay dirt on two occaissions, but could not find the back of the net. Williams had a solid night with a trio of saves, but credited his defenders for doing the heavy lifting Wednesday.

“My defense did good. We didn’t give up stupid mistakes like we had before. We capitalized on some of their mistakes here and there, but overall we played a good game. We just didn’t capitalize or finish it,” Williams

With the tie, the Raiders continue looking for their first win in Sandhills Athletic Conference with a 1-8-2 overall record and 0-2-1 in SAC action. Union Pines remains at .500 with a 5-5-1 record and still undefeated in SAC play at 2-0-1. The Vikings downed Scotland 3-0 Thursday.

“It was an exciting game (Wednesday). There were opportunities on both parts. It became a good physical game. Both teams were committed to winning the match. We wanted to possess a bit more, combine a bit more on the attacking third and still created some chances, but Richmond stayed strong across the back. Their keeper made two outstanding saves to keep them in the game. I’m a little disappointed we did not walk away with a win, but it was not for lack of effort. At the same time, Richmond probably feels the exact same way. I’m looking forward to [playing Richmond] again,” Union Pines coach Ray Blatz said.

The Raiders return to the pitch Monday, when they head on the road to face the 4-7 (1-2) Southern Lee Yellow Jackets. They host 2-6 non-conference foe Southern Wayne Thursday.

“Conference play is going to be a night-in-night-out battle. If you’re on, then you’re going to have the opportunity to win. If you make mistakes, then you have an equal opportunity of getting beat. We just have to stay focused,” Coach Larsen said.