ROCKINGHAM — For the third time this season, at least one Richmond Senior girls soccer player has recorded a hat trick when facing conference rival Scotland.
Cassie McFayden is the latest Lady Raider to do so, as she scored three goals in Richmond’s 4-1 victory Tuesday evening. The senior netted two scores in the first half and added another after intermission.
Sophomore Jessi Graham recorded a hat trick in both meetings with Scotland, while Hanna Millen scored three goals in the shutout win last week.
“We didn’t have our best game. We came out flat in the first half,” coach Bennie Howard said.
Richmond (13-4-2) gave up a goal in the first eight minutes of the game but was able to rebound with McFayden’s first-half goals in order to head into halftime with a lead.
Following McFayden’s third score in the second half, Altman Griffin tacked on a goal off a corner from Chloe Wiggins.
“When you play somebody three times, it’s always tough the third time,” Howard added. “Hats off to Scotland because they played one of their better games this year — and that’s what rivals are about.”
Tuesday’s game marked the first time this season a match between Richmond and Scotland lasted the full 80 minutes. The Lady Raiders won the last two matches by the mercy rule — ending the first and second meetings in the 71st and the 60th minutes, respectively.
Also, their score in the opening minutes was only the second goal the Lady Scots have been able to score in the rivalry this season. The Lady Raiders gave up one goal in their 10-1 win last month and then blanked Scotland on the road last Wednesday.
Richmond’s first-round victory sets up a game at Lumberton in the second round of the conference tournament. In order to earn a win against a team they haven’t beat in over six years, Howard says the Lady Raiders need to limit mistakes.
“We have to play error free in the back. Of the five goals Lumberton has scored against us this year, three have went over our keeper’s head,” Howard said. “But we’ve worked on that in practice and hopefully we can play error free tomorrow.”
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Richmond Senior’s Cassie McFayden netted a hat trick in the team’s 4-1 victory over Scotland in the first round of the conference tournament.