ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Senior girls soccer team was one goal better than Purnell Swett in both of the regular season meetings a year ago, playing a big part in finishing second and third, respectively, in the Sandhills Athletic Conference.
In Friday’s league opener between the two clubs, it was more of the same as Richmond’s Avy Lucero pushed a penalty kick through the net in the late stages of the contest to key the 4-3 home victory.
“I knew it was going to be a good matchup and it held true right down to the end,” said Lady Raiders coach Chris Larsen. “Getting a conference win is always a big deal.”
Richmond (1-0-1) took an early 2-0 advantage within the first 10 minutes, getting goals from strikers Kaitlyn Huff and Jayla McDougald.
Huff’s came within moments of the second minute on a laser shot from well outside the box to give the Lady Raiders a 1-0 lead. McDougald followed a few minutes later, gaining control in the box and flipping the ball in the net to extend the margin, 2-0.
Purnell Swett (1-1) senior forward Abi Lowry had a game-high two goals, both of which came in the first half.
“Abi is a baller. We had to make sure we accounted for her,” said Larsen.
Lowry was held in check for most of the half, but took advantage of a pair of Lady Raiders’ miscues inside the box to get the Lady Rams back in it.
Near the 20th minute, Lowry made a run down the right side, dribbled into the box and received a penalty shot after Richmond goalkeeper Kelly Hoffman was given a yellow card following a bang-bang collision. Lowry converted the shot to cut the deficit, 2-1.
Just before the break, Lowry benefited from a handball violation in the box that allowed her to connect on another penalty shot and knot the score at 2.
Overall, Larsen was pleased with his team’s defense on a player he regards as one of the best in the conference. He added that coming out of halftime, senior midfielder Layne Maultsby played a big role in a defensive adjustment that required her to mark Lowry for long stretches.
The Lady Rams’ speedster was still able to put pressure on Hoffman to open the second half and within minutes, a Lowry shot on goal was denied by Hoffman, but teammate Baileigh Bryant followed with a rebound to give the visitors their first lead, 3-2.
“They kept playing. They didn’t give,” Larsen said of his team after surrendering the lead. “They kept the tide going in the right direction, persevered through and kept the ball rolling.”
Just a couple minutes removed from Bryant’s score, Lady Raiders senior midfielder Carley Lambeth received a pass near the box, controlled it and punched it through with her right foot for the equalizer.
Both sides had more opportunities to break the tie in minutes that followed Lambeth’s goal as both Huff and Lowry put shots on goal.
But in the last minute, it was the Lady Raiders who capitalized off a Lady Rams’ mistake as they were called for a handball inside the box, making way for Lucero’s game-winning penalty kick.
“You never know who’s going to step up, who’s going to be in the right place at the right time. It’s just a good thing not to be dependent upon one person,” Larsen said of the widespread offensive production.
“Hopefully, we can continue that trend tomorrow,” he added.
Up next, Richmond hits the road for a non-conference matchup with Cape Fear on Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m.
