Raiders hold off Piedmont, win opener on road

UNIONVILLE, N.C. — A trio of seniors capitalized in their last first match Monday, guiding the Richmond Senior High School soccer team to a win.

On the road at non-conference Piedmont High School, the Raiders used tallies from senior Noah Gil, Landon Summerlin and Gonzalo Gonzalez to earn a 3-2 victory.

Richmond used a fast start and a second-half insurance goal to help stave off a comeback attempt by the Panthers.

Gil, the Raiders’ returning leader in goals from last season, wasted no time to find the back of the net. He gave Richmond a 1-0 lead just 36 seconds into the match.

Summerlin added onto the early lead with his first goal of the season in the third minute, giving the Raiders a 2-0 lead.

“We were able to get the first two goals pretty quickly because of a high press that created some turnovers in the 18-yard box,” head coach Chris Larsen said. “Noah intercepted a pass near the top of the box and scored a nice goal to the right side of the net.

“Landon’s goal was very similar to that,” he added. “The guys created a turnover and Landon got the ball and sent a low, hard strike into the goal. Those two goals set the tone for us, which was great to see.”

Richmond would carry the 2-0 lead into halftime.

Piedmont (0-1) cut its deficit in half in the 44th minute following a handball in the box by Richmond. Brody Drake, who scored both of the Panthers’ goals, connected on the ensuing penalty kick.

Richmond’s final goal came in a similar fashion, which was started by a run into the box by Gil in the 54th minute. Gil was fouled before he could take a shot, which allotted the Raiders a penalty kick.

Larsen decided to go with a proven foot, sending Gonzalez to the line. His attempt was true to make it 3-1, and proved to be the game-winning goal.

“Piedmont settled in and created some chances that led to the handball goal,” Larsen said. “It was a pretty physical game and we got a chance when Noah got fouled. Gonzalo was perfect on PKs last year so I went with him.”

Drake managed to make it interesting with his second tally in the 62nd minute, again making it a one-goal game.

“The guys responded well after allowing the second goal,” Larsen closed. “We played tough and during the last five or six minutes we sat in and defended. Any time we could, we played the long ball back into their zone.

“It’s good to get a win to start the season, and I know it’s early, but it’s encouraging to see. Hopefully we can continue on this path.”

The Raiders (1-0) are set for their home opener Wednesday against non-conference Independence High School (0-0). The match will start at 7 p.m.

Junior varsity soccer begins with comeback win

Trailing at halftime during Monday’s season opener, the Richmond junior varsity boys’ soccer team completed a second-half rally.

Playing on the road at Piedmont High School, the JV Raiders netted three unanswered goals in the final 35 minutes to win 3-1.

Freshman Allen Franco scored the equalizer to make it 1-1 to begin the second half. Fellow freshman Kerick Hairston netted the eventual game-winning goal.

For good measure, Hairston added his second goal of the game off a header. Franco had the assist.

“We were a little sluggish in the beginning,” head coach Bennie Howard said. “We regrouped at halftime and got the first dub of the season. We outshot them 9-4, which was good to see.”

Richmond’s JV soccer team (1-0) will also host Independence Wednesday, beginning at 5:15 p.m.

Sports editor’s note: Chris Larsen, Bennie Howard and Andy Summerlin contributed information to this article.