CONCORD — Saturday was a busy day on the pitch for the Richmond Senior High School girls’ soccer program, which participated in its first bit of live action this season.
Similar to the softball program, the Lady Raider soccer team wasted little time after holding tryouts last week to get on the field for some pre-season scrimmaging.
Heading west, Richmond and eighth-year head coach Chris Larsen competed in the Wolverine Warmup Jamboree hosted by West Cabarrus high school.
Playing four 35-minute matches with a running clock, the Lady Raiders ended the day with a 2-2 record.
Richmond earned a pair of 2-0 victories, while losing one scrimmage 6-0 and another by a final tally of 2-0.
With a short amount of time to prepare for the new season, which begins this week, and a less experienced roster than previous seasons, Larsen said the focus was on learning as a team and creating chemistry.
“We really weren’t as concerned with the score as we normally would be,” Larsen explained. “It’s great that the girls who scored did, but this jamboree was about learning who we are as a team since we are so young in terms of playing experience.
“The biggest focus for me was allowing some girls to get on the field and see what the speed and pace of the game was going to be,” he added. “We also were able to get some film recorded, and we’ll use it to fill the spaces we’re finding.”
Richmond’s roster wasn’t complete Saturday, with several players still competing in winter sports. Larsen noted he pulled up five junior varsity players to fill out the team just for the weekend.
The Lady Raiders will travel to Porter Ridge High School for their season-opening match Wednesday. Action will start at 6 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish a season preview match this week.
Sports editor’s note: All statistics and match information provided by head coach Chris Larsen. Individual scoring statistics were not kept.
