Richmond Hill scored three goals in a five minute span midway through the second half on their way to knocking off Statesboro High 5-3 Friday night at Womack Field.
    Statesboro (1-2, 0-1) was able to tie the score at two on a Wesley Budgett score with 28 minutes remaining. He secured a loose ball in right side of the box and fired a shot through the goalkeepers hands in to the back of the net.
    The tie, however, was short-lived as the Wildcats scored 93 seconds later on a goal by Nathan Skaggs. Then, a mere 81 seconds after, the Wildcats scored again on nice cross and score by Michael Hoffman to give Richmond Hill a 4-2 lead.
    “We made a couple of big mistakes that really hurt us,” Statesboro Head Coach Nick Thrower said. “It was a high scoring game and any time you have that it means both teams are getting after it. Richmond Hill played fantastic, but overall I thought we played really well if you take away those mistakes.”
    Richmond Hill took the lead midway through the first half when Hoffman was able to get open in the middle of the field. He hit a hard and low shot that was tucked just inside the post to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
    Things could have been worse for the Blue Devils in the first half. With 16:30 remaining, Richmond Hill’s James Rymer was able to get a shot off that Blue Devil goalkeeper Hunter Berger was able to deflect and slow down. The ball was trickling slowly towards the goal before Alex Wagner was able make a sliding save and keep the ball out of the net, preserving the one goal deficit.    
    Statesboro tied the score at one early in the second half when the Wildcats were called for pushing in the box on a throw in. Alex Wagner was able to capitalize on the resulting penalty shot. Wagner added a second goal with 57 seconds remaining to end the scoring on the night.
    “We weren’t sharp in passing the ball out of the back,” Thower said. “Overall, though, we scored three goals on offense so we’re doing well there.”   
    Statesboro’s best chance to score in the first half came with 14 minutes left when Cristian Garcia was able to take a cross and wind up one on one with the keeper who was able make a sliding grab to secure the ball before Garcia was able to get a shot off.   
    Richmond Hill added a goal with 12 minutes remaining to account for their final goal.

Richmond Hill tops Lady Devils
    Richmond Hill scored less than two minutes in to the game and never looked back en route to a dominating 6-0 win over the Statesboro Lady Devils Friday night.
    Nia Gordon scored the first four goals for the Lady Wildcats in slightly more than 20 minutes of action as Statesboro had no answer for her speed and quickness. Richmond Hill was able to possess the ball for long stretches, using precision passing and deft ballhandling skills to keep the Lady Devils chasing for most of the night.
    “We struggled defensively tonight in not staying with players after they passed the ball. They were able to create space and we just didn’t defend well,” Statesboro Head Coach Brian Thomas said.
    Statesboro had very few scoring opportunities in the game. Their best chance in the first half came late when Statesboro’s Emmalyne Sisson had an open shot 15 yards out on the right side. However her shot sailed wide to the right to end Statesboro’s threat.
    “I challenged our team at halftime not to quit and to play with Blue Devil pride as it were and I was proud of how we played.”
    The second half saw more of the same as Statesboro had a difficult time mounting a consistent offensive presence. The Lady Wildcats, meanwhile, had a more difficult time of things, scoring only once despite several scoring opportunities.
    Late in the half the game got more physical and saw several Lady Wildcat players receive yellow cards.
    “I thought, even though we lost, we were able to keep our composure,” Thomas said.
       
    Statesboro’s senior midfield Regan Thomas suffered what appeared to be a knee injury midway through the second half. Thomas has had two major knee injuries earlier in her career and she is expected to see a specialist to determine the extent of the injury.