Richmond SC played their opening game in the tough Pacific Coast Soccer League Wednesday night against home team Tri-Cities Xtreme at Percy Perry Stadium in Coquitlam.   The girls came out on their heels with much of the play residing in their half during the first ten minutes.  However, the nerves soon passed and the team settled into the game.  

Natalie Ingham calmly collected a rebound from Donna Chernoff’s shot in the 29th minute to put Richmond ahead 1-0.  Both teams battled until half with the play being shared equally.  The second half continued as the first ended with the home team determined to get on the scoreboard and Richmond set on getting a win.  Richmond failed to capitalize on some key scoring opportunities, while at the other end of the pitch their keeper, Amelia Ng, came off her line with confidence to keep her team in the game on numerous occasions.  In the 85th minute, Tri-Cities was awarded a penalty shot on a foul inside the box.  Kaila Henly made no mistake and found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.  Just minutes later Kaila dribbled through Richmond’s backline and pounded a shot into the upper left corner.  Seconds later, the final whistle blew with a final score of 2-1 in favor of the home team.  

Overall Richmond battled hard and came together well as a team in their first game of the season, but suffered a heart-breaking loss in the final minutes.  The girls look forward to their chance at redemption in a few weeks when these two teams meet again.