POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Pearl River men’s soccer’s message before the 2023 campaign began was to finish what it had started — and the Wildcats did just that. Coming off a Gulf South District Championship and National Tournament appearance, the No. 15 Wildcats are eager to get the ball rolling and defend that crown in 2024.
“Last year was just the old saying of ‘it’s not how you start but how you finish‘,” head coach Drew Gallant said. “We keep talking about starting 1-4, and then we finished as Region Champions. That’s something that we mentioned to the guys all the time. We look to test ourselves early and find as much adversity as possible.”
Challenges and adversity are certainly on the horizon for the Wildcats, who have seven games scheduled against opponents ranked in the NJCAA’s preseason poll, including a pair of contests against No. 11 Gulf Coast and No. 16 Jones College, as well as games against No. 3 Northeast (Neb.), No. 12 Mineral Area (Mo.) and No. 8 St. Louis.
“The whole purpose of making this schedule was to get us battle-tested,” Gallant said. “We scheduled Gulf Coast and Jones first to simulate the Region Tournament right from the start. We then have a week off and get to host the No. 3 and No. 13 teams in the nation. We’re trying to get that national tournament feel.”
FORWARDS
Returning to lead the Wildcats in 2024 is NJCAA Third Team All-American Tiago Honorio Jr. (São Paulo, Brazil; Zacarias Antônio da Silva), who scored 12 goals and assisted on seven a year ago despite battling nagging injuries throughout the campaign. A healthy Honorio Jr. should be a force.
“Tiago was injured all year last year, so we expect big things from him now that he’s healthier,” Gallant said. “This year will be different because he won’t have to be the guy as much with all the new weapons.”
Filing in behind Honorio Jr. is freshman Drew Rumery (Ocean Springs). Rumery scored 14 goals at OCHS as a senior.
“He’s a back-to-goal player,” Gallant said. “With our dynamic wingers, he won’t have to do too much in front of goal.”
PRCC’s attack on the wings will be better than it was years prior, thanks partly to the addition of former Lyngby BK youth academy player Emil Corfitzen (Copenhagen, Denmark).
“He’s very dynamic and athletic on the wing,” Gallant said. “If we can get the ball to him, he will make things happen. It could be a really big year.”
Zach Howard (Ocean Springs) will likely feature on the opposite wing.
“He’s really quick and can be a dynamic option on the opposite wing from Emil,” Gallant said. “We think he will do big things.”
Also expected to feature on the wings are sophomore Barrett Breazeale (Hattiesburg; Sumrall), freshman Ace Cosby (Starkville; Ocean Springs) and freshman Pedro Trindade (São Paulo, Brazil; Colégio Emilie De Villeneuve).
“Ace is big, athletic, and looks to play the ball into Tiago. We’ve been really impressed with him in the preseason,”Gallant said. “Barrett has improved so much since last season. He’s learned to play in our system and understands his strengths. Pedro is still adjusting to our playstyle. He’s really good in one-versus-one situations and has great free-kick abilities.”
MIDFIELD
On paper, the departure of Charlotte signee Christopher Dommer looks to leave a big hole, but the return of Noah Fazal (Vaerloese, Denmark; Gladsaze Gymnasium), as well as the addition of Tycho van Haaren (Doetinchem, Netherlands; Rietveld Lyceum) have PRCC in a great position.
Fazal keeps the Wildcat midfield organized and does everything an attacking midfielder should do. Last season, he scored two goals and racked up six assists.
“He doesn’t get talked about enough because he’s the box-to-box guy and does the hard work in the middle,” Gallant said. “He creates so much for us that he doesn’t have to be a finisher.”
Van Haaren isn’t a midfielder by trade but has moved to help fill the role.
“He’s got such good vision and a good mind for the goal,” Gallant said. “He suits that role for our playstyle. You may see him on the wing, too.”
Also factoring into the attacking midfield positions are Gio Cruz (Moselle; South Jones) and Julio Martinez (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove).
“Gio has developed a lot over the summer,” Gallant said. “He will be ready to come in and help Fazal when he needs a break. Julio will be another great addition to the position. He’s someone that I could even see fighting for opportunities in the starting lineup.”
Mark Peaden III (Ocean Springs) is set to occupy the holding midfield position, but Zach Edwards (Biloxi) and Preston Churchwell (Brandon) could see plenty of time in the position as well.
“Mark brings a good year of experience with him and has really settled into the position,” Gallant said. “Zach is good in small places and does the dirty work. Preston is developing at a good rate. He’s a big guy, and his personality suits the holding mid role.”
Abe Doxey (Bay St. Louis; St. Stanislaus) will be listed as a midfielder, but his versatility gives PRCC plenty of options.
“I can’t figure out his best position yet,” Gallant said. He’s great in one-versus-one defending in our exhibitions but is one of our best goal scorers in training.”
DEFENSE
All-MACCC performer Ian Graham (Meridian; Biloxi) is back to help lead things along the backline. Last season, Graham transitioned to a defender role late in the season and flourished.
“Ian welcomes challenges, and he delivered them with this one,” Gallant said. “He’s still very attack-minded and has a very high work rate, so you will see him push forward when it’s necessary.”
PRCC has several options at the opposite outside back position, but the battle is currently led by Bryton Dupuy (Bay St. Louis; Bay).
“Bryton is still adjusting to the game’s speed at our level,” Gallant said. “He does a great job getting forward when needed.”
Landon VanCourt (Long Beach), Jason Marshall (Long Beach) and Jonathan Workman (Biloxi) will get opportunities at outside back.
“Landon is calm and distributes the ball well,” Gallant said. “Jason is one of our best one-versus-one defenders and executes coaching points perfectly. Jonathan is really athletic and has a great work rate.”
Holding down the centerback positions are Sebastian Kristensen (Randers, Denmark) and Patton Francis (Poplarville). Standing at 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-4, respectively, the duo will be a force at the back of the formation.
“Sebastian has been a huge pickup for us. He brings leadership and loads of experience,” Gallant said. “He’s helped bring Patton along since he transitioned from the midfield. They balance each other out well.”
Francis is the younger brother of former NJCAA All-American goalkeeper Maddux Francis.
GOALKEEPER
There’s a true battle in goal for the Wildcats between redshirt freshman Cameron Kent (Brandon) and Brayson Kirby (Carriere; Pearl River Central).
“Cameron has gotten most of the minutes in the preseason, but Brayson has come a long way,” Gallant said. “It’s reallycompetitive. They’re pushing each other, and it could be a coinflip.”
Landon Melnik (Ocean Springs) will be another option between the posts for PRCC.
GETTING STARTED
Pearl River opens up its season at the PRCC Soccer Complex against rival Gulf Coast Saturday at 6 p.m.
TICKETING
Tickets are on sale now at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Tickets purchased in advance are $8. Tickets purchased on gameday are $10. Season passes can be purchased for $56.
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