Patton Francis (Poplarville) surveys the field (Grace Kesler/PRCC Athletics).
SUMMIT, Miss. — The No. 11 Pearl River men’s soccer team has been tested in every match so far this season, and Tuesday night at Southwest was no different as the Wildcats pulled away with a hard-fought 2-1 win on the Bears’ home turf.
“It’s nice to get a win, especially on the road. Southwest is always such a difficult place to play, and Zach (Mills) does an excellent job of coaching and organizing his team. That’s a very good team, so any time you win against Southwest, it’s a great achievement.”
Pearl River (4-2-1 overall; 1-0 MACCC) broke down Southwest (4-3; 0-1) early in the match, scoring just 12 minutes into the night. The Wildcats were awarded a corner, and a ball delivered into the box was briefly cleared. PRCC took possession back almost instantly and made it count the second time around. Tiago Honorio Jr. (São Paulo, Brazil) dished the ball out to Emil Corfitzen (Copenhagen, Denmark), and the Danish winger did the rest, dribbling his way around his defender and firing a shot into the back of the net, 1-0.
A few minutes later, Honorio Jr. nearly turned into the scorer as a chipped pass into the box landed at his feet. He got around his defender enough to get a shot on frame, but a good save prevented a goal.
The reigning MACCC Goalkeeper of the Week, Cameron Kent (Brandon), showed why he earned the award in the 25th minute. The Bears earned a free kick in a dangerous area and decided to go for a goal. The shot attempt was perfectly on frame and looked as if it was going to tuck just under the crossbar for a goal. Luckily for the Wildcat faithful, Kent leaped and punched the ball over just before it could sneak into the net.
Southwest finally broke through for a goal in the 31st minute, evening things up at one apiece.
The Wildcats retook the lead in the 51st minute, this time with Corfitzen providing the assist. He saw a teammate across the box and fired a pass along the ground his way. The pass attempt drew out the Bear keeper, and when the pass landed at the feet of Landon VanCourt (Long Beach), the freshman had a wide-open net. He reacted quickly and knocked it in for his first collegiate goal, 2-1.
Pearl River’s defense had to stand tall for the rest of the match as the Bears flipped a switch on the attacking side, becoming the aggressors. The Wildcats were up to the task, using an incredible second half from Kent and the backline to secure the victory.
“It was a much better defensive effort from us,” Gallant said. “Lately, we have started to see much better defensive performances from us. I was happy with how we held together at the end.”
Gallant highlighted the play of Jonathan Workman (Biloxi), who came into the match and excelled for the majority of the match.
“I was really happy with Jonathan Workman tonight,” he said. “He has only played a few minutes all season, but he came in and played 75 minutes tonight. It was a really good night from him.”
NEXT UP
The Wildcats return to action Friday as Copiah-Lincoln heads to the PRCC Soccer Complex. The match is set to get underway at 7 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.
TUNE IN
All Pearl River home soccer games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the “Pearl River CC” channel from their app stores.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
