ELLISVILLE, Miss. — The Pearl River men’s soccer team played the entirety of its 2023 season with a never give up attitude and needed that to carry over Monday night.
The No. 15 Wildcats started hot but found themselves in a 5-3 deficit with 28 minutes to go against No. 16 Jones College. That’s when chaos ensued. In a span of five minutes, Pearl River bagged three goals to jolt itself to a 6-5 victory over the homestanding Bobcats.
“I’ve never been part of a game like that in my life,” head coach Drew Gallant said. “Emotions were everywhere. It’s always such a competitive and scrappy game when we play against Jones.”
In the preseason, Gallant talked about last season being a representation of the adage “It’s not how you start, but how you finish” and how that had been the message to his team as they approached the new year. That message proved itself solid during the contest.
“We hit some adversity again,” Gallant said. “This sophomore group dealt with it all year last year and did it again tonight. We went down 4-2, and these sophomores led the charge again. These guys just don’t want to lose games; they are here to win.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Pearl River (1-0-1 overall) was off to an incredible start when the game began, as just three minutes into the night, the Wildcats were on the scoresheet. Ian Graham (Meridian; Biloxi) traveled far up the pitch from his outside back position and delivered a great ball into the box. Zach Howard (Ocean Springs) tracked it down and, on one touch, sent it backward to the charging Drew Rumery (Ocean Springs), who slotted it home, 1-0.
It took just 10 minutes for PRCC to double its advantage. After earning a free kick just outside the 18-yard box, centerback Sebastian Kristensen (Randers, Denmark) stepped up to take the kick. Kristensen looked at the wall in front of him, saw a bit of space and bent a shot around the left side of the wall and straight into the back of the net, 2-0.
The momentum started to switch around the 17th minute of the night as Jones College (0-2) got more comfortable on the field. The Bobcats broke down the Wildcat defense and had what looked to be an easy one-versus-one chance against PRCC goalkeeper Cameron Kent (Brandon). Kent didn’t give in, though, making an incredible save to keep JC off the scoreboard.
The Bobcats caught fire around the 44th minute, dismantling the Wildcat defensive unit and scoring two goals roughly 24 seconds apart to even the game up going into the midway point. The barrage continued when the second half began as Jones took the lead in the 46th minute, making it a trio of goals in just over a minute of game time, 3-2.
The lead swelled to 4-2 for the Bobcats in the 51st minute as they moved into the box and chipped PRCC’s goalkeeper for the score.
In the 62nd minute, Tiago Honorio Jr. (São Paulo, Brazil) pulled PRCC within one. Pedro Trindade (São Paulo, Brazil) dribbled his way into the box, but a solid tackle by the Bobcats pushed the ball away. Honorio Jr. was nearby, tracked it down and fired a shot into the net at the near post, 4-3.
The Bobcats immediately countered to move the lead back out to two goals, 5-3.
PRCC went on an incredible run that began in the 76th minute, starting with Ace Cosby (Starkville; Ocean Springs). The freshman chose a great time to pick up his first collegiate goal, slotting home a pass from Honorio Jr. to cut the deficit to one goal at 5-4.
Just over two minutes later, the Wildcats struck again. Howard saw an opportunity to go for a goal and fired a shot that was blocked by a Bobcat centerback. The ball ricochetted out to Honorio Jr., who sent it into the back of the net to even things up at 5-5.
In the 81st minute, Kristensen struck again. PRCC sent him back out to take another free kick. This time, the freshman took a different approach, sending his shot buzzing across the ground. The Bobcat goalkeeper made the correct read, but his save shot into the air and bounced into the back of the net to complete the incredible comeback for the Wildcats, 6-5.
“It’s just a weapon that he has,” Gallant said. “He may be a centerback, but he has such a good free-kick ability that we get to use.”
With nearly nine minutes to go in the match, PRCC opted to get more defensive and held on despite the constant pressure by Jones College to secure the hard-fought victory, 6-5.
Gallant talked about the play of Julio Martinez (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) and Zach Edwards (Biloxi), who came into the game late.
“I saw a change in energy with us going forward when we brought Julio in. He brought some really good energy and was on the field for the fifth and sixth goals,” he said. “Zach came on the field and helped us make the game more defensive when we needed it. Those two deserve a lot of praise for how they played.”
NEXT UP
Pearl River returns to the pitch Saturday for a 7 p.m. match against No. 3 Northeast (Neb.) at the PRCC Soccer Complex.
TICKETS
Tickets are on sale now at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Single-match tickets are $8 in advance or $10 on gameday. 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).
