POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 8 Pearl River men's soccer team has proven to be among the best in the nation, fresh off back-to-back Gulf South District Championships and appearances in the NJCAA National Tournament.

Heading into Sunday's season opener, PRCC has a wealth of returning talent and welcomes one of its deepest and most talented freshman classes under the direction of head coach Drew Gallant.

"We feel really good about what we've got going into 2025," Gallant said. "Some guys will have to adjust, and we will figure out where they best fit, but this is one of the most talented teams we've had."

Pearl River's schedule features plenty of early tests as it tries to prepare for a brutal MACCC schedule. The year begins with matches against No. 9 Johnson County, No. 12 Gulf Coast, No. 11 Heartland, No. 1 Northeast and No. 19 Hinds.

"We try to test ourselves early," Gallant said. "We want to be exposed early so we know what to fix before we get into conference play. It's a different level when we play these types of teams."

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
The Wildcats will have one of the more experienced goalkeepers in the league in 2025 with the return of redshirt sophomore Cameron Kent (Brandon). Last season, Kent turned away 114 shots and held a 1.69 goals-against average.

"Cam's redshirt year was the best thing that could have happened for his maturity and development," Gallant said. "He looks sharp, clean and explosive."

Redshirt freshman Landon Melnik (Ocean Springs) provides depth behind Kent. 

At center back, PRCC returns stalwarts Patton Francis (Poplarville) and Sebastian Kristensen (Randers, Denmark), who started all 23 matches a year ago. Kristensen chipped in four goals and five assists. Francis tacked on three goals.

Landon VanCourt (Long Beach), Zane Romano (Ocean Springs) and Cole Shirley (Bay St. Louis; St. Stanislaus) provide quality depth at the position. 

"Patton and Seb will have so much experience to lean on this season, and then we have a ton of quality depth behind them," Gallant said.

At outside back, the Wildcats feature a good mix of experience and newcomers. Jason Marshall (Long Beach) is expected to be an anchor at right back after starting 14 games as a freshman. 

"Jason is undersized, but he's so athletic and quick," Gallant said. "I've got faith in him and expect him to start at right back."

Bryton Dupuy (Bay St. Louis; Bay), Gabe Franceschi (Southaven; Lausanne Collegiate), VanCourt and Jonathan Workman (Biloxi) also return experience. Freshman Ashtin Yard (Biloxi) has been one of PRCC's biggest preseason surprises.

"Ashtin Yard has had an amazing preseason," Gallant said. "I expect him to be part of that battle for the position."

LINKING THINGS UP
The midfield will serve as one of the youngest parts of the field for the Wildcats, but that doesn't mean it won't be talented. Currently in the lead to feature heavily as a defensive midfielder is Camden Hayes (Ocean Springs).

"Camden has naturally slid into the defensive midfield position," Gallant said. "Anywhere we put him on the field, I'd be confident in him. He's talented."

Two international freshmen are expected to feature heavily as attacking midfielders in Arthur Thygesen (Aarhus, Denmark) and 17-year-old Julian van Rijsdam (Badhoevedorp, Netherlands).

"Julian is creative and creates chances to score," Gallant said. "He also does well with getting back and defending. Arthur is more of a link-up player but can break lines and strike the ball."

Freshman Oren Doxey (Gulfport; St. Stanislaus) comes to PRCC after a prolific high school career, which saw him score 48 goals and add 62 assists. Gallant expects him to see plenty of minutes.

"Oren is taking time to adjust, but I have high expectations," he said. "He has an amazing left foot and will do a great job wherever we put him."

IN THE ATTACK
The Wildcats will have to replace the scoring production of Tiago Honorio Jr. in 2025, but Gallant feels like he has a group capable of getting it done.

"Scoring should be more spread out," he said. "I could see several guys eclipsing 10 goals instead of one person having a massive season."

PRCC does receive a boost in the return of Tycho van Haaren (Doetinchem, Netherlands) and Emil Corfitzen (Copenhagen, Denmark). Corfitzen scored 11 goals and assisted on 12 more as a freshman, earning Second Team All-MACCC honors. Van Haaren will move from the midfield to the wing — a more natural position for him. Last season, he assisted on 11 goals and picked up five of his own.

"Tycho has caused teams so many problems while on the wing, and he's playing with a chip on his shoulder after not receiving any accolades last season," Gallant said. "His relentless work ethic, combined with his technical ability, makes him a special player. 

"Emil has a lot of attention on him right now. We expect him to be a big-time player for us. He's been the best player on the field every time we have played so far. We need that to continue."

PRCC also added striker Viktor Hammer (Fredensborg, Denmark) into the mix. He's a player who should make things happen inside the box.

"If he gets the ball in the box, I expect him to score," Gallant said. "He's so quick physically and mentally. He tries to keep things moving quickly, and his playstyle creates opportunities."

Other attacking options include Drew Rumery (Ocean Springs), Zach Howard (Ocean Springs), Mason Ripoli (Picayune), Isiah Barberi (Ocean Springs), Ace Cosby (Starkville; Ocean Springs) and Darren Curtis (Olive Branch; Christian Brothers).

"Zach is creative, and he's hard to figure out for defenders," Gallant said. "I can't believe more teams didn't go after Isiah. He's great on the wings. Ace has developed technically and has grown a lot."

With championship experience, depth across the field and one of its most talented freshman groups, PRCC expects to be in the mix on the conference and national stage.

"The best thing about this group is how connected they are," Gallant said. "They're already a family, all in it for the same goals. If we keep that mentality, we can accomplish something special this season."

CASHLESS BOX OFFICE
To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices are cashless. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines by purchasing tickets in advance at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets, or download the HomeTown Ticketing app to purchase and store tickets on a mobile device.

TICKETS
Tickets for the 2025 Pearl River soccer season are available now at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Advance-purchase tickets are $8, while gameday tickets are $10. Season passes are on sale now for $63 plus fees.

HOW TO WATCH
The Wildcats will once again livestream all home games for free at PRCCMedia.com. Fans with Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app store. 

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