POPLARVILLE,Miss. — It went down to the wire Friday night as No. 11 Pearl River and No. 9 Jones College battled to a thrilling 3-3 draw in a physical rivalry match.
"It's this way every time we play each other," head coach Drew Gallant said. "Jones is a really good side, and they capitalized on us late. We came up a little short of what we hoped for. A draw is a good result but not what we were looking for. We have to be stronger at the back late in games so we can see moments like that out."
Jones College (7-2-1 overall; 2-0-1 MACCC) struck first in the 24th minute, burying a penalty kick to grab an early 1-0 lead and set the tone for the high-stakes rivalry match.
The deadlock broke in electrifying fashion in the 40th minute, as Oren Doxey (Gulfport; St. Stanislaus) curled a brilliant free kick into the back of the net, pulling Pearl River (5-3-1; 3-0-1) even at 1-1.
"We've been telling Oren all season that when he gets an opportunity, he needs to take it," Gallant said. "He saw that chance and finished with an incredible goal."
Pearl River surged ahead in the 58th minute when Julian van Rijsdam (Badhoevedorp, Netherlands) threaded a pinpoint pass through a wall of Bobcat defenders, finding Emil Corfitzen (Copenhagen, Denmark), who slotted it home to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead.
Jones College didn't find the equalizer until the 81st minute, capitalizing on a late push to knot the game at 2-2.
With just over two minutes remaining, Viktor Hammer (Fredensborg, Denmark) fired a clutch shot into the back of the net, breaking the 2-2 deadlock and giving Pearl River a dramatic 3-2 lead.
Moments later in the 89th minute Jones College answered back with a late strike to tie the match for the third time and cap off a wild finish, 3-3.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats will be off Tuesday before traveling to Senatobia to take on Northwest Friday at 6 p.m. The match will be livestreamed at NWCCRangers.com/watch.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
