ELLISVILLE, Miss. — No. 14 Pearl River women's soccer team's season came to a close in the Gulf South District Quarterfinals as the Wildcats battled hard but ultimately fell 4–1 to a strong Jones squad.
"This is definitely a good group of freshmen coming back next year," Pearl River head coach Henrik Madsen said. "The sophomores did a fantastic job of leading the group, which led to some success. We got a little unlucky today and missed some really good chances.
"We've definitely had a good year and changed the culture some. Now it's going to be up to the freshmen to learn from this, work hard, and be ready to roll next year."
Madsen praised a sophomore group that has accounted for 21 wins over the last two seasons.
"This has been a really good sophomore group," he said. "They've been great leaders on the field and have helped us show massive improvement."
Pearl River (10-4-2 overall, 6-3-2 MACCC) went down early as Jones (11-4-2, 7-3-1) gained the lead in the 4th minute when a corner kick was headed into the upper left corner of the net, just out of reach of a diving PRCC keeper.
Following the early score, the Wildcats settled in defensively, limiting Jones' chances and building momentum as the half progressed. Pearl River began to find its rhythm late in the first half, generating several quality looks on goal in the final ten minutes.
At the 38-minute mark, Pearl River gave the Jones defense their first scare of the night when Holly Jones (Liverpool, England; Everton Football College) weaved through three defenders and fired a powerful right-footed shot toward goal, forcing the Jones goalkeeper to make a diving save to keep the score 1-0.
Pearl River kept the intensity up, and in the final 45 seconds of the first half, a Bobcat foul gave Alesha Gale (Rotherham, England; Oakwood High School) a chance to equalize on a free kick. Gale delivered a powerful left-footed shot that sailed over a crowded box toward the left side of the goal, but the Jones goalkeeper once again came up with the save to preserve the lead heading into halftime.
Jones came out of the half aggressive, finding the back of the net in the 52nd minute to extend its lead to 2–0. However, the Wildcats quickly answered in the 54th minute when Julia Hoffman (Bay St. Louis; Our Lady Academy) passed a perfect ball to Gale, who ripped a shot that looked destined for the back of the net before Addy Grace Alexander (Poplarville) ensured the finish, tapping it home to bring PRCC back within one.
The Bobcats capitalized on a quick counterattack, netting their third goal in the 61st minute to extend the lead to 3–1.
In the 67th minute, Isabella Nielson (Vejle, Denmark; Rødkilde Gymnasium) nearly cut the deficit to one after weaving through multiple defenders and firing a shot on goal, but the Jones goalkeeper again saved the day with a diving stop. Pearl River's Josie Davis (Poplarville) answered with a big stop of her own just minutes later, denying a Jones free kick in the 70th minute to keep the score at 3–1.
In the 71st minute, Jones extended their lead to 4–1 with another goal. The Wildcats continued to fight, generating multiple scoring opportunities down the stretch, but were unable to convert, falling 4–1 in the quarterfinals and ultimately ending the season.
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