POPLARVILLE, Miss. — A rivalry match lived up to its billing Friday night as No. 14 Pearl River and No. 19 Gulf Coast traded blows, but the Wildcats ultimately dropped a 3-2 decision to the Bulldogs.
"It's always a fun game when we play Gulf Coast. It's two teams that really battle each other, and all of the girls know each other. It's always a little personal," head coach Henrik Madsen said. "I think they wanted it a little bit more than we did tonight. That's the end result."
Pearl River (5-1 overall; 1-1 MACCC) struck first with some incredible linkup play. Shayla Nguyen (Long Beach) beat a defender and threaded a pass to Callie Jones (Laurel; West Jones), who immediately set up Margaret Compretta (Waveland; Our Lady Academy) on a sprint. Compretta cut past the Gulf Coast (4-1; 2-0) goalkeeper and slotted the ball home for a 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs evened the score in the 27th minute, capitalizing on a loose ball in the box from a free kick. Both teams went into halftime tied 1-1.
MGCCC regained control in the second half, scoring in the 55th and 61st minutes to build a 3-1 lead. Pearl River answered in the 72nd minute when Alesha Gale (Rotherham, England) delivered a cross into the box that Compretta finished, earning her second goal of the match and cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Despite a late push, the Wildcats couldn't break down MGCCC's defense, falling by a single goal to their rivals.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats hit the road Tuesday to face perennial powerhouse Holmes in Ridgeland. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. There will be no livestream of the contest.
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