POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 12 Pearl River men's soccer team capped off Sophomore Night in an impressive way Tuesday, turning in a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Holmes.

The night also served as Pearl River's annual Cayce Seal game which honors the fomer Wildcat captain.

"I thought we started very slow today," head coach Drew Gallant said. "They are coached very well. Matt (Convertino) is the longest-tenured coach in our league. They had a good game plan. We had a good talk at halftime and were able to get back into the game."

GAME SUMMARY
Pearl River (10-3-1 overall; 7-2-1 MACCC) developed a good attacking chance in the 9th minute. Luke Hopkins (Clinton) pushed the ball up the right side of the pitch before sending a cross into the box. The Holmes (4-9-1; 1-8-1) goalkeeper punched the ball away but it landed at the feet of Alex Emery (Gulfport; West Harrison). The PRCC forward attempted to backheel the ball into the net, but the shot was blocked and then cleared.

Over the next 10 minutes, Emery looked to have a pair of easy breakaway opportunities, but leaked offside on both attempts.

The Bulldogs capitalized on a free kick in the 34th minute, placing a lofted ball into the box that was headed into the right side of the net. The goal made the score 1-0.

The halftime message from the PRCC coaching staff was heard as it took just six minutes for the Wildcats to equalize. Christopher Dommer (Copenhagen, Denmark) knocked a ball inside the box and Hopkins jumped high to head the ball into the back of the net.

Pearl River took its first lead in the 72nd minute after being awarded a penalty kick due to an HCC handball. Mo Diallo (Gulfport) stepped forward to the spot and slotted the ball into the top left corner.

In the 77th minute, Peyton Ladner (Gulfport) added an insurance goal to make the score 3-1. The sophomore broke forward into a one-versus-one situation with the Holmes keeper. The first attempt was blocked, but Ladner stayed with the play and put a ball into the goal. It was the first goal of Ladner's PRCC career.

After the match, Gallant named Andre Nicholson (Kingston, Jamaica.; Clarendon College) and Ladner both Man of the Match.

"We named two players Man of the Match tonight," he said. "Andre did a really good job of filling in for Julio (Gruba) at holding midfield. Peyton was able to score the first goal of his career breaking forward. He played really well tonight."

UP NEXT
Pearl River returns to the pitch Saturday as it hosts a Region 23 Quarterfinal match. The opponent and kickoff time are to be determined.

TUNE IN
All home Pearl River 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 Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics)