TUCSON, Ariz. — The Pearl River soccer team's remarkable 2023 campaign came to a close Monday afternoon as the Wildcats fell to St. Louis 5-1 in the NJCAA DII National Tournament.

The Wildcats have nothing to hang their heads about after a stellar season. Although they started off 1-4 to begin the year, PRCC rattled off 14 consecutive unbeaten matches to claim the Gulf South District Championship and earn a berth in the NJCAA Tournament.

"I don't think we handled today well," head coach Drew Gallant said. "I thought we looked good at times and much better than yesterday.

"It has been a long season. We came away with a trophy and had been missing that the last few years. I'm really proud of their effort throughout the season. It just didn't end the way we wanted it to at the end."

St. Louis (13-4-3 overall) struck first 17 minutes into the contest. After a corner kick was awarded, the Archers opted to play the ball short. They sent a ball flying into the box moments later and sent a ball into the back of the net on the volley, 1-0.

Kristoff Graham (Clarendon, Jamaica; Clarendon College) nearly equalized for Pearl River (11-6-3) in the 24th minute as he fired a shot at the near post that the Archer goalkeeper saved.

SLCC doubled its advantage in the 35th minute on a penalty kick. Jason Irias (D'Iberville) tracked down a ball on the left side of the field and passed it off to Tiago Honorio Jr. (São Paulo, Brazil.). The striker tried to send a ball across the box, and it went through the goalkeeper's legs and out of play for a goal kick.

The Archers added goals in the 64th, 69th and 74th minutes to extend their lead to 5-0.

Christopher Dommer (Copenhagen, Denmark; Øregård Gymnasium) got the Wildcats a goal back in the 82nd minute, slipping past the Archer defense and sliding a shot into the right side of the net, 5-1. 

SUPER SOPHOMORES
Pearl River's sophomores accomplished a lot in two seasons as Wildcats, tallying a 23-10-4 record, two Gulf South District finals appearances and one Gulf South District Championship.

This year's group includes Fisher DeCamp (Bay St. Louis; Bay), Jason Garcia (Laurel; Northeast Jones), Brennon Maulden (Wiggins; Stone County), Joel Morales (Gulfport), Noah Webb (Pearl), Irias, Dommer, Aden Smith (Biloxi), Daxx Dodson (Gulfport) and Donovan Minor (Poplarville).

"I'm proud of our sophomores," Gallant said. "A lot of guys stepped into some big roles this year. It was good to see that from them. I feel like they all have developed so much in their two years with us."

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