PERKINSTON, Miss. — It came down to the final minutes of the night Tuesday, but the late heroics of Jess Harrison (Gulfport; St. Patrick) propelled the No. 11 Pearl River women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over rival Gulf coast.
"I think we worked really hard tonight and stayed very organized," Pearl River coach Henrik Madsen said. "Gulf Coast is a defensive-minded team, so that kind of helped us maintain our shape.
The victory also moved PRCC into the second-place position in the MACCC, keeping the Wildcats in the hunt for the MACCC Championship.
"It's fun when you get to this point in a season and you're still playing for so much," Madsen said. "We could finish anywhere from first to fifth. It's always exciting when things are like this at the end of a season."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Pearl River (12-1-1 overall; 6-1-1 MACCC) didn't find many attacking chances in the first half of the evening. The first Wildcat chance came in the 10th minute as Harrison settled a pass just inside of the box. The striker attempted a shot but was unable to get around the ball, sending it wide of the net.
The Wildcats earned a free kick just outside of the box in the 31st minute. Alexis Cochran (Hurley; East Central) stepped up to take the kick but rather than going for goal, she lofted a pass into the box. PRCC tried to head it home but couldn't find the ball.
Not long into the second half, Harrison forcefully headed a corner kick on goal, but the Gulf Coast (2-8-2; 0-6-2) goalkeeper scooped it up for the save.
Bre Stansberry (Lucedale; George County) nearly got Pearl River on the board. The midfielder was fed a pass outside of the box and after a few dribble moves, she unleashed a laser shot on goal that was saved.
Ann Maris Ragan (Flowood; Hartfield Academy) created a scoring opportunity late in the half. She dribbled the ball up the field before sending a pass inside. Stansberry attempted a shot but it was blocked by MGCCC. The ball rebounded to Katie Havard (Hurley; East Central), but her shot was sent above the net and out of bounds.
The Wildcats finally broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute. Maddie Cuevas (Picayune; Hancock) rushed a ball up the right side of the pitch before spotting Harrison calling for a pass. Cuevas sent a beautiful cross to the far post and Harrison crashed inside to knock it into the back of the net.
"That was awesome," Madsen said. "It was a really, really good cross at the back post from Maddie. Jess had been working so hard all night to try to get a goal. She was in a great spot, did the right thing, and was able to finish it."
After the match, Madsen highlighted the play of Laney Owen (Gulfport) and Havard.
"Laney was really good at holding midfield tonight, Madsen said. "Katie also played really well at her attacking midfield position today."
NEXT UP
Pearl River returns to PRCC Soccer Complex on Friday for a match against Copiah-Lincoln. The match is set for 5 p.m. and will serve as PRCC's Sophomore Night.
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)
