HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — A day after thrashing Cossatot 16-0, the No. 11 Pearl River women's soccer team continued to fire on all cylinders on Saturday against National Park, crushing the Nighthawks 10-0. 

"It was a really good trip for us. We started the season with two convincing wins," head coach Henrik Madsen said. "We started off a little sluggish today. We were up 3-0 at halftime, but then we put it into another gear in the second half. National Park was organized and got us frustrated in the first half. We were sharper and solved the problems in the second half."

For a second consecutive day, Pearl River's defensive unit didn't allow a single shot on goal. 

"Defensively, we've done well," Madsen said. "It's a good unit, and we brought back some experience there. We also have some high-quality freshmen, so it's a really good mix."

Freshman defender Amélie Wittenkamp (Oelstykke, Denmark; Egedal Gymnasium) earned a hat trick on the day.

"Amélie is just a versatile player that can go wherever we need her. She's a quality player. It's great to have a freshman defender come in and have this much of an impact over the weekend."

MATCH RECAP
It took just three minutes for the Wildcats (2-0 overall) to strike as they earned a penalty kick. Iben Madsen (Gulfport) stepped up to the spot and placed the ball in the back of the net to move ahead, 1-0.

Haylie Alvarez (Gulfport; St. Patrick) helped extend the lead in the 10th minute. An incredible pass up the pitch from the midfield had Alvarez in a one-versus-one situation with the National Park (0-1) goalkeeper. Alvarez made a quick cut to the right of the keeper but was tripped up to earn a penalty. The freshman stepped up to the spot and slashed the shot past the diving Nighthawk keeper, 2-0.

Maddie Cuevas (Kiln; Hancock) made the score 3-0 in the 24th minute with the help of a nice pass from Frederikke Nielsen (Spentrup, Denmark; Randers Statsskole). 

The Wildcats could not break through for any more goals in the first half but started the goal-scoring quickly once the second half began. Wittenkamp broke through and fired a shot toward the goal. The National Park keeper deflected the ball into the air, but Wittenkamp stuck with it and headed it home, 4-0.

Wittenkamp struck again just a few minutes later as she dashed past the Nighthawk defense and took the ball down the final third of the pitch for an easy goal, 5-0. 

In the 54th minute, Marieke Faber (Britsum, Netherlands; Leeuwarder Lyceum) crossed a ball along the ground into the middle of the box toward Ann Maris Ragan (Flowood; Hartfield Academy), but a good tackle from the NPC defender prevented a shot. Luckily for the Wildcats, Nielsen was trailing behind to smash it home and make the score 6-0.

Faber extended the PRCC lead out to 7-0 in the 61st minute when she knocked home a ball that rebounded off the goalkeeper.

Emily Taylor (Laurel; Homeschool) and Wittenkamp combined for a nice goal in the 66th minute. Taylor dribbled the ball up the right side of the pitch before driving a cross into the box for the sprinting Wittenkamp. On the volley, Wittenkamp mashed it into the back of the net, 8-0.

Ragan picked up a goal in the 74th minute. Alli Shemper (Biloxi) found her making a run and dished off to the sophomore. When Ragan collected the pass, she unleashed a shot from 18 yards out and into the back of the net, 9-0.

Taylor scored the first goal of her Wildcat career in the 89th minute, cutting in from the right wing and putting a ball into the back of the net, 10-0.

UP NEXT
On Tuesday, Pearl River hits the road to take on rival Gulf Coast in a non-conference matchup. The contest will begin at 7 p.m. and will be livestreamed at MGCCCBulldogs.com/watch.

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).