POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 13 Pearl River women's soccer team had to battle until the very end Monday night against archrival Gulf Coast but got the job done, walking away with a 1-0 victory to secure its third straight trip to the Gulf South District Semifinal.
PRCC will face off against rival Jones College on Friday at 2 p.m. for a berth in the Gulf South District Final.
"It was clear from the first minute that Gulf Coast was going to sit in and play very defensively," head coach Henrik Madsen said. "It was going to be a matter of whether or not we could break them down. We created some good opportunities in the first half and finally put one away in the second half. I was really, really happy with the girls. They kept their composure and kept playing hard."
MATCH RECAP
Pearl River (13-5 overall) created tons of chances over the first 45 minutes of play against Gulf Coast (10-6-1), with the first coming in the 10th minute of action. The Wildcats earned a free kick just outside the box, and Frederikke Nielsen (Spentrup, Denmark; Randers Statsskole) stepped up to take it. Her set piece was driven low and hit the edge of the post on its way before going out of play.
10 minutes later, PRCC had another fantastic chance. Anna Grace Deakle (Gulfport) got it started by playing a ball forward from her right back position to the sprinting Maddie Cuevas (Kiln; Hancock). Cuevas dribbled down the pitch before firing a great cross in the direction of Ann Maris Ragan (Flowood; Hartfield Academy). Ragan couldn't get a foot on the ball as it hit off her side and went out of bounds for a goal kick.
In the 25th minute, MGCCC nearly broke the deadlock, sending a set piece on target that Celine Grothe (Lübeck, Germany; Carl-Jacob-Burkhardt) corralled to end the threat. PRCC's next chance came three minutes later as Chloe Ezell (Ocean Springs) sent a corner kick into the box for Nielsen. The midfielder got a head on the ball, but it went just to the right of the goal and out of play.
The 43rd minute saw back-to-back great chances for the Wildcats. The first saw Cuevas gain some space with a great dribble move before firing a shot that the MGCCC keeper saved. Moments later, Marieke Faber (Bristum, Netherlands; Leeuwarder Lyceum) chipped a ball into the box that Amélie Wittenkamp (Oelstykke, Denmark; Egedal Gymnasium) headed just a touch too high and beyond the goal. The Wildcats eventually went into the midway point locked in a 0-0 tie.
PRCC's first great chance of the second half came in the 59th minute. Cuevas' ball into the box on a freekick was momentarily cleared by the Bulldogs before PRCC took possession right back. A ball inside to Nielsen allowed her to fire a shot that was blocked by the Gulf Coast centerback. Nielsen took another shot attempt while falling to the ground and sent it rattling off the bottom of the post and out of play.
Nielsen was instrumental in Pearl River finally breaking through in the 67th minute. Ragan slid a pass to her on the right side of the box, and she found some space to fire a shot. The shot was blocked by an MGCCC defender and deflected straight back out Ragan, who sent it into the right side of the net on her first touch.
The Wildcats had an opportunity for the dagger in the 75th minute as Ezell fired a shot that hit off the bottom of the crossbar and ricocheted back into play. Adele Mooney (Lafayette, La.; Ascension Episcopal) was nearby but couldn't get a head on the ball.
The Wildcat defense had to battle in the final 15 minutes of the contest and did just that, walking away with a 1-0 victory.
TICKETS
Tickets for the Gulf South District Semifinal are on sale now at JCBobcats.com/Tickets. If purchased in advance, tickets are $10. Tickets purchased at the gate will be $15. Children 7-and-under are admitted free. Jones College encourages all fans to purchases tickets in advance.
TUNE IN
All matches will be livestreamed free at JCBobcats.com/Watch.
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