POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 11 Pearl River women's soccer team celebrated Sophomore Night with an offensive explosion Tuesday night, bagging double-digit goals in a 10-0 victory over East Mississippi.
"It's always a bittersweet moment when we get to these days because the days are numbered with the class," head coach Henrik Madsen said. "This group has really elevated the program to one that is top-10 consistently. Now, we're getting close to saying goodbye. We've still got a lot of things to play for, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can accomplish in the future."
Madsen talked about the team's play on the day.
"The day started very well with us putting goals away early to settle things down," he said. "We made sure we could get out and play with that. After that, it was just a matter of exploring different avenues and having fun."
It didn't take long for Pearl River (6-2-2 overall; 4-1-1 MACCC) to get its first goal against East Mississippi (1-7-2; 0-5-1) as the Wildcats got on the scoresheet in the second minute. Abby Badurak (Gulfport) carried the ball up the right side of the pitch and into the box before sliding a ball across to Haylie Alvarez (Gulfport; St. Patrick) for a tap-in goal, 1-0.
Seven minutes later, Emily Taylor (Laurel; Homeschool) added a goal. Alli Shemper (Biloxi) delivered a great ball up the field and the winger did the rest, finishing off the chance, 2-0.
Yazmin Humphrey (Lucedale; George County) earned her first collegiate goal in the 15th minute, tapping home a ball inside the box, 3-0.
Frederikke Nielsen (Randers, Denmark) picked up the next two PRCC goals. The first was a tap-in, but the second was an excellent give-and-go play from the Wildcats. Alvarez passed a ball forward to Holly Jones (Liverpool), and she dished it off to Nielsen on her first touch for a Nielsen goal, 5-0.
Alexis Conard (Wiggins; Stone) tallied Pearl River's next goal, scoring in the 27th minute. The Wildcats earned a set piece outside the box, and the freshman sent her shot attempt perfectly into the top left part of the net, 6-0.
Abby Badurak (Gulfport) was PRCC's next goal scorer after smacking home a scramble in the box, 7-0. Amélie Wittenkamp (Oelstykke, Denmark) snatched the first goal of her sophomore season in the 43rd minute, sending a laser into the top of the net, 8-0.
Jessica Lawrence (Ocean Springs) was the next Wildcat to score a goal, lacing a shot from distance into the back of the net, 9-0.
Humphrey added up her second goal of the night in the 54th minute, pushing past defenders and sending a shot off the goalkeeper's hands and into the net, 10-0.
SOPHOMORE NIGHT
Pearl River honored its amazing sophomore class after the conclusion of its match. The 2024 sophomore class includes: Kennedy Harris (Biloxi), Anna Grace Deakle (Gulfport), Wittenkamp, Alvarez, Ally Stiglets (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove), Nielsen, Milla Nilesen (Horsens, Denmark), Marieke Faber (Britsum, Netherlands), Taylor, Shemper, Lawrence, Chloe Ezell (Ocean Springs) and Badurak.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats hit the road Friday for a crucial MACCC showdown against rival Gulf Coast. Kickoff from Perkinston is set for 5 p.m. The match will be livestreamed at MGCCCBulldogs.com/watch. Tickets are availble at MGCCCBulldogs.com/Tickets.
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