The East Central Community College Lady Warriors battled to a 1-1 tie in two overtimes with the Pearl River Lady Wildcats, while the Warriors were shutout 6-0 by the PRCC Wildcats in non-division soccer matches Tuesday, Sept. 17, in Poplarville.
Both Pearl River teams entered the day with unbeaten records.
With the tie, the East Central Lady Warriors are now 4-2-1 on the season, while the Pearl River Lady Wildcats are 5-0-2.
The ECCC Warriors fell to 3-5 on the season. The Pearl River Wildcats remained undefeated at 5-0-1.
East Central freshman defender Ameris Taylor (Ocean Springs) scored in the opening minute of the match to give the Lady Warriors a 1-0 lead. She was assisted by sophomore midfielder Macey Spencer (Florence).
The Lady Warriors held the lead until Pearl River tied the match in the 71st minute. Neither team could score the remainder of the match or in two 10-minute overtime periods.
Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Pitts (Pearl) had nine saves for East Central.
"I'm really happy with the team defensively tonight against a talented Pearl River team," said Lady Warrior Head Coach Ryan Joiner. "We focused our efforts on counterattacking soccer and looking to play quickly and more direct tonight, which we accomplished. The girls were sharp and focused while we defended and had opportunities to win the game in regulation and OT."
In the men's match, Pearl River got two goals in the first half and four more in the second half for the 6-0 win.
The East Central teams will play in the Rush Tournament Friday, Sept. 20, in Meridian. The Lady Warriors will face No. 15 ranked LSU-Eunice at 1 p.m. in the tournament and the Warriors will also face LSU-Eunice in a match starting at 3 p.m.
The next home action is Tuesday, Sept. 24, when Gulf Coast visits the soccer pitch in Decatur for matches at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. East Central will host Jones College on Friday, Sept. 27, with the men's match starting at 5 p.m. and the women to follow at 7 p.m. in Bailey Stadium on campus.
Photo Courtesy Pearl River Athletics.