It was a battle of the MACCC North Division top squads on Tuesday afternoon as the No. 6 Holmes Lady Bulldogs traveled to Decatur to take on the No. 12 ECCC Lady Warriors. The match lived up to the hype as both teams went back-and-forth with counter-attacks, had a strong defensive presence, and played aggressively across the pitch. 

The Lady Warriors were the first to strike in the highly anticipated MACCC North Division matchup Tuesday afternoon. Sophomore Molly Moore (Meridian) placed a beautiful cross in the opening minutes of play and found Juliana Wells (Poplarville) streaking to the goal. The header put ECCC on top 1-0 just five minutes into the contest and was Wells' second goal of the year. Holmes quickly hit back with some well-formed attacks on the other end and some dangerous corner kick looks. The Lady Bulldogs got on the board in the final minute of the first half as a corner kick found the back of the net off a deflection. The last-minute goal was a momentum shift going into the break as the Lady Warriors had just had a goal erased off the board due to a foul.

The Lady Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead 10 minutes into the second half (55th-minute mark) with a goal from Sydney Nester on the backside of a corner kick.

With just over 16 minutes remaining in the contest, Nicole O'Neill (Dublin, Ireland) took advantage of a Holmes' handball just outside the 18-yard box. The free-kick cleared the Holmes' wall and fell just under the crossbar for an equalizer, making it 2-2. With the goal, O'Neill now leads the Lady Warriors in goals scored with three on the year.

"It was another tough ranked opponent today and thought we played well enough to win, but in the end, we weren't able to find the winning goal after hitting the bar and post today," said ECCC head coach Ryan Joiner. "We have to get ready to go again Friday, in what I feel is a must-win game at Hinds."

Belle Miller (Lucedale) joined O'Neill in team-leading shots on goal with two each, while Olivia Clark (Decatur) posted four saves on the day. 

The Lady Warriors are on the road on Friday, Sept. 24 as they take on the Hinds Eagles in Raymond. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.