Northwest soccer falls on the road; No. 2 women’s 34-match unbeaten streak ends

Photo: Jacob Little punches a ball free from a cross in a match earlier this season while Arial Vallejo defends (Maylee Willhite/nwccrangers.com)

RIDGELAND, Miss. – Both Northwest Mississippi Community College soccer teams were defeated on the road by Holmes Community College on Tuesday afternoon. The No. 2 ranked Northwest women’s team saw its 34-match unbeaten streak come to an end in a 2-1 loss to No. 4 Holmes, while the men’s team fell 4-2.

The women’s match was a tightly contested battle between two of the top teams in the conference. After a scoreless opening, Holmes struck first in the 24th minute with a goal to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs extended their advantage to 2-0 in the 53rd minute.

The Rangers increased their offensive pressure, outshooting Holmes 23-9 for the match. The effort paid off in the 77th minute when Emma Jensen found a crease in the Bulldogs’ defense and scored to cut the deficit to 2-1. However, Northwest was unable to find the equalizer in the final minutes.

The loss, the Rangers’ first of the season, drops the team to 11-1-1 overall and 6-1-1 in MACCC play. Holmes now moves ahead in the conference standings with a 7-1 record.

In the men’s contest, a difficult start doomed the Rangers despite a strong second-half comeback. Holmes scored three goals in the opening 17 minutes to put Northwest in a deep hole.

The Rangers regrouped and won the final 45 minutes 2-1. Tendai Machingura got Northwest on the board in the 52nd minute after eluding several defenders. After another Holmes goal, Francisco Abmrioso delivered one of the highlights of the season, burying a long-range shot from over 30 yards out in the 84th minute to make the final score 4-2.

Goalkeeper Jacob Little recorded five saves for the Rangers, who fall to 1-7 in conference play.

Both Northwest squads will look to rebound next Tuesday, Oct. 21, when they travel to Ellisville to face No. 7 Jones College.