Northwest soccer sweeps Southwest on Sophomore night

• The Northwest men’s soccer team secured its highest win total since 2016 with a 3-1 victory over Southwest Mississippi.
• The #3 ranked Northwest women’s team defeated Southwest Mississippi 4-1, setting up a match to secure the #2 seed in the playoffs.
• Both Ranger teams celebrated their final home games of the season with a Sophomore Night sweep against the Bears.

SENATOBIA, Miss. – The Northwest Mississippi Community College soccer programs celebrated their sophomores in grand fashion Friday night, sweeping a doubleheader against Southwest Mississippi Community College.

The men’s team capped their home season with an impressive 3-1 win, while the #3 ranked women’s team dominated in a 4-1 victory.

The men’s win (5-10-2, 2-8) snapped an eight-game conference losing streak and gave the program its highest win total since 2016. The victory in the physical match also mathematically eliminated Southwest (6-8-1, 3-6-1) from postseason contention.

“I’m extremely excited about the future of the program,” Head Coach Michael Sullivan said. “I think they were just ready. The mentality was right, and they knew what they needed to do and were bought into it.”

Northwest controlled the first half, with Ben Marchetta scoring in the 24th minute off a cross from Michael Sanders. Southwest answered just after halftime with a penalty kick from Ilan Marin in the 47th minute.

The Rangers regained the lead in the 68th minute when Tyler Starnes finished a cross from Cody Jones. Audon Sammons added an insurance goal in the 84th minute, assisted by Wesley Kilpatrick. The game featured 18 fouls and six cards, including a late red card for Northwest’s Ariel Vallejo.

“It feels incredible,” Sullivan said. “They’ve had their downs and now they have an up and I’m glad they took advantage of it.”

In the women’s match, the #3 Rangers (13-1-1, 8-1-1) used a first-half offensive burst to put the game away early. Caroline Hamm opened the scoring in the 12th minute, followed just three minutes later by Emma Jensen. Caroline Perkins made it 3-0 in the 18th minute.

“Obviously that class has done a lot for us and we got the win. That’s all that matters,” Head Coach James Beattie said.

Southwest (6-6-3, 2-6-2) got on the board in the 58th minute with a goal from Nicole Galvan. Northwest’s Molly Thompson answered in the 70th minute to make it 4-1. Goalkeeper Ann Marie Barton preserved the three-goal lead by saving a late penalty kick. The Rangers dominated the match statistically, taking 35 total shots.

“It’s paramount that if we are going to have success multiple people have to step up,” Beattie said. “Having multiple players that can score is always an advantage we can take.”

Both Northwest teams will travel to Wesson on Tuesday to face Copiah-Lincoln Community College for their final games of the season. The women kick off at 5 p.m. with a chance to secure the #2 seed in the MACCC playoffs, followed by the men at 7 p.m.