SENATOBIA – Sophomore Vanessa Gaytan scored three second half goals and visiting Holmes opened north division play with a win over the host Northwest Lady Rangers Friday afternoon, 6-2. 

Holmes picked up its first win of the year in improving to 1-2 overall (1-0 north), while Northwest fell to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in division action.

The Lady Bulldogs struck first in the game's opening minutes when Elizabeth Moran beat Kelli Brewer to the lower left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 7th minute.

That's all the scoring the first half would offer, as Holmes took the one-goal lead into intermission.

The pace of the game picked up entirely in the second half, with the teams combining for seven goals in the final 45 minutes off 20 shots.

Sophomore Kayla Kelly scored her first goal of her Northwest career just 25 seconds into the second half, knotting the game at 1-1 thanks to a Morgan Taylor assist.

Three unanswered goals for the Lady Bulldogs, including two over a three-minute span from Gaytan, put Holmes back in front 4-1 with 15 minutes left in regulation.

Already with an assist in the game, Taylor pulled the Lady Rangers within two goals in the 77th minute after scoring from a free kick just outside the box.

Holmes would respond with a pair of goals from Caitlin Morrow and Gaytan in the 81st and 89th minutes to make the final margin 6-2 in favor of the visitors.

Northwest will try and bounce back next Tuesday, traveling to Itawamba for a 2 p.m. kick.