DECATUR – A late second half goal from Jonathan Felix wasn't enough to overcome a three-goal deficit, as Northwest dropped a tough 3-1 decision to north division foe East Central on Friday afternoon.

Northwest fell to 4-6-1 on the season and 2-3-1 in division play with the loss. East Central improved to 8-6 overall and 4-2 in the north.

Northwest was the aggressor early as the Rangers dominated possession and the shots category for the first 20 minutes. East Central began to turn the tables near the midway point of the first half and in the 33rd minute, Fredy Gutierrez put the Warriors up 1-0 off an assist from John Jiminez.

Neither team was able to find the net again for the remainder of the first half and the scoring drought continued well into the second half. East Central's Gage Leifried finally broke the scoring lull in the 77th minute after taking the bounce back from Gutierrez' previous shot, which extended the ECCC lead to 2-0.

A foul in the box proved costly for Northwest in the 85th minute, as Gutierrez nailed the ensuing penalty kick to give East Central a 3-0 advantage.

Felix made sure the Warriors didn't come away with a shutout, however, scoring a header from Christian Clements in the 87th minute, allowing Northwest to leave with a 3-1 loss.

Northwest finished 19-16 in the shots category but it was East Central that took away a 10-9 on-goal advantage. 

Brandon Carrillo notched seven saves on the day while Zack Vickers led ECCC with eight saves.

Northwest will aim to keep its postseason hopes alive on Tuesday, Oct. 11 as the Rangers take on Holmes in Ridgeland. First kick is slated for 3 p.m. at Freedom Ridge Park.