SENATOBIA – Trailing 3-0 with under eight minutes to play, Northwest mounted a last-minute comeback effort with two goals in a 15-second span but it wasn't enough in a 3-2 division-opening loss to East Central. 

Northwest fell to 1-4 overall, 0-1 in the north while EC picked up its first win of the year in improving to 1-3 and 1-0 in division action.

Scoreless into the 45th minute of the first half, Vitor Gomes broke the stalemate with 57 seconds left in the period to give EC a 1-0 halftime lead.

Gomes struck again three minutes into the second half on a penalty kick to make it 2-0 Warriors and Dillon Green added his first goal of the year to extend the lead to 3-0 in the 56th minute.

The Warriors decided to make a keeper switch with just under 24 minutes to play and it nearly cost them.

Darius Hetts' first collegiate goal in the 83rd minute gave Northwest signs of life, with the sophomore corralling a ball off his head and to his feet to fire it past backup Terrell Johnson. 

Fifteen seconds later it was Jose Orduna, off an Eric Izaguirre assist, that quickly cut the EC lead to one goal with seven minutes to play.

Northwest was held to just one shot-on-goal the rest of the way, however, as the Warriors held on for a 3-2 victory.

EC owned a slight 19-17 shot advantage and the teams combined for 29 fouls and four yellow cards as the match got chippy late. 

Northwest will host Itawamba on Friday, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. in a match that was originally scheduled for Fulton. The teams have switched dates due to weather concerns and the Lady Rangers will now travel to ICC on October 9.