DECATUR - A pair of second half goals from Dodger Rhone and David Pizano helped cut into a 3-1 halftime deficit, but Northwest was ultimately unable to complete the comeback in a 4-3 loss at East Central on Friday afternoon.

Northwest dropped to 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the MACJC North as East Central improved to 3-4 on the season and 1-3 in the division.

Guilherme Salas connected with Caleb James eight minutes in to give the Warriors the first blow but the Rangers would respond nearly 10 minutes later, as Joseph Hayes scored off a feed from Jake Heinze to tie the match at 1-1.

James would add another goal for the Warriors in the 32nd minute and Terrell Johnson would add some breathing room with a score just before halftime, setting Northwest back 3-1 at the break.

Northwest would be the first to strike in the second half as Rhone, a Belhaven University transfer and Senatobia native, cut the lead down to one in the 53rd minute.

East Central stretched its lead back to two goals after Raphael Salles put the Warriors back on the board in the 73rd minute, but the Rangers would keep East Central on its toes with a flurry of shots over the final 20 minutes of the match.

Pizano made things a little more interesting down the stretch, scoring his first career goal in the 84th minute to cut the lead to 4-3. Despite the Rangers' urgency on offense over the final few minutes, East Central held on to preserve the victory.

Both teams put forth aggressive efforts on offense as the Warriors held a narrow 19-18 shot advantage at the final whistle.

Northwest returns back to Senatobia on Sunday, September 15 at 3 p.m. to host Mississippi Gulf Coast. Live stats will be available through nwccrangers.com.