Peyton Coker
nwccrangers.com
Peyton Coker (right) scored one of the Rangers' two goals in a 3-2 loss against East Central on Tuesday.
3
Winner East Central ECCC (2-9-1, 1-4-0)
2
Northwest NWCC (2-9-1, 2-3-0)
Winner
East Central ECCC
(2-9-1, 1-4-0)
3
Final
2
Northwest NWCC
(2-9-1, 2-3-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
East Central ECCC 3 0 3
Northwest NWCC 1 1 2

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Brian Lentz

East Central Edges Northwest

SENATOBIA - East Central scored 27 seconds into the match and never looked back, as Northwest fell by a 3-2 final on Tuesday afternoon, kicking off the second leg of North Division play.

With the loss, Northwest fell to 2-9-1 overall and 2-3-0 in division competition, while the Warriors improved to 2-9-1 on the season and 1-4-0 in the North Division.

Jashil Vithal connected with Avery Liles less than a minute in, giving the Warriors the early 1-0 advantage. However, the Rangers promptly responded in the ninth minute with a goal from Jesus Villegas, locking up the match in a 1-1 tie.

Things remained silent on the scoreboard for the next 15 minutes, until Vithal earned his second assist off a crossbar deflection that bounced back to the waiting foot of Noah Shockley, who tapped in East Central's second goal. The Warriors would get one more just before halftime off a kick from Hayden Berray, pushing the Rangers into a 3-1 deficit.

Northwest improved in the second half and turned up the pressure on the Warriors, as the Rangers tried to rally back. In the 72nd minute, Northwest pulled within a goal thanks to a goal from Peyton Coker and an assist from Braylon Kettler.

Although the Rangers had several chances for the equalizer, East Central ultimately kept Northwest off the scoreboard for the final 18 minutes, escaping with the narrow victory.

Northwest was outshot 12-5 in the first half, before turning the tables for a 10-5 shot advantage in the second half. East Central finished ahead in shots on goal, 11-8. The Rangers led the Warriors in corner kicks, 7-6, and 15-10 in fouls.

Blaine Galbraith started at goalkeeper for only the second time in his career, coincidentally doing so at East Central last season, where he earned a single-game record of 23 saves. In this meeting, Galbraith totaled six saves with three goals allowed, before Xzavier Paylor finished out the second half with two stops.

Chase Graham paced East Central with six saves and two goals allowed, playing the full 90 minutes.

Northwest will return to action on Tuesday, October 19 at Itawamba in a 3 P.M. start time. The match is a pivotal one for the Rangers, who will need at least one more division win to lock up the program's first playoff spot since 2016.