SENATOBIA - An early East Central goal and a missed penalty kick from Northwest helped the 13th-ranked Lady Warriors edge the No. 12 Lady Rangers, 2-1, in Tuesday's North Division battle.

Northwest fell to 6-1 at home with the loss, as East Central improved to 8-3 overall and 2-3 in division play. The Lady Rangers fell to 11-2 on the season and 3-2 against North Division competition.

East Central struck on its first possession, as Nicole O'Neill connected with Sasha Clare just 26 seconds into the match. The score marked the fifth goal of the season for Clare.

Both teams remained in a tight battle the rest of the way, with the Lady Warriors taking a narrow 1-0 lead into halftime. East Central also led 10-7 in total shots at the end of the first half.

Northwest had a chance to tie the match in the first half with a penalty kick attempt in the 22nd minute, but a rare miss from Jennifer Enriquez kept the Lady Rangers scoreless.

In the 54th minute, the Lady Rangers finally struck back, as Molly Rose connected with Ally Bailey, giving the Olive Branch native her ninth goal of the season and the ))) of her career.

Locked in a 1-1 draw, East Central put through the eventual game-winner in the 64th minute, thanks to another O'Neill assist to Kara Wager.

Northwest had a few chances to tie things up late in the second half, but the Lady Rangers were ultimately unable to connect.

East Central finished with 19 total shots and 13 on-goal, while Northwest was limited to 13 shots and seven on goal. The Lady Rangers were also whistled for 14 fouls, compared to eight from the visitors.

Addy McCann totaled 11 saves in her first division start, but fell to 4-1 on the season. On the other side, Olivia Clark earned six saves for East Central.

Northwest will look to bounce back in a non-division match against Dyersburg State on Friday, October 15 at 3 P.M. The match will be carried on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch) and Facebook Live.