SENATOBIA - For several years, a winning streak has eluded the Northwest men's soccer program.
However, that all changed with Tuesday's 5-0 shutout of East Mississippi, as the Rangers earned their second consecutive win. Combined with last Friday's 2-1 thriller at Hinds, the two matches signify the first winning streak for the Northwest men's soccer program since late in the 2016 campaign.
More importantly, the victory helped Northwest improve to 3-6 on the season and 3-3 in conference play. The even conference mark currently places the Rangers at seventh in the MACCC standings, helping keep Northwest in the postseason hunt.
After 10 minutes of scoreless action,
Kaden Smith put the Rangers on the board first and just a few minutes later,
Gabriel Burton connected with
Ethan Barnes in the 17th minute.
With a 2-0 lead, Northwest added some momentum before halftime, as
Junior Sandoval connected with
Miller Thorsen for his third goal of the season, helping the Rangers to a 3-0 advantage.
As East Mississippi applied pressure in the second half, it took the Rangers a while to get back into rhythm on offense. Twenty minutes into the half, Thorsen connected with
Matt Roth to help move the Rangers to a 4-0 lead.
Roth would strike again in the 74th minute, as
Korey Reeves provided the assist, all but sealing the Rangers' win.
Northwest out-shot East Mississippi, 27-7, but only 13-7 in shots on-goal.
Will Thompson collected six of the Rangers' seven saves, while
Tyler Heger collected one save over the final 12 minutes.
A total of 36 fouls were called in the match, many occurring in the second half. Northwest was whistled for 17 infractions in the second half alone, while East Mississippi was tabbed for eight.
Eight cautions were issued in the match, including five yellow cards against Northwest.
Connor Young,
Miller Thorsen,
Christian Juarez,
Dylan Orellana and
Mario Urbina were all carded for the Rangers, while Carlos Rodrigo de la Guardia, Conner West and Jose Bosmediano were all issued cautions for East Mississippi.
Next up for Northwest is pivotal MACCC showdown with Holmes, scheduled for Friday, October 6. The Bulldogs (3-7, 0-6 MACCC) have lost six straight matches, including an 8-0 decision most recently at Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Friday's match between the Rangers and Bulldogs is set for 3 P.M. Live coverage will be available on
Ranger TV.Â