SENATOBIA - Two goals from Junior Sandoval helped re-energize the Northwest men's soccer team on Sunday, but the comeback fell just short for the Rangers, as Mineral Area College escaped with the 3-2 win.

Mineral Area College came out of the gate with a strong offensive attack, but the Rangers withstood the Cardinals for the first 20 minutes and change. Ollie Brennan changed that in favor of the Cardinals, breaking the scoring drought in the 25th minute for a 1-0 lead.

Just two minutes later, Shay Carey scored off a free kick for the Cardinals, stretching the lead to a 2-0 advantage. Northwest kept Mineral Area College off the board the rest of the half, going into the locker room with a deficit.

Mineral Area didn't score again until the 69th minute, when Kyle Nicholls connected with Tom Walton, stretching the score to 3-0. However, Northwest refused to fold and the resiliency finally paid off in the 79th minute, when Gabriel Burton found Sandoval for one of the Rangers' first two goals.

In the 88th minute, Sandoval scored again, this time on a penalty kick. The goal allowed Northwest to have a chance to tie with roughly two minutes to go, but the Cardinals kept the Rangers off the board, denying the comeback.

Mineral Area College finished with a 21-7 margin in total shots, including a 17-4 shots on-goal difference. A combined 27 fouls were called between the two teams, with seven cautions issued. Northwest freshman Soren Voges-Haupt picked up a pair of yellow cards, equating to a red card.

Will Thompson stopped a season-high 14 shots for the Rangers, while Sandoval and Ethan Barnes took two shots apiece to lead Northwest. 

With the loss, the Rangers fell to 0-2 on the season, while Mineral Area College moved to 6-0-1 overall. Northwest will welcome National Park College on Tuesday, September 12 at 3 P.M., with live coverage airing on Ranger TV. Read Full Article