RIDGELAND - Just when it seemed that No. 1 Northwest would go to halftime on the wrong end of the scoreboard in Friday's road match at Holmes, freshman
Caroline Hamm had an answer.
Hamm, the Saltillo native, scored off
Amiyah Baker's assist in the 44th minute, helping the Lady Rangers bring the score to a 1-1 tie. Later, she would score again, as Northwest added two more goals in the second half for a gritty 3-2 triumph against the fourth-ranked Lady Bulldogs.
Northwest improved to 12-0 on the season with the win, while moving to 7-0 in the MACCC. Notably, head coach
James Beattie also captured his 69th career victory, needing just one more to surpass Northwest Sports Hall of Famer Peter Jarjoura (69-68-10) as the program's all-time winningest coach.
Holmes delivered the first blow just four minutes in, thanks to a quick score from Olivia Tribolet. Although the Lady Rangers continued to attack for the majority of the first half, the Lady Bulldogs' defense held firm, denying many shot attempts.
That all changed with Hamm's goal just before the break, as momentum shifted back in favor of Northwest as the match went to a 1-1 draw at halftime. Just minutes into the second half, a foul in the box set up a successful penalty kick from
Emma Jensen, granting the Lady Rangers the 2-1 advantage.
Northwest continued to push and 12 minutes later,
Allie Kimbrell connected with Hamm to give the Lady Rangers a 3-1 lead.
Despite the strong response by Northwest, Holmes was far from finished. In the 69th minute, a penalty kick from Kristen Phillips brought the Lady Bulldogs back within a goal and the home team went on the offensive several times over the final 20 minutes of regulation.Â
However, the Lady Rangers' defense locked in down the stretch, keeping Holmes off the scoreboard to preserve the road win. The loss dropped the Lady Bulldogs to 10-3-1 overall and 5-1-1 in conference play.
Anna Kathryn Harrell finished with eight saves on the afternoon for Northwest, improving her season record to 11-0-0.
Next up for the Lady Rangers is the first of two final road matches in the regular season, beginning with East Mississippi on Tuesday, October 15. The Lady Lions (1-8-2, 0-6-1 MACCC) are coming off a 6-0 loss to Meridian and are still seeking their first conference victory.
Start time is scheduled for 5 P.M. in Scooba, with live broadcast coverage on
emcclive.com.
