SENATOBIA - A pair of first half goals from
Francisco Ambrioso and
Miller Thorsen helped Northwest take a 2-1 lead into halftime, but Itawamba evened the match in the 54th minute and both teams left the field with a 2-2 draw on Tuesday night.
Northwest was held to just two first half shots, but both were on target. The first came from Ambrioso on an unassisted goal in the 17th minute, giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Nearly five minutes later, the Indians responded with a goal from Elijah Belk and an assist from Niclas Schulze, tying the match.
In the 32nd minute,
Cody Jones provided an assist to Thorsen, who scored on a header to give Northwest the 2-1 advantage.
Despite the added momentum from the Rangers, Itawamba stayed on the attack for most of the evening, finishing with 10 total shots in each half. In the 54th minute, the Indians found the equalizer once again off an unassisted goal from Luke Dearsley, his fifth of the season.
Northwest had opportunities to regain the lead late in the second half, but none of the Rangers' eight second half shots connected for the go-ahead goal. Instead of both teams going to extra time, a new rule change during the offseason now allows conference matches to end without an overtime period, thus signaling the draw for both teams.
For the Rangers, the match marked their fourth draw of the season, bringing the team's overall record to 1-8-4. Northwest also fell to 0-5-1 in conference play, while Itawamba moved to 5-3-3 on the season and 3-0-2 in the MACCC.
Northwest goalkeeper
Jacob Little tallied 11 saves, while William Blake recorded three saves for the Indians. Itawamba also totaled five corner kicks, compared to just two from the Rangers.
Both teams combined for 17 fouls, with Northwest whistled for nine. No cautions or ejections occurred for either team.
Next up for the Rangers is a Friday road match at Holmes, scheduled for 3 P.M. in Ridgeland. The Bulldogs (1-6-1, 0-6 MACCC) are looking to snap a six-game losing streak, most recently dropping a 2-1 decision against East Central.
No live stream will be available for Friday's match.
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