SENATOBIA - A hat trick from Tiago Honorio, Jr. made the biggest difference for No. 10 Pearl River in Tuesday's conference match with Northwest.
Honorio, the Sao Paulo, Brazil native, scored three of the Wildcats' four goals, as the Rangers dropped a 4-0 decision to Pearl River.
On paper, the Wildcats seemingly dominated the match, but Northwest played a lot closer than the stats indicated. Aside from a handball in the box that set up a penalty kick, Honorio's first goal, the Rangers kept Pearl River off the scoreboard for the majority of the first half.
Honorio would add another goal in the 44th minute, as an assist from Sebastian Kristensen helped make it a 2-0 advantage for the Wildcats.Â
Despite the deficit, Northwest continued to battle against Pearl River, keeping things close with the Wildcats. However, with the Rangers unable to provide an answer, Noah Fazal stretched the lead to 3-0 with an assist from Emil Corfitzen in the 71st minute.
Late in the second half, Honorio capped off the contest with an unassisted goal, his 11th score of the season, sealing the hat trick and the win for Pearl River.
Northwest was held to just six shots, with three counting on-goal, while the Wildcats finished the outing with 24 total shots, including 17 on-goal.
Jacob Little earned 13 saves for the Rangers, while Pearl River's Cameron Kent tallied three saves. The Wildcats also finished with eight corner kicks, including seven in the opening half.
Both teams finished with six fouls apiece, with Pearl River's Ian Graham being the only recipient of a caution in the 67th minute.
Next up for Northwest is a road test at No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast, scheduled for Friday, September 27 at 6 P.M.
