Box Score ELLISVILLE – It didn't take long for the #3 Northwest Mississippi Community College women's soccer team (12-1-1, 7-1-1) to take control of their road match against #7 Jones College (8-3-2, 5-2-1), striking in the opening minute on the way to a 6-1 victory to shake of their lone loss of the season.
It was Caroline Hamm who got the scoring started for Northwest as she took a rebound inside of the six-yard box and finished it with 1:01 on the clock to open the match on the right foot for the Rangers with her seventh goal of the season and first since September 23rd to put her side on top early and from there NWCC would never trail again.
The Rangers continued a barrage on goal which led to 14 shots in the first half, most of which ended up on goal. One of those shots by Caroline Perkins was saved but right to the feet of Molly Thompson in the 17th minute, and the sophomore from Starkville promptly finished for her seventh goal of the year as well to make it 2-0 Northwest.
Six minutes later, Jones College answered with a run to the box from Riley Rolison to make it 2-1 on the only goal allowed in the match by Ann Marie Barton, but the Rangers quickly returned the favor in the 34th minute when some pretty passing from Hamm set up Caroline Perkins to finish after Hamm drew the goalie to her on the left side of the net and Perkins picked up her 12th goal of the year to make it 3-1.
Northwest added one more goal in the first half when the reliable leg of Emme Jensen was set up on another cross from Maggie Pace for the German's 22nd goal of the season, matching her scoring tally from the 2024 campaign and putting her over 100 points in her career with the Rangers. It was the third assist for Pace in her career and the first since the opening match of conference play against East Mississippi Community College.
Two more goals came from the Northwest offense in the second half to help seal the win, and the first was by far the most impressive of the match for the Rangers.
In the 61st minute, Joline Knevel earned a free kick from near the midfield stripe and took the chance to fire on goal, sailing it just over the goalies outstretched hand to make it 5-1 as the freshman from Germany picked up her eighth goal of the season.
Just two minutes later, the scoring would wrap up when Mary Logan Clark found herself free with the ball after a deflected shot bounced to her feet and she made it 6-1 in the 63rd minute.
Northwest closed out the match from there with a mix of reserves and starters, playing their entire roster available to them on the way to a seventh win in MACCC action. They took 30 shots in the match with two thirds of them on goal.
It clinches at least a top three finish in the conference standings with two games to play, leaving them in a tie with Mississippi Gulf Coast at 7-1-1 and just one point behind Holmes College in the table with the Bulldogs at 8-1.
The Rangers will host Southwest Mississippi Community College (6-5-3, 2-5-2) on Friday afternoon at the Ranger Soccer Complex for sophomore day before closing out the year with a trip to Copiah-Lincoln Community College (5-5-2, 3-4-2) on the 28th.
More on the Northwest schedule and team can be found at nwccrangers.com or by following along on Ranger social media accounts.
