WICHITA, KS – With five minutes to go in the NJCAA Division II National Championships, it was beginning to seem improbable that the #3 Northwest Mississippi Community College women's soccer team (21-1-1) was going to be able to pull out yet another come-from-behind victory as they trailed #4 Heartland Community College (17-4-1) 1-0.
But in a season that has seen the Rangers battle adversity time and time again, they dug in and pulled out their most stunning victory of the season, earning their second straight national championship in the process as they defeated the Hawks 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at the Stryker Sports Complex in the title game.
"That's the best way you can win, isn't it. Three minutes to go, you're down one-nil, and by the end of the game you're two-one up. The fight and determination got us through and I'm so proud as a coach because that's all you can ask for," Head Coach James Beattie said.
The Rangers controlled the first half of the game and it just seemed like a matter of time before they would break through, outshooting the Hawks 10-1 but only three of those shots were on goal.
In the second half that all swung dramatically just a few minutes in when Valeria Agudelo found herself in the open on a pass from Karima Marhabi and slipped a shot past Ann Marie Barton to open the scoring in the 49th minute.
While it took the air out of the sails for a moment, the Rangers rallied well and didn't allow it to snowball into a bigger advantage for Heartland.
"Obviously it was tough," said Beattie. "They had a really good player up top that we knew going into it we had to be cautious of and we were. She got loose for one and she got a goal but after that there weren't any other moments where she caused us problems. I'm proud our defense."
Northwest picked up their offensive aggression, putting 13 shots up in the second half and they added eight corner kicks, but still couldn't find a way past the Hawks keeper and a stacked box full of defenders, as the lead remained 1-0 for Heartland going into the final four minutes.
That was when brilliance finally struck.
On a late run to the box, Caroline Perkins slipped the ball to Emma Jensen who found enough space to finally push the equalizer across the goal line with just 3:10 remaining in the game.
"I actually had a little bit of time to think about it, and I don't like when I have time to think about where I am going to shoot," Jensen said. "But I made the right decision and after that I ran to the bench and celebrated with the players and the coaches."
She added that she was already thinking about the time left to put in the go-ahead goal, and to the joy of the crowd of Ranger fans who made the trip from Mississippi and her teammates, that chance came just one minute and sixteen seconds later when Perkins was fouled on a run into the box, earning the most important penalty kick of Jensen's career.
"I think it was one of the most important shots I've ever taken," Jensen said. "But we practice penalties, so I was confident going into it. I just did what I always do. I looked up, looked to the left and shot to the right and it worked. From then I knew we were going to win the game."
The final two minutes were a blur for the Rangers, but the Hawks never found a chance to tie the game back up as the momentum had swung completely to Northwest. As the horn sounded, the miraculous victory was in the books and NWCC had repeated as National Champions.
"The story is picture perfect," Jensen said. "I couldn't have written it better. Starting my freshman season was kind of a dream and we just continued it my second season, and I'm really happy that I could help Northwest and Coach Beattie to do this and be a successful team."
The win is not only the second national title for the women's soccer program, but also number 100 in Beattie's career which began six years ago, taking over a program which had won 110 games in 18 seasons prior to Beattie taking the helm.
"If you'd have told me is six years ago when I started that as a staff, as a team, we would get to 100 wins…It's a special moment for me, a special moment for the college and I just love it here," he said.
"It takes more than one person. There were people who trusted me at the start and now there is a reason to come to Northwest. Big players made it the way it is, and they are the ones that built the foundation for this program."
While big players have helped to shape the program, Beattie said no one will take the spot that Jensen has secured during her two years with Northwest, leaving as the all-time leading scorer and having helped the Rangers to a 43-1-1 record in her two seasons.
"Jensen is the best player I've ever coached by a country mile. Now that's she's gone I can say that. Having her end it for us is poetic," Beattie said.
Beattie isn't the only one who has taken pride in the establishment of Northwest as a national name. It also isn't lost on Jensen what the team has done and what it took to get to the level they are at.
"I'm really proud of us as a team," she said. "We go into games where everyone wants to beat us and, in that moment, we step up and beat a lot of teams. From my first game up until now, I think we have gotten better. We never are done. We are always pushing to the limit to get better every day, and I think we did that this season as well. We won nationals last year and now again this year and want to do it again next year. We are always pushing."
The Rangers become the second team from Mississippi to win a national title at the Division II level, joining Jones College who won the title in 2023. Northwest is the only team who has won back-to-back titles since Division II was created in 2020 and they join Phoenix College (AZ) as the only teams to win it multiple times.
Keep an eye out on Ranger social media accounts for the release of All-Tournament Team members as well as other postseason awards and keep up to date with any news and updates on the Northwest women's soccer team by visiting nwccrangers.com.
