RIDGELAND – Three-peat.
One of the best terms in all of sports and it belongs to the #3 Northwest Mississippi Community College women's soccer team after they clinched a Region 23 title over #7 Jones College with a 3-0 win on Friday night under the lights at Freedom Ridge Park.
"It's amazing," freshman defender Lena Scholze said. "It was what we wanted from the beginning when we came here, especially us internationals. It was our goal to win the state championship and obviously to get into nationals because we didn't want to be done in the beginning of November."
It wasn't easy for Northwest against a Jones team that knew their only guarantee of making the national championship field and it set up in a defensive struggle that only saw two shots between both teams in the first 15 minutes.
Scholze said it wasn't a surprise to that the Bobcats were such a strong test, given what was on the line.
"Every game is different, especially a final game because they want it as much as we want it. And I think you could feel it in the first half."
The offenses began to settle in though, and a few seams began to open up and it was Northwest who struck first.
On one of the best examples of what makes soccer the beautiful game, Scholze sped a ball through the Bobcat defense and a delicate touch pass from Emma Jensen found Caroline Perkins in space 24 yards out, and the freshman striker powered the opening goal of the match past the Jones goalie to make it 1-0 in the 21st minute.
"I got the ball from Carroll, and I had a little bit of space and Emma called my name," Scholze said. "I think it's a German connection and she just had a great touch to Caroline, and she finished like she always does. It was amazing."
Head Coach James Beattie said it was just another moment where the standout defender showed how versatile she is on the field.
"She's a special player. She's been massive for us this year and she's going to be massive for us next year. I'm excited to see her grow, but for us she is such a game changer back there."
It was also Perkins' 15th goal of the season, and it turned out to be the only score of the first half as the match went to the second half still in the balance.
That all changed early on when the Rangers wrestled momentum back to their side in the 49th minute. After Jones came out to open the second half with a surge of energy and shots, Northwest picked up an opportunity in the corner, and who else but Emma Jensen used her head to finish a gorgeous cross into the box from Allie Kimbrell to double the lead to 2-0.
Jones wouldn't go away though, and they came inches from getting on the board on a pair of free kicks, with one off of the cross bar and one saved by a diving Ann Marie Barton, but never broke through.
In fact, it was the Rangers who took a chance to slam the door shut when Caroline Hamm found herself in space and from just inside the top corner of the 18-yard box went top shelf herself and made it 3-0 in the 61st minute, deflating the attack from Jones and essentially sealing the game.
Hamm was just one of several reserves who played a key role during a humid night that tested the endurance of everyone on the pitch.
"In these occasions when you are playing almost back-to-back, it's not just about soccer, it's also about the physical aspect," Beattie said. "We used every single player on the squad tonight and that's big time. For us it was just trying to manage the minutes, and we have 25 really good players and it's just trying to utilize them in every moment."
Northwest didn't treat it that way though, keeping the pressure up to the end and not giving the Bobcats the chance to fight back into the game, peppering the Jones goal and holding them to a zero on the board for a clean sheet to pick up the Region 23 title for the third straight time.
"It's kind of cool to get a clean sheet in the final game because that doesn't happen that often and I'm very proud of my teammates," Scholze said.
Northwest will now head to Wichita, Kansas for a chance to defend their national title, with team and times to be announced, but the Rangers expect to be a top two seed in the field and most likely will begin play on Sunday, November 16th in the opening round of pool play.
It's the first trip for Scholze and she has been looking forward to the experience since she was in touch with Beattie during the 2024 title run.
"I'm very excited. I was in contact with coach when they won the national championship and that was kind of the thing that got me here. I really want to win it with this team, especially with the freshmen. I think we have a great team and a great connection. Even though we had our ups and downs this year, I think that shaped us."
It will be the fourth consecutive trip to the national tournament under Beattie, with all three prior trips ending at least in a semi-final appearance, and the past two in the national championship game.
Beattie said every trip to nationals is special, and it's a honor to be in the mix with the best in the nation.
"Playing against teams from different parts of the country is special, and it's giving the girls the experience that not they aren't going to get in a normal year," the sixth-year head coach for Northwest said.
The Rangers will find out their seeding on Tuesday in the NJCAA selection show which will be on Tuesday at 4:30 pm. Follow along with the Rangers on their journey to the 2025 National Tournament on nwccrangers.com or by following Ranger social media accounts.
