NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR – A balanced attack in both the first and second half led the #1 Northwest Mississippi Community College women's soccer team to their third win of the season via another mercy rule, this time with a commanding 8-0 tally over #16 Northeast (Neb.) Community College.
The Rangers got the scoring started early with a goal from
Joline Knevel after a pass from
Caroline Perkins fed the Ranger freshman in the third minute to put the defending national champions on top in the neutral site game.
As seems to be the trend with the Rangers this year, the passer became the scorer on the next goal just three minutes later when Perkins found the back of the net in the sixth minute on a pass from
Jayden Newman to make it two-nil.
Northwest's top goal scorer then took her chances on the next two goals to close out the first half scoring with sophomore
Emma Jensen finishing off a penalty kick in the eleventh minute and then scored a more traditional goal in the 22
nd minute on a feed from
Kassidy McMillan to make it 4-0.
The score would stay that way going into the half but just two minutes into the second,
Lena Scholze picked up her first goal of the season on
Mary Logan Clark assist, giving the defender from Germany her first goal of her career in Ranger red.
Knevel added her second goal of the game and season in the 55
th minute on an unassisted strike to make it 6-0. The NWCC offense took a break from the scoring assault until the 75
th minute when McKenzie Rankins picked up her second goal of the season on a pass from
Caroline Hamm to increase the lead to 7-0. It was also Hamm's first assist of the season.
The game was wrapped up ten minutes later when Clark picked up her first goal of the season in the 85
th minute on an unassisted attempt to finish the game and give the Rangers a third consecutive shutout to begin the fall campaign.
Northwest played stellar defense through the match, only allowing a single shot in the game and no saves were required from
Ann Marie Barton who has been perfect in net through the first three games.
There were three yellow cards handed out to NWCC, with
Lara Stevens picking up one in the first half and
Kassidy McMillan and
Molly Thompson getting booked in the second half.
Most of the possession was spent in the Northeast side of the field which was evident in the corner kicks where the Rangers took 28 in the game including 18 in the second half. The Rangers also took 19 shots on goal from nine different players.
The Rangers will continue their opening season road schedule when they head to St. Louis for a pair of games on September 5
th against #5 Heartland Community College and on September 7
th against Mineral Area Community College who are receiving votes to begin the season.
For more information on the NWCC women's soccer team, follow along on Ranger social media accounts or a nwccrangers.com.
