SENATOBIA – In a marquee matchup on Tuesday night, the #1 Northwest Mississippi Community College women's soccer team (7-1, 2-1) took their first loss of the year to #2 Jones College (7-0-1, 3-0), falling at home for the first time since 2023 and snapping a 17-game winning streak for the Rangers.
Jones got on the board first when Brianna Kimbrell took advantage of a ball crossed into the box that was deflected by Lydia Knabb, leaving her with a wide-open shot that put the Bobcats in front in the 21st minute.
Northwest didn't wait long to respond, answering with a finish from Yazzlin Alex, giving the freshman her fourth goal in the last two weeks and her sixth goal of the season in the 25th minute. Rylee Ringold picked up the assist on the play, helping the Rangers to take a 1-1 draw into the half.
Both sides struggled to find the net in the second half, but the levee broke in the 58th minute when the Bobcats slipped a cross by the Northwest defense that ended up being finished by Dillyn Biancamano to put Jones back on top.
The Rangers picked up their tempo after giving up the goal, trying to put pressure on the Jones goalie, but the accuracy was not there, with all five shots of the half not finding the frame.
Jones capitalized in the 80th minute when they used the same attack on the go-ahead goal to feed Maryanne Ward on a pass from Biancamano to double their lead to two, going up 3-1.
The game would wrap up with that same score, as the Northwest women dropped their first home match since October 20, 2023, against the same Bobcats. That was also the last time the Bobcats picked up a win, going 0-4 against the Rangers over the last two seasons, including losses in the Region 23 Championship and the NJCAA Semifinal.
Northwest outshot the Bobcats in the match 10-7, but five of the seven shots for Jones were on frame, with three finding the back of the net. Northwest also took more corner kicks, taking six over the two taken by Jones.
Northwest won't have much time on the turnaround, with #4 Holmes Community College making their way to the Ranger Soccer Field on Friday afternoon at 5 pm for another battle between teams that made trips to the national semifinals last season.
You can watch the game with the pregame show beginning at 4:55 on Ranger TV. Keep up with Northwest women's soccer by visiting nwccrangers.com or by following along on Ranger social media accounts.
