POPLARVILLE, Miss. — No. 12 Pearl River men's soccer made the most of a first-half free kick and locked down defensively to secure just its second clean sheet of the season, defeating Copiah-Lincoln 1-0 on Sophomore Day.
"How about us getting a shutout?" head coach Drew Gallant said. "That's our second of the year. Everyone did a great job at the back. We had so many near misses tonight. We hit the crossbar, their centerback blocked shots or their goalkeeper made a big save."
The Wildcats (7-3-1 overall; 5-0-1 MACCC) controlled much of the play early, producing several dangerous looks. Midway through the half, PRCC fired off two quick chances inside the box, but both missed narrowly to keep the match level.
In the 41st minute, the breakthrough finally came. After drawing a free kick just outside the penalty area, Oren Doxey (Gulfport; St. Stanislaus) stepped up and bent a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner, giving Pearl River a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
"We haven't had a player that can take free kicks like Oren," Gallant said. "That's a testament to the work he's put in over the years."
Doxey nearly doubled the advantage in the second half, rattling the crossbar with another powerful free kick. Despite pushing forward for a second goal, PRCC couldn't add insurance.
Instead, the Wildcats leaned on their back line to close out the night. Facing heavy pressure in the final minutes, the defense held strong to preserve the 1-0 victory and notch their second shutout of the campaign.
SOPHOMORE NIGHT
Before the match, the Wildcats honored their outgoing sophomores, including Bryton Dupuy (Bay St. Louis; Bay), Landon VanCourt (Long Beach), Patton Francis (Poplarville), Jonathan Workman (Biloxi), Tycho van Haaren (Doetinchem, Netherlands), Jason Marshall (Long Beach), Emil Corfitzen (Copenhagen, Denmark), Drew Rumery (Ocean Springs), Zach Howard (Ocean Springs), Ace Cosby (Starkville; Ocean Springs), Sebastian Kristensen (Randers, Denmark), Landon Melnik (Ocean Springs) and Cameron Kent (Brandon).
"Every year is another great group who come through. They're doing the right things," Gallant said. "These guys have such great character and their parents did such a good job of raising them and turning them into the young men they are."
NEXT UP
The Wildcats head to Scooba Friday for a 2 p.m. match against East Mississippi. The match will be livestreamed at ECCCLive.com.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
