RIDGELAND, Miss. — A remarkable streak came to a close Wednesday afternoon as the No. 8 Pearl River men's soccer team fell 1-0 in a hard-fought contest against No. 16 Hinds in the Gulf South District Semifinal — marking the first time since 2019 that the Wildcats won't play for the title.
The Wildcats will now hope to receive an at-large bid to reach the NJCAA National Tournament for a third consecutive season. The tournament bracket will be announced next week on the NJCAA Network. A date and time for the announcement isn't available at this time.
Hinds (15-2-2 overall) applied pressure early against Pearl River (12-5-1). Just eight minutes into the contest, the Eagles broke free in transition, forcing goalkeeper Cameron Kent (Brandon) to make a diving save. Twelve minutes later, another one-on-one opportunity saw Kent drop down for another stop to keep things level.
The Wildcats nearly broke through in the 23rd minute when Tycho van Haaren (Doetinchem, Netherlands) placed a header on goal, but the Hinds keeper was there to make the save. Oren Doxey (Gulfport; St. Stanislaus) had a free kick in the 40th minute that was blocked, and Julian van Rijsdam (Badhoevedorp, Netherlands) narrowly missed with a header in the 43rd.
With Kent sharp between the posts and PRCC unable to crack the Hinds back line, the teams went into the halftime break locked in a scoreless draw.
Pearl River's best chance of the afternoon came in the 55th minute. Emil Corfitzen (Copenhagen, Denmark) pressed the Eagles' backline, won possession, and got in on goal, but a quick reaction from the Hinds goalkeeper denied the chance. Just two minutes later, Sebastian Kristensen (Randers, Denmark) clipped the far post on a free kick from just outside the right edge of the box.
In the 81st minute, van Haaren headed a ball down for Corfitzen, who ripped a laser on goal — but once again, the Hinds keeper was perfectly positioned for the save.
Hinds finally broke through in the 83rd minute, slotting a shot into the back of the net to take a 1-0 lead. Despite a late push from the Wildcats in the closing moments, the Eagles' defense held firm to seal the victory and advance to the championship match.
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