DECATUR, Miss. — The Pearl River women's soccer team played hard down to the final seconds Tuesday but couldn't find an equalizer at No. 13 East Central. After playing scoreless for 45 minutes, the host Warriors broke through in the second half for a 1-0 decision in the MACCC/Region 23 Tournament quarterfinal.

The loss ends Pearl River's season at 6-4-4 overall.

"It was the usual game against East Central," Pearl River coach Henrik Madsen said. "It was two well organized teams who had trouble breaking one another down. They ultimately made a play from about 30 yards out and were able to score."

The Wildcats got off to a strong start in 2021 despite the issues associated with a changed schedule due to COVID-19. 

After falling to Holmes 2-0, PRCC tied ECCC 1-1 and then defeated a ranked Itawamba squad 2-1. The Wildcats then toppled Jones College 1-0 in overtime for a thrilling victory and a 2-1-1 start to the season. After falling at Southwest, the Wildcats bested Meridian and Copiah-Lincoln in consecutive weeks to improve to 4-2-1.

Injuries began to mount after that but despite the limited roster the Wildcats still powered through, going 2-0-2 in their final four matches, to clinch a playoff berth.

"I'm real happy with the girls," Madsen said. "We dealt with some adversity but I thought they battled it out until the very end."

With the win, ECCC (11-2-2) advances to play Jones College at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Perkinston.

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