Pearl River Beats Jones College for Region Title

In the ultimate catfight, the Pearl River Wildcats beat the Jones College Bobcats in men’s soccer for the Region Title.

The history of this schools rivalry, labeled as a ‘Catfight’ goes back many years. This soccer season alone, Pearl River and Jones College have been having a rivalry dance that goes all the way back to August. Pearl River was the last team to defeat Jones on August 26th, leaving Jones to go undefeated for the rest of their season. The Jones Bobcats had a thrilling and impressive season, one that earned them a slot in the Region 23/Gulf District Tournament.

Jones played against No. 14 Hinds in the semi-finals and won this matchup with a nail-bitting 4-3 victory. Similarly, Pearl River faced No. 6 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in their semi-final game. With a tie as the outcome, Pearl River still advanced to play Jones in the final.

With a statistically less impressive record, the Wildcats were not favored to win. Since the first whistle blew, these two teams put their blood, sweat, and tears on the field. Frankly, Jones dominated offensively with an 18-7 shot advantage. However, they need to put the shots in the back of the net. With grit and determination, Pearl River bounced back in the second half. The Wildcats scored all three of their goals in the second half, the first breaking a stalemate in the 52nd minute. There was some nasty plays on the field, with the teams combining with 31 fouls, nine yellow cards, and a red card.

Congratulations to the Pearl River men’s soccer team! The 3-1 win secures the league’s automatic bid to the national tournament.

Author administrator Corinne Ellington