Seven NWCC soccer players pick up post-season awards
Seven Northwest Mississippi Community College soccer players have been rewarded for their outstanding efforts during the fall by earning post-season honors.
Five members of the Northwest men's soccer squad were named either All-Region XXIII or MACJC All-State. The Rangers posted a final record of 7-7-1 and placed second in the MACJC north division with a 5-3 mark.
The All-Region selections were sophomore forward Hugo Flores of Olive Branch and freshman goal keeper Benjamin Gardea of Southaven.
Flores led the Rangers in scoring for the second consecutive season with 13 goals and four assists. Gardea allowed two goals or less in seven of Northwest's 15 contests.
A trio of Ranger sophomores were selected All-State including defender Juan Espinoza of Olive Branch, midfielder Esaul Trujillo of Southaven, and forward Carlos Herrera of Crestview, Fla.
Espinoza and Trujillo each had one assist for Northwest, while Herrera collected four goals and an assist.
Two Lady Ranger freshmen were named to the All-State team including forward Ginny Gully of Hernando and Delancey Fortin of Southaven.
Gully led the Northwest women's team with five goals, while Fortin was second with four goals and an assist.
The Lady Rangers finished 4-8 overall and placed third in the north division with a 2-4 mark.
Northwest falls in first round of state tournament
The
Northwest Mississippi Community College Ranger soccer team had their
opportunities, but couldn't pull out a victory in the opening round of the
MACJC State Tournament Oct. 24 in Raymond.
Northwest dropped a heartbreaking 2-1 decision to the Gulf Coast Bulldogs to end their season at 7-7-1.
The Rangers and Bulldogs battled to a 1-1 tie at halftime. Freshman midfielder Brandon Bishop of Horn Lake scored Northwest's goal on an assist from sophomore forward Hugo Flores (pictured left) of Olive Branch.
Gulf Coast scored the game-winning goal midway through the second half to earn the victory
"I am so proud of this team," said Northwest Head Coach Peter Jarjoura. "They battled all season long and never gave up. We played very hard against Gulf Coast and had some chances to win, but just fell short."
The Rangers, who were MACJC north division runners-up for the second consecutive year, qualified for the state tournament by winning four of their last five matches of the regular season.
Rangers close regular season with win streak, qualify for state tournament
Getting hot at the right time can pay off big in the long run. 
Just ask the Northwest Mississippi Community College men's soccer team.
Northwest, which won its last three regular season contests, qualified for the MACJC for the MACJC State Tournament for the second consecutive season by finishing runner-up in the north division.
The Rangers, 7-6-1 overall and 5-3 in the north, will face south division champion Gulf Coast Saturday, Oct. 24 in Raymond in the opening round of the state tournament.
"We started the season slowly, but our guys wouldn't quit," said Northwest Head Coach Peter Jarjoura. "We have been playing well the last few weeks and now we get to play some more."
Northwest's turnaround began Oct. 7 when they knocked off north champion Hinds 4-3 in overtime. The victory was the Rangers' first against Hinds in seven seasons.
Northwest's road to the post-season wasn't easy. The Rangers closed the regular season with three wins in four days by defeating East Mississippi, Itawamba, and Holmes. Two of those matches were on the road.
Sophomore forward Hugo Flores (pictured right) of Olive Branch, who has led Northwest in scoring the last two seasons, notched two goals in a 4-3 victory against East Mississippi Oct. 17 in Scooba. Flores racked up three goals in the Rangers' 5-0 shutout of Itawamba Oct. 19 in Fulton.
Northwest was faced with a must-win situation against Holmes Oct. 20 in
Senatobia. Sophomore freshman Kevin Perez of Memphis scored two goals, while
freshman midfielder Brandon Bishop of Horn Lake added one in the Rangers 3-1
triumph.
Rangers use overtime to beat Hinds for first time in school history
The Northwest Mississippi Community College Ranger soccer team did something it hasn't done in seven seasons– defeat the Hinds Eagles. Northwest began playing soccer in 2002 and was winless in 15 matches against Hinds.
Northwest pulled off a 3-2 upset of Hinds in overtime Oct. 7 in Senatobia. The Rangers pushed their overall record to 4-5-1 and 2-2 in the MACJC north division.
The Lady Rangers weren't as fortunate as they fell to Hinds 4-0 to drop to 3-7 and 1-3.
In the men's match, Northwest got the game-winning goal just five minutes into the sudden death overtime period when sophomore forward Carlos Herrera of Crestview, Fla., scored.
The Rangers trailed 3-2 in the second half, but freshman Ali Jaffery of Horn
Lake tied the contest with his first goal of the season.
Rangers, Lady Rangers earn division victories by sweeping East Mississippi
The Northwest Mississippi Community College soccer teams notched their first division wins of the season by sweeping East Mississippi Sept. 18 in Senatobia.
The Northwest Lady Rangers knocked off East Mississippi 3-1, while the Rangers won 6-2. Both Northwest squads improved to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the MACJC north division.
In the women's match, Northwest used goals from Delancey Fortin and April Irwin, both of Southaven, and Rachel Rodriguez of Aiea, Hawaii to get the victory. The Lady Rangers trailed 1-0 early in the match, but scored three consecutive goals.
Six different Rangers scored one goal to help the Northwest men come out on top. Chase Anglin of Horn Lake, Scott Mattei of Olive Branch, Joel Burgos of Southaven, and Kevin Perez of Memphis all had a goal and an assist for the Rangers.
Carlos Herrera of Crestview, Fla., and Brandon Bishop of Horn Lake added one
goal each for Northwest, while Ali Jaffery of Horn Lake had an assist.
NWCC soccer teams fall to Gulf Coast, sweep East Central
Northwest
Mississippi Community College forward Hugo Flores (pictured left) scored two
goals, but it wasn't enough as the Rangers fell to the Gulf Coast Bulldogs
6-3 Sept. 8 in Perkinston.
The Lady Rangers were also unsuccessful in their match as they dropped a 4-0 decision to Gulf Coast.
Both Northwest teams own identical 2-2 records.
Sophomore midfielder Scott Mattei of Olive Branch scored the Rangers' other goal against Gulf Coast.
Flores, a sophomore from Olive Branch, has scored four goals in the Rangers' last two contests. Flores also notched a pair of goals in Northwest's 3-1 victory against East Central Sept. 5 in Decatur. Freshman midfielder Chase Anglin of Horn Lake added a goal against East Central, while Mattei dished out a pair of assists.
In the women's match at East Central, freshman forward Ginny Gully of
Hernando scored twice to lead the Lady Rangers to a 4-0 victory. Freshmen
Delancey Fortin of Southaven and Katie Vandiver Saltillo added one goal
each. Vandiver and Nicole Denfip of Olive Branch each added an assist.
Gully, Espinoza help soccer teams claim victories
Both Northwest Mississippi Community College soccer teams were successful Sept. 1 in Senatobia.
The Lady Rangers started the doubleheader by edging Union University 3-2, while the Rangers crushed Faulkner University 7-1. Both Northwest squads evened their record at 1-1.
In the women's match, the Lady Rangers overcame a 2-0 halftime deficit to notch the victory. Northwest freshman forward Ginny Gully of Hernando sparked the rally by the first of her two goals in the first 27 seconds of the second half.
Lady Ranger freshman Stephanie Crider of Southaven also added a goal with freshman Delancey Fortin of Southaven providing the assist.
In the men's contest, Northwest sophomore Juan Espinoza of Southaven collected a hat trick by scoring three goals. Carlos Herrera of Crestview, Fla., Kevin Perez of Memphis, Callum Cairns and Joel Burgos, both of Southaven, added one goal each for the Rangers.
Perez, Esaul Trujillo of Southaven, and Scott Mattei of Olive Branch were all credited with one assist.