HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The 7-seed Pearl River men's soccer team led most of the match against 11-seed Heartland but couldn't hold on against the Hawks, falling 2-1.

"We played pretty well. Our energy level dropped, and our level of play dropped some. You could see that throughout the game," head coach Drew Gallant said. "We knew coming in that they were really good. It's just tough to lose a lead like that and have a deflection goal being the deciding goal. We had the chances to win the game but just didn't put them away."

The chances came with regularity in the first half for Pearl River (13-5-2) against Heartland (10-7-4) as the first developed just four minutes in. Emil Corfitzen (Copenhagen, Denmark) pushed the ball into the right side of the box and tried to shoot across the goal but sent it into the side of the net.

Corfitzen had another opportunity to get on the board in the 24th minute, breaking through and lacing a shot on goal. Unfortunately, the Hawk goalkeeper dove to make a save.

Pearl River finally came up with a goal in the 35th minute, using its defensive effort to create offense. Tycho van Haaren (Doetinchem, Netherlands) poked a ball away from a Hawk, and Tiago Honorio Jr. (São Paulo, Brazil) collected it. The forward pushed inside, made a quick cut to his left and passed to the trailing van Haaren. Van Haaren's first touch was a laser off the edge of the far post that ended up in the back of the net, 1-0.

Sebastian Kristensen (Randers, Denmark) had the defensive play of the first half for the Wildcats as a shot by the Hawks was slowly rolling toward a wide-open net. The ball was nearly across the line before the centerback made it and cleared it just in time.

Heartland came up with the equalizer in the 66th minute. The Wildcats initially headed a long throw into the box, but it ended at the feet of a nearby Hawk player, who sent it into the back of the net, 1-1.

Pearl River continued to create second-half chances, with its best coming in the 83rd minute. A corner kick was playedshort, and van Haaren served into the box. Honorio Jr. headed the ball down but didn't get enough direction on it. The ball bounced straight up and rolled over the top of the crossbar.

The Hawks capitalized on what was their last opportunity in the 87th minute when a shot attempt deflected off a Wildcat defender and shot into the left side of the goal, 2-1.

UP NEXT
Pearl River takes on 2-seed Neosho County tomorrow at 12:45 p.m. PRCC needs a victory to advance out of its group.

TUNE IN
All games will be livestreamed at NJCAA.org/network. A tournament pass is available for $30, and a day pass is $12.

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).