NO. 3 NORTHEAST SUFFERS 2-1 DEFEAT TO NO. 16 JONES

ELLISVILLE, Miss. – The No. 3 Northeast Community College men's soccer team took on their second ranked opponent of the early season Thursday night in a duel with No. 16 Jones College in Ellisville, Mississippi. The Hawks were topped in the competitive match by a final score of 2-1.

Northeast (2-1) and the Bobcats were both scoreless through the first half before Lewis Rourke (Nottingham, England) sent in a header to put the Hawks ahead 1-0 in the second half. Jones went on to tie the showdown soon after and then put in the game-winning goal with under five minutes remaining in the ballgame. Northeast will have a chance to avenge the loss in just two days as they will battle No. 15 Pearl River Community College on Saturday.

STAT SHEET:

Goal: Lewis Rourke (Nottingham, England)

Assist: Aleksander Pedersen (Aarhus, Denmark)

HEAR FROM THE HAWKS COACH:

Assistant Men's Soccer Coach Adriano Coppolecchia on how the contest played out:

"Very unfortunate," Coppolecchia said. "We could have secured the game earlier and had a happier ending. It's known in soccer that if you don't take opportunities, the game could switch very quickly. Our guys fought hard and managed to get the lead in a hostile environment. It could have gone both ways. Big matchups like this one are often defined by small details, and today we lacked in some of them."

Coppolecchia on moving on from this one to get ready for No. 15 Pearl River on Saturday:

"We have to make the switch very quickly," Coppolecchia said. "We have a great opportunity to put this game behind us by going and winning the next one against another ranked opponent. It's all about the process. We need to learn from this game and focus on the next one."

UP NEXT:

The Hawks will continue their Mississippi trip and will compete with No. 15 Pearl River Community College at 7 p.m. Saturday in Poplarville, Mississippi.

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