The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk men’s and women’s soccer teams split their matches against Mineral Area College Sunday at Northwest Mississippi Community College, with the women falling, 6-0, and the men downing the 12th-ranked Cardinals, 3-2.
The Nighthawk women (0-2) struggled in the opener, with the Cardinals controlling
the ball for the majority of the first half and taking a 4-0 advantage into halftime.
Mineral Area College kept its foot on the gas in the second half, scoring two quick
goals to put the match out of reach. Unable to mount a comeback, NPC dropped consecutive
matches to open the season.
Freshman goalkeeper Lily Paslay (Brookland) secured five saves in the loss.
In men’s action, NPC (2-0) rallied from a two-goal deficit to secure victory in the final minute. After Mineral Area College struck twice midway through the first half, the Cardinals appeared to be in position to run away with the match. Nighthawk sophomore striker Jack Avery (Brighton, England) turned the tide, however, scoring two consecutive goals over a five minute period to equalize the match heading into halftime.
In a defensive second half, NPC kept its momentum, holding the Cardinals off the scoreboard. In the final minute of action, freshman winger Augustin Herion (Liège, Belgium) delivered late-game heroics, scoring the game-winning goal on an assist by freshman striker Linberth Soriano (Cortes, Honduras).
Freshman goalkeeper Tim Grahmann (Rudesheim am Rhein, Germany) recorded two saves in the win. Avery’s two goals moves the sophomore into second place all-time in scoring at NPC.
National Park College faces Hill College at 12 p.m. Thursday, August 29, at Hot Springs World Class High School. The match will be streamed live on the Nighthawk network. The Nighthawk women return to action Sunday, September 1 against St. Charles Community College at 2 p.m.
For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit Nighthawk Athletics online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.
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