Pearl River soccer women ranked 15th in NJCAA poll

POPLARVILLE Pearl River Community College Lady Wildcats made history Wednesday when they nabbed a spot in the NJCAA Division I women soccer poll for the first in the program 13-year history. PRCC, 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the MACJC South Division after its 4-0 shutout over Southwest Mississippi here Wednesday, enters the poll at No. 15. Ive felt our team was deserving of a poll ranking in previous years, but never seemed to made the cut, said Pearl River coach Jack Byrd, who guided the Lady Wildcats to an MACJC state championship in 2009. It says something for our team and our school. Pearl River also won a women state title in 2005 under then-head coach Patrick Hayes, as well as a men championship in 2003 under former head coach Adam Breerwood, who is now Vice President for PRCC Poplarville and Hancock Center campuses. Perennial MACJC powerhouse Mississippi Gulf Coast was ranked No. 8 in the NJCAA Sept. 14 balloting, but fell out of the poll after the Lady Wildcats took a 1-0 victory over the Lady Bulldogs Sept. 13 in Perkinston. The PRCC women only loss of the season was Sept. 16 to Tyler Junior College (Tex.) when the Lady Apaches took a 5-1 victory at Hinds CC in Raymond. TJC finished first in last year Division I poll and was runner-up in the 2010 national tournament, while it won the national championship tournament in 2009 and also finished first in the final balloting of that year. MACJC South Division rival Jones County also received votes in the Sept. 14 poll.