The Poplarville Lady Hornets and Pearl River Central Blue Devils soccer teams went head to head Jan. 23 with Poplarville emerging victorious 3-1.

Poplarville was looking to end the regular season with a win while PRC was hoping to build some momentum before heading into their final game of the season.

The scoring started just five minutes into the game when eighth grader Monica Caro tapped in a corner kick from close range to give the Lady Blue Devils a 1-0 advantage.

Poplarville responded as the first half was winding down when junior Juliana Wells powered a shot over the goalkeeper to tie the game for the Lady Hornets 1-1.

The teams went into halftime tied, but that changed seven minutes into the second half when senior Renee Harris scored on a long free kick for the Lady Hornets to put Poplarville up 2-1.

The final goal was scored by junior Chasity Dearman with 26 minutes left in the second half when she latched onto a rebound and put it into the back of the net for the Lady Hornets.

The 3-1 score remained until the final whistle blew, giving the Lady Hornets a victory over a county rival to end the season.

PRC still has one more game to go, West Harrison’s Hurricanes in a matchup set for Jan. 24. The game is set to start at 5:30 p.m. Poplarville’s Head Coach Beth McShea said her team had an up and down season and while there were opportunities missed, she was happy with the progress the team made.

“We just had a very similar season to last year, so we didn’t grow as much as I’d hoped. But there’s definitely things they did that I liked,” McShea said.

PRC’s Head Coach Joe Weems said his team’s emphasis the last couple of games has been enjoying the sport.

Since the Lady Blue Devils are eliminated from playoff contention, the games were a way for younger players to get some time on the pitch.

It also lessened the amount of pressure the players were dealing with earlier in the season and Weems said he’s hoping his team comes out with some positive energy against the Hurricanes.

“I want them to go out there and not worry about making mistakes. Play hard, have fun and have a good, positive end of the year,” Weems said.