DECATUR – For 86 minutes, third-ranked Jones College had everything going its way except the scoreboard.
Sophomore Graison Holder finally changed that.
Holder tapped in a rebound off the post and scored, after a long shot by Charlee Castle, and the Bobcats escaped Warrior Field with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over East Central on Friday afternoon.
The win snapped a two-match losing streak for Jones, which improved to 9-2-1 overall and 5-2 in MACCC play. East Central dropped to 3-4 overall and in conference play.
"It's never easy playing teams that want to bunker in and defend," head coach Dolores Deasley said. "They had a solid game plan that worked for 86 minutes and we put chance after chance on goal. Thankfully, we only needed one goal to take all three points, so it's another win on the road and now we focus on the next match."
Despite dominating possession and holding a commanding 16-0 advantage in shots, the Bobcats struggled to solve East Central goalkeeper Haley Graham, who finished with nine saves to keep the Warriors within striking distance.
But with time running out and the possibility of a frustrating scoreless draw looming, Holder delivered the breakthrough Jones desperately needed.
The Bobcats outshot East Central 10-0 in the opening half, putting seven attempts on frame, but Graham turned away every opportunity to keep the match scoreless at intermission.
Jones continued applying pressure after halftime, adding six shots and five corner kicks over the final 45 minutes.
The Bobcats finished with a 10-0 advantage in corner kicks and placed 10 of their 16 shots on goal. East Central, meanwhile, failed to register a single shot in the contest.
Darby Ford earned the shutout in goal for Jones, playing all 90 minutes without facing a shot.
Jones hosts No. 9 Pearl River (10-1, 7-0 MACCC) on Tuesday, Oct. 13 for a 5:45 kick.
Tickets are $8 at jcbobcats.com/tickets. Price increases to $10 cash/$11 card at the gate. The match will be live streamed at jcbobcat.com/watch.
