7 Bulldogs headed to Next Level

PERKINSTON — Seven Mississippi Gulf Coast men's soccer players will continue their collegiate careers at four-year universities.

The players include: Jordan Hall, Rutgers (NCAA Division I); Owen Betz, Florida Gulf Coast (NCAA Division I); Mathew Edwards, Delta State (NCAA Division II); Austin Miller, St. Edward's (NCAA Division II); Jeff Bruni Jr., Millsaps (NCAA Division III); and Windham Whatley and Caleb Counselman, William Carey (NAIA).

Hall, a forward from Manchester, England, was an All-American in both his seasons for the Bulldogs. He scored 57 goals and assisted on 24 others. He was second in the country in goals as a freshman, tied for third as a sophomore. Hall will play in the Big 10 with the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway, N.J.

"We obviously excited about Jordan, to see how he does at the next level," Gulf Coast coach Chris Handy said. "He's been special for us. They're excited about him. He has a lot of tools you just can't find in many players."

Betz, a keeper from St. Stanislaus, went 13-3-1 during his sophomore season with a 1.34 goals-against average. He stopped 80.8 percent of the shots he faced and was named All-American. Betz will play in the Atlantic Sun with the Eagles in Fort Myers, Fla.

"We think he's an incredible goalkeeper," Handy said. "He's one of the best GK I've ever had. I think he's got a shot to be special and play this game for a long, long time."

Edwards, a forward from Pass Christian, scored four times as a sophomore and played in 29 games over his two seasons at Perkinston. He will play in the Gulf South Conference for the Statesmen in Cleveland, Miss.

"That's going to be a good program for him," Handy said. "He's worked extremely hard to get the opportunity he's got. He's super talented when he's on his game, and if he works super hard this summer I think he'll be an asset to that program."

Miller, a defender from St. Stanislaus, scored one goal and assisted on two others during his two-year career. He will play in the Heartland Conference for the Hilltoppers in Austin, Texas.

"To me, he's arguably our biggest success story," Handy said. "He's a guy who didn't really play much as a freshman, to come in and not only start every game but to play almost every minute as a sophomore. He's earned an opportunity to play at a high-level school. That's is our selling point."

Bruni, a midfielder from Gulfport, scored six goals and assisted on five others during his sophomore season. He will play in the Southern Athletic Association for the Majors in Jackson. He follows a long line of the Bruni family to attend the school.

"That fits him," Handy said. "Jeff's a talented kid. I'm glad we had him, and I look forward to seeing what he does at the next level."

Whatley, a sophomore defensive midfielder from Florence, was a two-year captain for the Bulldogs who earned All-American honors as a freshman and was a Scholar All-American as a sophomore. Counselman, a sophomore attacking midfielder from Pass Christian, scored six goals in each of his two seasons at Perk, assisting on five others. They will play in the Southern States Athletic Conference for the Crusaders in Hattiesburg.

"I'm excited that those two get to stay together," Handy said. "Both of them were stalwarts in the midfield for us. Without those two, we really feel we would have been inadequate. You can't quantify what Windham gave us the last two years. His leadership is unmatched since I've been here, and Caleb is super, super talented and I think he's going to really help that program a lot."

Three Gulf Coast players will be transferring to other schools to continue their educations: defender Case Sloan (Southern Miss), midfielder Gage Switzer (Delta State) and midfielder Jonathan Page (Mississippi State).

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.