Pudlauskas delivers golden goal

PERKINSTON — It was hot, and it was muggy, and there were chances after the chances. There were so many chances for the Mississippi Gulf Coast men, they even saved one of their best ones themselves.

In the end, though, it was a cushioned header by Klaidas Pudlauskas (So., London, England/Gaynes School) with 3:20 left in the second overtime that registered the only goal of the night against East Central.

"It's a win we needed," Gulf Coast coach Chris Handy said. "It's as simple as that. We have our goals we're trying to reach, and without that win it would have made it almost impossible. From that angle, we're excited to be in the fight.

Gulf Coast is now 4-3-1 overall and 2-0-1 in MACCC play, still alive in the early going for the conference title. ECCC falls to 2-2, 2-1 MACCC. 

Hyungjoon Lee (So., Suwon, South Korea/Dongbuk) had a pair of chances in the final 10 minutes of first half, one of which was saved off the line by an ECCC defender.

Another Gulf Coast chance in front of net was actually stopped by a teammate in the first hometown.

That set the stage for the late dramatics by Pudlauskas, which came after an out-swinging corner by Abdul Omar (So., Madison/Germantown) was headed back in his direction. He delivered an in-swinger with the other foot perfectly.

"The ball went out wide, and I got myself in the box," Pudlauskas said. "I pulled out a little bit, and the ball was coming in, and I thought, yeah, I'll just go for it. And I did."

Gulf Coast will play on the road twice next week, the first time at Itawamba. Kickoff in Fulton is set for 4 p.m.

For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.