Lady Bulldogs start key week against PRCC

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast pulled off an upset the first time the Lady Bulldogs played Pearl River this season.

The rematch Tuesday will be on their home turf at the new MGCCC Soccer Complex. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. The game can be watched online at http://livestream.com/BulldogLIVE/events/6446217.

"It'll be a fun game," Gulf Coast coach Jackie Rhodes said. "It's always the most fun of the year because it's our big rival. We'll be more comfortable because we're at home."

Gulf Coast (6-2-1) got an 80^th-minute goal from Erin Longsden (5-5, Fr., Droylsden Academy/Manchester, England) on Sept. 2 to win 1-0 in Poplarville. The MACJC South opener helped launch the Lady Bulldogs to a great first half of the division schedule.

At 4-1, the second-place Lady Bulldogs are a game ahead of Pearl River (5-4, 3-2) in the standings. They travel to division-leading Jones County on Friday.

"We're been preaching about this week for two weeks now, trying to get better as a team," Rhodes said. "I think we have. I think we have a lot more confidence going into this game than the first game, which is a good thing. Now we just have to execute the plan."

Gulf Coast figures to face a motivated bunch. The Lady Wildcats have lost three of their last four games and have memories of 1-0 to stoke the flames.

"They have something to prove," Rhodes said. "They let the first one get away, so I think they're going to come out ready to play."

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