Smith wins it late for Gulf Coast
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Southwest Mississippi Community College (1-3-0, 3-1-0) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (0-0-0, 0-0-0) | 0 | 2 | 2 |
PERKINSTON — A late winner from the Mississippi Gulf Coast's leading goal scorer gave the women's soccer team their third straight win, beating Southwest Mississippi 2-1 at Bary Thrash Field.
Kyla Smith (Fr., Hurley/East Central) got yet another goal in the 84th minute to help the Bulldogs match their win total from last year.
"The team was up for it," Gulf Coast coach Ryan Joiner said. "We played against a really good team, but our transition work was great. I'm really happy the team fought back after going to 1-1. It felt like we had a couple more goals in us, but it was really a team effort. No individual really stood out."
Gulf Coast is now 9-0-2 in the last 11 meetings between the teams.
The Bulldogs (3-1) got a splendid goal from Morgan Pickering (So., Wiggins/Stone) in the 53rd minute. The team captain powered her way into the box to give her team the lead.
"I can't wait to watch video on that one," Joiner said. "She beat two girls, beat a third, and then a top-corner finish. That's what she is; she's a class player. She can get the game-winner for you. Just a great goal."
The Bears (1-3) equalized on a long shot 10 minutes later to set up the late dramatics.
Elissa Viquez (Fr., St. Rose, La./Destrehan) ignored her coaches, turned the corner in the box and played a ball back in front of goal. Smith got her fifth of the young season by being in the right place at the right time.
"We were shouting on the sideline not to cut it back, but she beat a defender and cut it back," Joiner said. "Kyla made a smart run, but the ball was excellent. It's not anything we've worked on. Those were individual goals tonight."
Gulf Coast will try to make it four in a row Friday when East Central visits. Kickoff in Perk is set for 5 p.m. The game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.
"The bench was helpful tonight," Joiner said. "We've still got some folks banged up, but we're starting to get healthy at the right time of the year. Everybody played in aboue eight different spots tonight."
For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
