Gonzalez signs at ENMU

PERKINSTON — Mariana Gonzalez's hard work and positive attitude helped turn around the Mississippi Gulf Coast women's soccer program, and now she'll be taking those attributes to the Next Level.

The sophomore midfielder from Cartago, Costa Rica, signed to continue her college career at Eastern New Mexico University. The NCAA Division II Greyhounds play in the Lone Star Conference.

"They're in a really good conference," Gonzalez said. "After talking with the coach, I think the program is really going in the right way. They made me feel that way, and it's a really good school academically."

Gonzalez scored three goals and had an assist for the Bulldogs this year, helping coach Ryan Joiner's first team reach double-digit wins for the first time since 2016. They finished fifth in the MACCC and reached the NJCAA Region 23 playoffs. 

She had one goal and two assists as a freshman.

"She came in and worked hard every day," Joiner said. "She was willing to fight for the team. That's been a really positive attribute to everybody around her."

Gonzalez scored a 4.0 GPA as a freshman, earning NJCAA All-Academic First Team and Distinguished Academic All-MACCC honors.

She credits Gulf Coast for helping her get to the next level.

"Academically, it's a really good school," she said. "In soccer, the coaches I had were really strong and they worked the whole time to get me to the next level. The goal was always to go to the next level, and they accomplished it."

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