Bulldogs lose close match against Lewis & Clark

Mississippi Gulf Coast gave up a late goal to Lewis & Clark to drop a 1-0 decision in Raymond on Saturday.

Coach Chris Handy was happy with what he saw from his Bulldogs.

"The guys to their credit, I don't think they could have gave any more than they did in that game," he said. "I would say they controlled the play, but we bunkered back and worked hard, were physical and made it difficult for them."

Gulf Coast's best chance came midway through the second half on a scuffed shot inside the 6-yard box.

Bulldogs keeper Bryce Yelverton had a strong performance with 10 saves. Gulf Coast had three shots on goal.

Handy also singled out Josh Palm, his only field player to go the full 90 minutes.

"Josh Palm was running the show back there," Handy said. "He was the constant back there. He deserves a lot of credit."

Arnel Dujkovic and A'Darius Steele started their first games at outside backs and fared well. James Beattie shone in midfield.

"It's a better result than most MACJC teams would get, but we had to do a lot of things differently to get that result," Handy said. "We played well enough to get a decent result, but how well it translates, I'm not sure."

Gulf Coast returns to Raymond on Wednesday to play its first MACJC game against Hinds. The Bulldogs next home game is Sept. 1 against East Central.