MGCCC puts shutout streak on line Sunday

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast hasn't allowed a goal in almost 360 minutes of play, ripping off four straight shutouts.

That streak figures to be put to the test Sunday when Andrew College visits Sunday. Even though the Tigers were 1-5 headed into a late Saturday game against Jones County, Bulldogs coach Chris Handy expects a tough contest.

"They're an out-of-state opponent which means it will always be challenging," he said. "We're looking forward to playing somebody like that. They play a much more difficult schedule than we do, so who knows what our record would be against it."

Kickoff at the new MGCCC Soccer Complex is at 2 p.m.

Handy said he didn't have a lot of knowledge about Andrew, but figured they'd bring a slew of internationals.

He is right. The hometown column of the roster includes places in England, British Virgin Islands, Brazil, Columbia, South Africa, Australia, Cayman Islands, Norway and Egypt.

That squad will be playing its third game in three days, trying to put up numbers on the visitor's side of the scoreboard. Gulf Coast's string of zeroes is the result of a team effort in front of and including keeper Bryce Yelverton.

"Bryce deserves a lot of credit. He's really matured as a sophomore," Handy said. "We had questions, but he's answered a lot of those. Having Ian (Story) coming in with two years of experience at Tyler helps out a ton. Case (Sloan) is an outstanding player. Our outside backs stay fresh and only play 45 minutes a game."

Yelverton and Gulf Coast lead the country with six shutouts.

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