No. 8 Bulldogs primed, ready for a championship run
PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast men's soccer coach Chris Handy has an experienced team returning following a quick turnaround from the season pushed back to the spring because of COVID.
Those sophomores came back to Perk at the beginning of August and geared up quickly for the start of the fall season on Friday at LSU Eunice. Kickoff in Louisiana is set for 7:30 p.m., with a home game Sunday when Georgia Military visits Bary Thrash Field. Season passes are on sale at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets.
"Every sophomore has returned ready," Handy said. "Normally, they have to work themselves back into it after a nine-month offseason. Every single one of them has been really good. There's less teaching involved. They're ready to play, so it's a positive thing."
Gulf Coast hosted the MACCC/NJCAA Region 23 Tournament in the spring after winning the MACCC South for the third time since 2015. The Bulldogs fell short of playing in their fifth state championship game since 2014 when Pearl River exacted revenge for a regular-season sweep.
The No. 8 Bulldogs are the two spots behind fellow MACCC team Jones in the NJCAA Division II Preseason Poll. Pearl River is 13th.
Handy brings back experience at every level of his squad, starting Chad Hudson (So., Gulfport/St. Patrick) with the most experience of them all. The All-MACCC South honoree has started 34 straight games and is using the extra year of COVID eligibility to return to anchor the backline. Shamar Hopkins (Fr., Jackson/Jim Hill) is joining into the middle.
The Bulldogs have an intriguing pair of outside backs with Alwayne Whittaker (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) and Witwise Akyeano (Fr., Milton Keynes, England/St. Paul's Catholic).
"Both those guys give us super athleticism and pace on the outside," Handy said. "They're going to both be dangerous on the outside. We're excited to get them both on the field to see what they can give us."
There's a wealth of talent in the midfield, led by two more All-MACCC South performers. Abdul Omar (So., Madison/Germantown) led the NJCAA with 11 assists, while Ashton Taylor (So., Olive Branch/Center Hill) scored five and assisted on five others. Kevin Treminio (So., Long Beach/Long Beach) is also a steady hand returning.
Hyungjoon Lee (Fr., Suwon, South Korea/Dongbuk) and Seongbin Son (Fr., Seoul, South Korea/Guhyun) are half the Bulldogs' international contingent, and they'll be joined by fellow newcomer Ivan Gonzalez (Fr., Olive Branch/Center Hill). Gonzalez is from the same high school as Taylor, and he's turning heads like his old teammate did last year.
Fabien Barker (So., Madison/Madison Central) is the top returning scorer. He had nine last year, tied for fourth in the MACCC. Adam Holland (So., Moss Point/Resurrection) is also coming back, but he's moving up the field from defender. He scored twice in a 4-0 exhibition win over East Central.
Klaidas Pudlauskas (Fr., London, England/Gaynes School) is another Brit who brings good ball skills across the pond. He'll play some attacking midfield, too.
Zach Seymour (So., Gulfport/St. Patrick) returns at keeper for his third year after going 2-0 with a 0.98 goals-against average. He's battling Trevor Bordelon (Fr., Bay St. Louis/Bay) and Declan Dillistone (Fr., Laurel/West Jones) for the starting role.
Handy expects Jones and Pearl River to again be stout MACCC South foes, and he sees Copiah-Lincoln taking a step up. Hinds and Itawamba figure to be the class of the North.
Freed up to schedule out of the state again, Gulf Coast will play LSU Eunice twice. In addition to providing players the chance to put together good game films against quality competition for four-year schools to scout, it may also improve chances of getting an at-large big to the national tournament.
"We don't know what's going to happen. It's hard to make a schedule when you don't know what the committee is looking at," Handy said. "Playing LSU Eunice twice are tough game. When it comes to an at-large bid, we'll be put up against Georgia Military, so that's a big game. It's a tougher schedule, but we've always scheduled tough here."
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