No. 15 Bulldogs advance to semis

PERKINSTON — No. 15 Mississippi Gulf Coast didn't get the ball into the net until after halftime, but then the floodgates opened in its MACCC/Region 23 men's soccer quarterfinal Tuesday at Bary Thrash Field.

The Bulldogs, the second-seed in the South Division, beat Northwest, the North three-seed, 4-0 to earn a trip to the state semifinals. Michael Bell (Fr., Jackson/Murrah) scored twice for the Bulldogs.

"I think in playoff games, the first goal is always important, and the second one is even more important," Gulf Coast coach Chris Handy said. "I'm proud because this is three shutouts in a row for a group that's struggled to get 'em, so that's big."

Gulf Coast (10-5-1) will play North No. 1-seed Itawamba (11-4) in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Saturday in Ridgeland. The men's semifinals will be played at Freedom Ridge Park, with the finals Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Holmes' Ridgeland Campus. The champion is guaranteed a spot in the NJCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship in Wichita, Kansas, from Nov. 15-20.

In the other quarterfinal Tuesday, North No. 2 Hinds advanced on penalty kicks after tying South No. 3 Jones 1-1 through double overtime. It was the first win by a North school in the playoffs since the 2017 quarterfinals, breaking an 11-game losing streak.

The Bulldogs won and scored three penalty kicks against Northwest (4-11-1). Bell earned the first when he got pushed in the box, and Hyungjoon Lee (Fr., Suwon, South Korea/Dongbuk) converted in the 51^st minute.

Ashton Taylor (So., Olive Branch/Center Hill) earned and converted his own PK in the 60^th minute before Bell got his first. He cleaned up a loose ball in the box after an 87^th-minute collision with the Rangers keeper, then scored his own penalty with 3 seconds left.

"It gives our boys a taste of what I expect to face on Saturday," Handy said. "There's not going to be a lot space to play in on Saturday, so it's important for them to see what they can and cannot do. In the end, it's the first test of playoff soccer, and hopefully we can improve on a few things for Saturday."

MACCC/Region 23 Men's Soccer Tournament

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, Nov. 2

S2 Gulf Coast 4, N3 Northwest 0

N2 Hinds 1, S3 Jones (Hinds advances 4-3 on PKs)

Semifinals

Saturday, Nov. 6

Freedom Ridge Park, Ridgeland

4 p.m.: N1 Itawamba vs. S2 Gulf Coast

6:30 p.m.: S1 Pearl River vs. N2 Hinds

Championship

Sunday, Nov. 7

Holmes Ridgeland Campus

2:30 pm: Men's Championship Game

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