UPDATE: Gulf Coast hosts ICC in postseason opener on Sunday

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast opens the men's soccer postseason at home Sunday when Itawamba visits Bary Thrash Field. The game has been pushed back a day because of bad weather.

The NJCAA Gulf South District quarterfinal will be a rematch of the Bulldogs' ugliest game of the season, a 5-1 thrashing at Fulton in September. If you think revenge is on Gulf Coast's minds, it's more complicated than that.

"I don't think we're really looking at it that way," Gulf Coast coach Chris Handy said. "For us, I think that game was a bit of a turning point for us. After that game, we knew we had to give more. We feel like we kicked ourselves in that game more than they kicked us. We let ourselves down. For us, it's about redeeming our performance more than it is paying back what ICC did to us."

Kickoff Saturday is scheduled for 5 p.m. The game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch, weather permitting.

Gulf Coast (8-5-2, 6-2-2 MACCC) finished fourth in the MACCC regular season, earning the final spot to host a quarterfinal. Itawamba (9-4-2, 6-3-1) was just a point back in the standings. The winner advances to the Gulf South District Tournament in Ellisville, which will be played next Friday and Sunday.

The Bulldogs turned their season around after what could have been a devastating loss. They're 4-1-1 with the same number of goals allowed since as in that 90 minutes at ICC.

Gulf Coast has found its offense, too. The Bulldogs have gotten 21 goals from 16 different players in that span.

Itawamba has won four straight, having beaten East Central 3-1 on Wednesday to clinch fifth place. ICC has been potent offensively in that span, pouring in 14 goals. Stopping that attack will be a focus Saturday. 

"Defend better on set pieces, defend better on counters, play better as a team," Handy said. "All those things were lacking in the first game. That was the bottom for us. We look forward to just going out there and playing our game and showing what Gulf Coast is capable of in the playoff."

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