Defending MACCC champs get season started Thursday

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast starts the 2024 men's soccer season wearing a big target as defending MACCC champions. Typically, that comes with a generous supply of pressure.

Coach Chris Handy's Bulldogs are looking past that, however, heaping more on themselves. He'll be in his 13^th season in charge at Perk.

"The pressure doesn't necessarily come from trying to repeat as much as does from this team wanting to play at nationals," he said. "That's the ultimate goal. Repeating as conference champions is a step along the way. Our pressure doesn't start when conference starts; it starts on Thursday. We're trying to keep our name at the top of the rankings nationally and making sure we're taking steps to qualify."

All home games will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch. Season tickets are available at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, as are individual-game tickets. Online tickets will be cheaper this year, costing $7 for adults and $5 for youth. They will be $10 and $7 at the gate.

The Bulldogs lost in the Gulf South District championship game last year, missing out on a trip to Arizona for the national tournament. Only one MACCC team got invited to the 12-team field, and the schedule to start the season reflects an effort to get more Mississippi representation in Huntsville, Ala., in mid-November. 

Gulf Coast, ranked 11^th in the NJCAA preseason poll, entertains No. 16 Jones at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Bulldogs turn around Saturday and travel to Poplarville to play No. 15 Pearl River at 6 p.m.

"When all the rankings came out, it became clear we all needed to play more ranked teams," Handy said. "The three of us are the three ranked teams in our area. We decided there was no better way to start than to start with each other. We wanted to give the boys a preview of what the region tournament is like, which is why we're playing in that 36-hour window. We want to give the boys a taste of what it's like to play twice in a three-day span."

A third-straight ranked team awaits Aug. 28 when Gulf Coast plays No. 9 Heartland in Senatobia.

The Bulldogs bring back the top keeper in the state to backstop their 2024 efforts. David Ruiz Ospina (So., Manizales, Colombia/Gimnasio del Pacifico) finished third in the country with seven shutouts last year, going 13-3-2 with a 1.10 goals-against average.

"He gives us so much confidence with what he can do with his gloves on, and what he can do with his feet," Handy said. "When he's back there, we're confident we're going to be in the game no matter who we play. He's stepped forward and is providing a lot of leadership for us, and I think he's going to have a great sophomore year."

The defenders are mostly freshmen, but they're a talented bunch. Dorian Robinson (Fr., Biloxi/Biloxi) and Alexander Mink (Fr., Long Beach/Long Beach) have started at center back, and both played in the Mississippi Association of Coaches All-Star Game last year. Tobias Buch (Fr., Skovlunde, Denmark/Borupgaard Gymnasium) will see time at outside back and center back.

Neko Worthy (Fr., St. Martin/St. Martin) has been a preseason standout with his 1v1 defending and ability to get forward. Mark Wilson (So., Ridgeland/St. Andrews) returns for his second season, and he's expected to be a big contributor after recovering from injury. Bryon Shepard (So., Gulfport/St. Patrick), another returnee, proved his dependability last year in a variety of roles.

"We like our back line," Handy said. "We think it's a little bit better than last year. We're looking for those guys to grow throughout the season."

Last year's team produced five straight shutouts at one point, which is a pretty high bar to aim for.

Nygel Jobe (So., Brandon/Brandon) is back in midfield after an All-MACCC freshman season. He scored two goals and assisted on five others while starting 13 times last year.

He'll be joined by a pair of dynamic internationals, Ibrahim Konare (Fr., Le Havre, France/Institute of the Sacred Heart Mons) and Jasintho Wielders (Fr., Krimpen aan den Ijssel, Netherlands/Zadkine College). They have already proven to be dangerous in front of goal.

Seamus Murphy (Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) is a South Mississippi product who has shown his worth in the midfield.

Gulf Coast returns its two leading goal scorers from last year. Victor Moerck (So., Vaerlose, Denmark/Lyngby Handelsgymnasium) had 17 goals and Kade Smith (So., London, England/Whitmore) scored 15, so the attack is already dangerous. Moerck will see time at midfield, as well.

Vincenzo Jeanfreau (Fr., Saucier/Pass Christian) was a goal-scoring machine in high school, and he's already scoring here. He's also been able to make other players' lives easier.

Luke Hopkins (So., Clinton/Clinton) and Connor Goodman (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) are two transfers who provide even more experience, and Mills Sheridan (So., Flowood/Northwest Rankin) was menacing when running at defenses on the way to scoring five goals.

"It might be the deepest team we've had," Handy said. "That comes with challenges, trying to keep everyone involved. It also slows us down because we're trying to find the best way to play. There are so many players, it makes us go through the process of finding every little thing that's possible. We're definitely talented. We have good players at every position, and we have good backups."

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.