No. 5 MGCCC wins big in MACCC opener

PERKINSTON — No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast rebounded from its first loss in style, beating East Central 4-1 Tuesday at Bary Thrash Field.

"We played good in spurts," Bulldogs coach Chris Handy said. "After their goal, it got a little bit more competitive. I thought we controlled the game well. It was good to see us score some goals. That was a goal for us tonight to execute better in front of goal. In general, I'll take it. It's a good start to conference."

Gulf Coast improved to 5-1-1 in the MACCC opener for both teams.

The Bulldogs scored the opener in the 21^st minute thanks to a Warriors own goal. Victor Moerck (So., Vaerlose, Denmark/Lyngby Handelsgymnasium) hit a shot from just outside the six-yard box that was stopped, and a defender rolled over and knocked it into his own goal.

Moerck doubled the lead exactly two minutes into the second half. Kade Smith (So., London, England/Whitmore) set up the score with maximum hustle, winning a ball and knocking into his teammate's path.

East Central got a goal back 12 minutes later, but Alexander Mink (Fr., Long Beach/Long Beach) restored the two-goal advantage with eight minutes left. In a scramble after a corner, he banged the loose ball home. Tobias Buch (Fr., Skovlunde, Denmark/Borupgaard Gymnasium) picked up an assist.

Nygel Jobe (So., Brandon/Brandon) played Mills Sheridan (So., Flowood/Northwest Rankin) behind the ECCC defense with five minutes left for the final margin.

Gulf Coast entertains Southwest Mississippi on Friday in another MACCC contest. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Buy your tickets ahead of time to save money. It costs $7 for adults or $5 for youth online, or $10 and $7 at the gate. Tickets are available at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, and the game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.

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