Lady Bulldogs shock No. 17 Jones County

PERKINSTON – Mississippi Gulf Coast women's soccer team picked up its biggest win of the year, upsetting South Division-leading Jones County 1-0 Tuesday.

Tristan McFall scored the game's only goal on a 30-yard free kick in the 57^th minute, and Kristin Hicks made a big save with five minutes to play to preserve the victory over the 17^th-ranked team in the country.

"The first time we played them, we lost 5-1," Gulf Coast interim head coach Jackie Rhodes said. "We've grown so much as a team. We're a better team than we were than when we played them before. I just have to keep reminding them."

Gulf Coast improves to 6-9 overall and 4-5 in the MACJC South. Jones is 10-2 and lost its first game in eight division contests.

The Bulldogs had only a few offensive chances, but McFall converted an opportunity to give them the lead.

"Honestly, I was trying to cross it and got lucky," she said. "It feels amazing. We've worked our butts off and we deserve it."

If that goal smacked a little bit of luck, the shutout was produced through grit. The Gulf Coast defense turned away wave after wave of Jones attacks.

The most dangerous chance came in the game's dying minutes. Traci Monroe wound up with the ball at her feet after a Jones free kick, with nobody between her and Hicks.

From about six yards, Hicks came up big.

"I just realized how much my teammates had worked the whole game, and I didn't want to give up the goal because they deserved this win," she said. "We worked so hard, so anything it takes to win."

Gulf Coast returns to action Friday at Meridian. Play begins at 2 p.m., but the Lady Bulldogs will enjoy this victory for a day.

"This one feels good, more than any win we've had this year," Rhodes said. "I told them this is why we worked preseason to now for, getting yelled at for every day, it was for that moment."