Gulf Coast looks for goals in playoff opener

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast heads into Thursday's MACJC women's soccer quarterfinal against Hinds lacking some knowledge.

"Hinds is one of the few teams we don't know anything about," Lady Bulldogs coach Jackie Rhodes said. "The game we were supposed to play them was canceled because of the weather. I'm not really sure what to expect from them. I know at this time of the year everybody is playing their best soccer. It's going to come down to who will line up and execute the game plan."

Gulf Coast (6-6-1) finished second in the MACJC South with a 5-2-1 mark, earning the right to host the game. Kickoff at Bary Thrash Field is at 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed online at https://livestream.com/MGCCCBulldogs/events/8416462.

Hinds (4-8) finished third in the North at 4-4. Sophomore forward Leighton Anderson leads the Lady Eagles with five goals.

Paris Payne (Fr., Southampton, England/Saints Foundation) has six goals for the Lady Bulldogs. Chloe Fell (Fr., Bury, England/Woodhey) and Kaitlyn Harwell (So., Wiggins/Stone) have five each, with Fell leading the team with five assists.

The Gulf Coast offense will have a big say in whether the team advances to Saturday's semifinal against No. 10 Holmes. The Lady Bulldogs' recipe for success is simple against Hinds.

"Score goals," Rhodes said. "We've lost a few big games because we haven't scored. If we can get some goals scored, I think we've got a good chance to win the game."

Haley Lott (So., Gulfport/West Harrison) has a 1.55 goals-against average at keeper with two shutouts.

A quick start would help Rhodes' club, too. They might be able to save some legs if they can score early and prepare for a quick turnaround against a nationally ranked team.

"It's at home, so we've got a lot of things going our way," she said.

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