Bulldogs face semifinal challenge
PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast won the right to play in this weekend's MACCC/Region 23 Tournament by beating Northwest Mississippi 1-0 on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs (8-4-2) next opponent will be a significantly stronger challenge. Holmes (10-0-1) will arrive at Bary Thrash Field as the second-ranked team in the country, having beat Gulf Coast 6-2 in their only meeting this year in Ridgeland.
"They're a very strong offensive team," Gulf Coast coach Jackie Rhodes said. "I think they're going to be a lot to handle, but as long as we stay organized and stay compact, we have a chance to be successful."
Saturday's first women's semifinal is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Perk. The finals will be played at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. The winner receives an automatic berth in next month's NJCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship in Evans, Ga.
Gulf Coast will be back at full strength after missing Katie Brown (Fr., Picayune/Home School) on Tuesday. She sat out a game after receiving two yellow cards in the regular-season finale against Pearl River.
Brown, who has eight goals and nine assists this year, is obviously super important to get back on the field. She's a key link-up player through the midfield to connect to Alyssa Palisi (Fr., Diamondhead/Hancock). Palisi's 11 goals are second-most in the MACCC.
Gulf Coast hopes to take full advantage of the short commute from the dorm to the soccer complex this weekend.
"Everybody wants to play at home," Rhodes said. "You always get that home-field advantage, that atmosphere. Your fans get to be here, so for us that's probably a bigger deal than anything, especially facing Holmes."
MACCC/Region 23 Tournament
Perkinston
Saturday, May 22
Women's Semifinal: N1 Holmes vs. S2 Gulf Coast, 4 p.m.
Women's Semifinal: S1 Jones vs. N2 East Central, 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 23
Women's Championship Game, 5:30 p.m.
For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
