Bulldogs kick off postseason Saturday at Poplarville
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (9-5-1, 6-4-1) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
Pearl River Community College (10-3-2, 8-2-1) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
PERKINSTON — The Mississippi Gulf Coast women's soccer team opens the postseason in a nearby and familiar venue. The Bulldogs head west Saturday to play No. 10 Pearl River at Poplarville in the NJCAA Gulf South District Tournament quarterfinals.
The Bulldogs were knocked out of the playoffs over there last year and will be looking to move to next week's semifinals at Ellisville. Gulf Coast won the first meeting between the teams this year 3-1 at Perk.
"They're a markedly improved team from the last time we played them," Gulf Coast coach Ryan Joiner said. "They're probably hitting form really well right now, but we feel like we've played really well the last few games. We can't really have a revenge factor because the game's changed so much, but we're excited."
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. The game will be streamed at https://prccmedia.com/gold/, and tickets are available at https://prccathletics.com/tickets.
Gulf Coast (9-4-1, 6-4-1 MACCC) finished sixth in the conference, while Pearl River (10-3-2, 8-2-1) got the three-seed.
Gulf Coast was the sixth-highest scoring team in the conference, averaging an even 3.00 goal. Laylah Johnson (Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) was near the top of the scoring table before being injured, and Jennifer Lopez (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) has rushed up the charts to tied for 12th. She's scored seven of her nine goals in the last five games.
Abby Badurak leads Pearl River with 11 goals, eighth-best in the MACCC.
The Bulldogs (1.07 goals-against average) have been a tad stingier defensively than Pearl River (1.27). Laurel Conley (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) has played every minute in goal and is second in the conference among keepers who have played more than 10 games.
"The first 15 to 20 minutes are vitally important because of the energy they'll bring," Joiner said. "Home games are everything in this league now. We're going to have to be switched on. We're battling injuries, and so are they, but we need to make sure the first 15 minutes of the game is nil-nil or we get in behind and find a way to score early."
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