No. 12 MGCCC shuts out archrival PRCC

PERKINSTON — No. 12 Mississippi Gulf Coast had a lot of reasons to want a win Friday night against Pearl River. The archrivals were at Bary Thrash Field, where the Wildcats were ranked eighth, and there were already potential postseason ramifications in just the third game of the year.

All of it added up to make the 2-0 victory a sweet one.

"Anytime you can beat Pearl River, it's definitely a positive thing," Gulf Coast coach Chris Handy said. "They're a good team, a good program, and it just shows we're making progress for sure."

The two teams played 290 minutes of dead-even soccer last year, drawing three times. The Bulldogs posted their third-straight shutout to start the season, with keeper Omarion Brown (Fr., Linstead, Jamaica/St. Catherine) and the defenders getting another clean sheet.

Alexander Mink scored in the 38^th minute on the first of two back-post runs to pay off for the Bulldogs. Trey Roche (Fr., Pass Christian/Pass Christian) made the cross that paid off.

"We felt like at halftime, if we could keep it 1-0 for the first 15, that they would open up, and they did. We hit them with the counter, and we were able to score a second goal."

The Bulldogs had absorbed that 15 minutes of pressure, and Isaac Whitfield (Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) sprinted down the right wing to thread across the area. Vincenzo Jeanfreau (So., Saucier/Pass Christian) hauled to that back post, and his hustle paid off by bulging the back of the net.

"V's a good player," Handy said. "He does so much for us, whenever his name's called. He plays outside backs, mid, forward, he does it all. He's a really good player, so I'm happy for him."

Brown made seven saves for his second shutout of the season.

Handy has again front-loaded his schedule with top-10 teams, having already beaten No. 9 Johnson County. Strength of schedule is a factor in the national tournament selection process. They'll play at No. 13 Jones on Wednesday. Kickoff in Ellisville is at 6 p.m.

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