No. 14 Bulldogs roll past Eagles

PERKINSTON — No. 14 Mississippi Gulf Coast took full advantage of 10-man Meridian, storming to a 6-0 win at Bary Thrash Field in the MACCC men's soccer opener.

The Bulldogs scored three times in each half to get three points and max goal differential, with Michael Baty (Fr., Gulfport/St. Patrick) scoring twice and Hayden Thomas (So., Clinton/Clinton) notching a goal and two assists.

"It's the first game in conference and we get full points," Gulf Coast coach Chris Handy said. "We did some good things, and the boys were comfortable for the most part. We'll take it, and we'll keep working."

Gulf Coast is now 5-2 after the Eagles (4-2-2) went down a man in the 17^th minute. The first goal came after Jairon DeGannes (Fr., Ocean Springs/St. Martin) got to the end line and pulled a cross across the 6-yard box. A Meridian defender poked it into his own net for the first score in the 38^th minute.

Dorian Robinson (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) made it 2-0 in the 38^th minute, pouncing on a cross by Aubrey Necaise (Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport). Thomas converted a Trey Roche (Fr., Pass Christian/Pass Christian) pass three minutes later.

Thomas set up the second of Baty's goal in the 70^th minute, and Roche got one of his own in the 77^th. Ben Myrick (Fr., Hurley/East Central) assisted on Thomas' first goal.

Omarion Brown (Fr., Linstead, Jamaica/St. Catherine) had three saves for the shutout.

"Give O credit for a couple of good saves late to preserve the shutout," Handy said. "The back line was pretty solid."

Gulf Coast makes the short trip to Poplarville on Friday to take on its archrival. The Bulldogs play No. 13 Pearl River at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed at https://prccmedia.com/watchlive/gold/.

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