Lady Bulldogs’ furious rally falls short

PERKINSTON – Mississippi Gulf Coast made a furious comeback attempt in its second half against East Central on Tuesday night, but the Lady Bulldogs fell short, 2-1.

Tristan McFall scored a header on a Bree Bonner corner kick with 14:38 left to play.

"We practice set pieces pretty often, but I have to say that was a shocker and I hope we can build from it," Gulf Coast coach Jackie Rhodes said. "That was a beautiful goal."

The Lady Bulldogs (0-3) continued to be dangerous on set pieces in the final 14 minutes, but couldn't get the equalizer.

East Central (3-0) scored twice in a one-minute span of the first half, with Tamie Cavett picking up both goals.

"I thought the first half was a little shaky," Rhodes said. "Once we settled into the game, though, I think it got a lot better. We passed really well today."

McFall's goal seemed to energize her team, which heads into a Friday matchup against archrival Pearl River with some momentum.

"The second half was really exciting to watch," Rhodes said. "I think we kind of came alive a little bit. We got our first goal of the season, so that put a little pep in our step. This was the first time I was able to see they really wanted to win the game. They were passionate."