No. 9 MGCCC beats No. 5 JC for 1st time in 10 years

PERKINSTON — No. 9 Mississippi Gulf Coast claimed one of its biggest wins in program history Tuesday at Bary Thrash Field, downing No. 5 Jones for the first time since 2015. 

Laylah Johnson (So., Gulfport/Gulfport) scored in the 26^th minute, and Laurel Conley (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) saved all five Bobcat shots behind a stout Bulldogs defense for the 1-0 win.

"I think we told the girls this week we were just going to focus on ourselves," Gulf Coast coach Ryan Joiner said. "I think it just took 90 minutes of really good attention from everyone. Our back six played unbelievably today. We attacked with pace. The counterattacks were great, and we scored a great goal off another free kick, which is what we do. And we hit the post once and the crossbar again, too."

The Bulldogs improved to 7-2 overall and stayed in a second-place tie in the MACCC with a 5-1 mark. Gulf Coast and No. 4 Holmes are tied there, one game behind No. 1 Northwest Mississippi. The Rangers are next up for the Bulldogs, with a trip to Senatobia for a 4 p.m. showdown Friday.

Millie Jebb-Geer (So., Dronfield, England/Dronfield Henry Fanshawe) served up the free kick which set up the only goal. She lofted a ball from the left wing near midfield into the box, and Johnson wound up on the end of it. The magic happened on her second touch.

"It was a second ball, and she looped it over the keeper, just an instinctive finish," Joiner said. "Layla showed her quality tonight. The whole team was excellent. I'm super happy with a clean sheet."

The Bobcats were 16-0-1 in the last 17 games against Gulf Coast, so Tuesday's win was a long time coming. The Bulldogs' last victory was another 1-0 win, but this one was more convincing. They had nine shots on goal to Jones' five.

"I think we're just so focused on who we want to be," Joiner said. "We didn't put too much time into their team, but they're super good. I'm sure we'll see them again in the playoffs."

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