No. 5 Bulldogs kick into rugged district tourney

PERKINSTON — The most challenging women's soccer district tournament in the country takes place this week in Ridgeland, and No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast is trying to earn an automatic berth in the NJCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship.

The Bulldogs take on third-ranked Northwest Mississippi in the Gulf South District semifinals, which are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Freedom Ridge Park. The game will be streamed at https://fan.hudl.com/usa/ms/goodman/organization/6673/holmes-cc. Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased with cash or card.

Gulf Coast snapped then top-ranked Northwest's 33-match win streak on Oct. 10 with a 2-2 tie.

"It gave us a lot of belief," coach Ryan Joiner said. "Our girls can go and compete with anyone, whether, they're No. 1 in the country, or No. 3 as they currently sit. They have a lot of confidence going into the game. We saw their style adapt throughout that game, and we know we're going to have to play really well to get a result and win that game."

The other semifinal pits No. 1 Holmes, the tournament hosts, against No. 7 Jones. It will take place after the Gulf Coast-Northwest game. 

The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead into halftime against the Rangers in Senatobia. Northwest was able to tie the game up, but both teams kept pushing for the winner late and had chances.

"We talked to the girls after the game," Joiner said. "We weren't happy to draw the game at the end, but any road game's difficult. We told them it's sets us up for a region run, and then we see what we can do to get into the national tournament. Ultimately, the girls bought into the fact that, anybody, any day, we have a chance to win and a chance to compete with them."

NJCAA Gulf South District Women's Soccer Tournament

Quarterfinals

October 31

Higher seed hosts

No. 2 Northwest Mississippi 3, No. 7 Itawamba 0

No. 3 Gulf Coast 2, No. 6 Meridian 1

No. 4 Jones 4, No. 5 Pearl River 1

Semifinals

November 5

Freedom Park, Ridgeland

Gulf Coast vs. Northwest Mississippi, 4:30 p.m.

Jones vs. No. 1 Holmes, 7 pm.

Championship

November 7

Freedom Park, Ridgeland

Gulf Coast-Northwest winner vs. Jones-Holmes winner, 7 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.