No. 5 Bulldogs shine in NJCAA debut

PHOTO BY LATHE COBB/MGCCC

WICHITA — No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast didn't show any signs of nerves Monday in the Bulldogs' debut on the national stage, cruising to a 2-0 win over ninth-seeded Rock Valley.

The Bulldogs scored both goals in the first half of the program's first game at the NJCAA Championship, and there were plentiful opportunities throughout the evening at Scheels Stryker Sports Complex.

"We played really well and were probably unlucky not to score a couple more goals in the first half," Gulf Coast coach Ryan Joiner said. "It's one of the best performances we've had in the last month. I'm so pleased for the girls, pleased for the college."

The victory sets up an expected showdown with No. 4 Holmes in a win-and-advance game Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. The game will be streamed at https://www.njcaa.org/network, with the winner moving on to Wednesday's national semifinal.

Gulf Coast (13-3-1) scored on a fluky goal in the 20^th minute. Vanessa Radojevic (Fr., Sciez, France/Lycee De La Versoie) mishit a ball from near the top of the box, but it looped over the keeper and tucked inside the left post. It was her sixth goal.

The second goal was a beauty. Millie Jebb-Geer (So., Dronfield, England/Dronfield Henry Fanshawe) launched a line-drive free kick into the area, and Laylah Johnson (So., Gulfport/Gulfport) was there.

"I was just trying to flick it on, trying to cross it in," she said. "It just went in. I think life goes on that way. I think God had our back that time."

It also came at a time of maximum shock value. There were 45 seconds left before the break.

"There's no better time to score than in the final minute," Joiner said. "It got us a comfortable lead. It's something we work on, and we worked on it yesterday. We've been very good at set pieces all season. That was a very, very good header from Layla."

Gulf Coast outshot the Golden Eagles 13-3, and Laurel Conley (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) was only tested once. She was up to the test for her third shutout of the season.

Rock Valley's season ends at 17-4-2.

The Bulldogs were playing with heavy hearts following the tragic death of men's soccer player Landon Perry on Sunday. The players had his number 25 on their wrist wraps, and they raised their arms and pointed to them after their goals.

After Monday's game, they immediately started the recovery process on the field. They continued it in the hotel pool after dinner, focusing on getting ready for a rematch against fourth-seeded Holmes.

Gulf Coast lost 2-1 to Holmes in Ridgeland earlier in the season, and the Bulldogs will try to reverse the result to move on to the semifinals. 

"They're a familiar opponent, and we know what they're about," Joiner said. "They know what we're about. There's no secrets, really. We'll be up for it in a little, hopefully a little revenge factor as we're going on our tour of this tournament."

NJCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship

November 16-22, 2025

Scheels Stryker Sports Complex

Wichita, Kan.

Pool D

Sunday, Nov. 16

No. 4 Holmes 3, No. 9 Rock Valley 0

Monday, Nov. 17

No. 5 Gulf Coast 2, No. 9 Rock Valley 0

Tuesday, Nov. 18

No. 4 Holmes vs. No. 5 Gulf Coast, 5:45 p.m., Stadium

Semifinals

Thursday, Nov. 20

Semifinal 1, 10 a.m., Stadium

Semifinal 2, 12:30 p.m. Stadium

Championship

Saturday, Nov. 22

Title game, 1 p.m., Stadium

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