No. 15 Bulldogs rebound for big win
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College () | 3 | 4 | 7 |
|
Southwest Mississippi Community College () | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Alexander Mink's second hat trick of the season powered No. 15 Mississippi Gulf Coast bounce-back victory at Southwest Mississippi on Friday.
The Bulldogs won 7-2 at Summit, with Tobias Buch (So., Skovlunde, Denmark/Borupgaard Gymnasium) and Hayden Thomas (So., Clinton/Clinton) notching two assists each.
"Mink works really hard no matter where you play him," Gulf Coast coach Chris Handy said. "After the last game, we knew we were going to have to move him higher up the field so we can get more production. He gave us a hat trick as a reward for our decision."
Gulf Coast (6-4, 2-2 MACCC) suffered a disappointing loss Tuesday at Perk, falling 1-0 to East Central. The Bulldogs fell behind early at Summit but responded quickly.
After a Bears goal in the fifth minute, Michael Baty (Fr., Gulfport/St. Patrick) got an assist from Hayden Thomas (So., Clinton/Clinton) three minutes later. Mink's first goal was a penalty kick in the 19th minute.
Stiward Palacios (Fr., Medellin, Colombia/Colegio Salesiano el Sufragio) scored a goal at the back post off a corner, nodding home in the 35th minute for what would be a 3-1 halftime lead.
Isaac Whitfield (Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) converted a rebound less than two minutes into the second half, and Mink scored twice more to put the Bulldogs up 6-2. Isaac Vance (Fr., Laurel/Northeast Jones) got his first collegiate goal in the final minute.
"It's important that we can score goals consistently," Handy said. "If we're gonna find consistency within conference play, we're going to have to pay well at both ends. We're going to have to come out and put ourselves in good positions to score and execute."
Neko Worthy (So., St. Martin/St. Martin) and Jairon DeGannes (Fr., Ocean Springs/St. Martin) had assists.
Southwest is 4-4-1, 1-2-1.
Gulf Coast is off next Tuesday, so the Bulldogs have a week to prepare for No. 3 Holmes. The two sets of Bulldogs play Friday at 4 p.m. in Ridgeland.
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
