September 4, 2021
The East Central Community College Lady Warriors have knocked off another nationally ranked program as the No. 6 Lady Warriors defeated the No. 19 Mississippi Gulf Coast Lady Bulldogs, 1-0, on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 4. The win moves ECCC to 4-0 on the year and drops the Lady Bulldogs to 1-2. The win sets the Lady Warriors up nicely heading into MACCC North Divison play beginning next week.
"It was a solid performance today and I thought we were particularly good in the second half," said head coach Ryan Joiner. "The girls are finally finding their identity after five preseason games/exhibitions, and that's great to see, especially as we begin conference play next Friday versus Northwest."
It was a defensive clinic in the opening 45 minutes as the nationally-ranked squads showcased strong play on their back lines. The impressive play limited the teams' shooting opportunities, which made for some exciting play in the midfield as teams tried to organize attacks. There were some set-piece chances for both teams, but both keepers defended their nets well to thwart any shots on goal.
The tie was finally broken early in the second when Madison Carroll (Florence) found the back of the net on a deep shot. Carroll ripped the shot with her right foot from about 30 yards out for the score, with just under 39 minutes remaining in the match on a great touch from Juliana Wells (Poplarville).
"We have to still be more clinical in front of goal and finish the limited chances we create, but our buildup and connecting lines were phenomenal today," said Joiner. "Credit goes to MGCCC for a challenging game and giving us fits on the counterattack."
The impressive score proved enough as neither team was able to find a goal in the final 30 minutes of the match despite a lot of effort from both teams down the stretch.
The Lady Warriors finished the day with nine shots total, with a team-high two of them coming from Sasha Clare (Belfast, United Kingdom). Five shots ended up on-goal with one apiece coming from Carroll, Clare, Gabby Falla (Hattiesburg), Lily Butcher (Wigan, United Kingdom), and Morgan Massey (Decatur).
Gulf Coast posted four shots on goal, but Olivia Clark (Decatur) stopped them all, including a couple of great saves.
The Lady Warriors are back at home next week as they begin division play against the Northwest Lady Rangers on Friday, Sept. 10 at 5 p.m. The match will be played on the turf field at Bailey Stadium and can be seen live at www.eccclive.com/gold.
