POPLARVILLE, Miss. — MACJC South Division champion Pearl River will open its playoffs Monday with a 4 p.m. tilt against Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The winner advances to face either Hinds or Jones College at 6 p.m. Sunday.
The semifinals and finals are being hosted by Hinds. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place Saturday and Sunday but was moved to Monday and Tuesday due to the threat of inclement weather in the Raymond area.
Pearl River (9-2-1 overall) clinched its second straight MACJC South Division title last Friday against Jones College and followed up the performance with a dominant 6-0 victory at Southwest to conclude the regular season.
Even after convincing wins, head coach Drew Gallant is often looking for ways to improve his squad and this week was no different.
"We're still ironing out some things. It's never going to be perfect, but we're just trying to be at our best," he said. "Right now we're perfecting our system, fixing mistakes and working on the little things that we've noticed watching film.
"I think we still have our best soccer yet to play."
The Wildcats find themselves in a similar situation to last season. After claiming the South and earning a quarterfinal bye last year, PRCC fell to Southwest 2-1 in overtime.
Although many of the players are new this year, Gallant believes his squad will be more prepared for the post-season stage this year.
"I feel like we're more mature than we were last year and have more leadership within the team," Gallant said. "The players are more focused and realize what's at stake."
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
PRCC is averaging 3.67 goals per game with five players chipping in at least four goals. Shande James (Trench Town, Jamaica; Clarendon College) leads the team with eight goals. Caleb Burke (Ocean Springs), Jonovan Cucurullo (Waveland; Bay) and Miguel Hernandez (Gulfport) have all scored six times. Burke and Mike Jimenez (Ocean Springs) are tied atop the team's leaderboard with six assists apiece.
The Wildcats boast one of the premier goalkeepers in the NJCAA this year in John Bowman (Bay St. Louis; Bay). Bowman is 9-2-1 on the year. His .905 save percentage is tops in the nation. His .049 goals against average is good enough for sixth nationally and tops in the MACJC. He has also registered five shutouts and combined with Cody Butler (Picayune) for two more; his seven combined shutouts are tied for seventh nationally. Additionally, Bowman has only surrendered six goals against, which is tied for 16th.
The Wildcats are looking to claim their first MACJC Title since 2017.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs (11-6) qualified for the semifinals by up-ending Itawamba 2-0 on Wednesday in Fulton.
Gulf Coast has netted 39 goals on the season, led by Christian Inchima and James Redmond. The duo has scored 10 and nine goals respectively.
MGCCC has a strong shot stopper in net with Isaiah Gore. The freshman is 10-5 on the year with a 1.06 GAA and .803 save percentage.
"Gulf Coast has one of the more talented midfield we have played against with players who can create very good opportunities," Gallant said. "They're very well organized and well coached."
HOW TO WATCH
The MGCCC match will be streamed at Hindsccsports.net/menu on Channel 1. Should PRCC advance to the championship match, it will be streamed at PRCCMedia.com/gold.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
MONDAY
11 AM: Women's semifinals – Pearl River vs. Itawamba
1 PM: Women's semifinals – Holmes vs. Jones College
4 PM: Men's semifinals – Pearl River vs. Gulf Coast
6 PM: Men's semifinals – Hinds vs. Jones College
TUESDAY
3:30 PM: Women's State Championship – Winners of semifinal games
6 PM: Men's State Championship - Winners of semifinal games