Mississippi Gulf Coast scored twice after falling behind to beat Jones College 2-1 in the NJCAA Region 23/Gulf District quarterfinals Friday at Bulldog Soccer Field in Perkinston. The No. 9 Bulldogs eliminated the No. 5 Bobcats and advanced to face Holmes in the Region 23 semifinals, scheduled for Wednesday in Poplarville.
Maylee Levens put Jones ahead in the 12th minute, redirecting Abby Duncan’s corner kick with her knee. Gulf Coast tied the match in the 28th minute when Reagan Chancelor scored off a pass from Vanessa Radojevic.
Jones goalkeeper Darby Ford stopped Radojevic’s penalty kick early in the second half, but Gulf Coast took the lead in the 67th minute. Radojevic scored on a long free kick delivered by Macie Barham. Jones had five shots in the second half but could not equalize.
Jones finished with a 9-8 advantage in shots, while both teams put four attempts on goal. Gulf Coast led 6-5 in corner kicks. Ford played all 90 minutes and made two saves; Gulf Coast goalkeeper Kaylee Tardo had three.
The loss left Jones with a 12-4-1 record. Gulf Coast improved to 13-3-1 and beat Jones for the second time this season, following a 2-1 win in Ellisville on Oct. 6. Jones’ chances for an NJCAA Tournament at-large bid were to be determined when participants were announced the following week.
