MCC Soccer preps for State Championship

(RAYMOND, MS) – The Meridian Community College soccer teams had their final practice Friday afternoon at the Hinds Community College soccer field in preparation for the 2007 MACJC State soccer tournament.

After securing the 2007 MACJC South Division championship Wednesday night with a 3-1 victory over Copiah Lincoln Community College the MCC Lady Eagles will play in the programs first-ever postseason game Saturday.

“We had a great run this season,” said MCC soccer coach Alex George.

“The sophomores like McKenzie Butler and Jasmine Harris provided leadership and our freshmen group like Holly Head and Kari Lieberman have been great for us this year.”

The Lady Eagles finished the year 13-1-2 (10-1-1) and have not lost a game since August 31 (3-4 loss v. Pear River).

MCC will face Itawamba Community College, the No. 2 seed from the North Division, at noon Saturday.

“We’re real excited about our match up with Itawamba we faced them a few weeks ago and it was a battle then so I expect an exciting game,” said George.

Winner of the MCC/Itawamba game will face the winner of the Hinds/Gulf Coast game on Sunday at 4 pm for the MACJC State Championship.

MCC’s men earned a spot in the playoffs by defeating Co-Lin 4-0 Wednesday night. The Eagles will be the No. 2 seed from the South Division and will face the No.1 team from the north, Hinds Community College.

Hinds defeated MCC back on September 28 in the Rush Classic.

“They (Hinds) use an aerial attack and try to get their best player (Michael Cooper) in an isolation situation with one of our defenders,” said George.

“We’ve looked at game film and have made adjustments so we’ll see if those payoff.”

The Eagles, who finished the regular season at 11-4-1 (10-1-1), will play Hinds at 6 pm on Saturday.

Winner of the MCC/Hinds game will face the winner of the Itawamba/Gulf Coast game for the MACJC State/NJCAA Region 23 Championship on Sunday at 6 pm.