MCC Set To Host 2012 Region 23 Championship

The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles and Eagles are both hoping for championship dreams to come true this week on the soccer field. Both squads will be competing for championship glory this week in the 2012 Region 23 Championships at Lamar School.

The MCC women have clinched a spot in the 2012 Region 23 Championship game which will be played Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Pearl River Community College. The two teams met once during the regular season with Pearl River taking a 4-1 victory over the Lady Eagles on September 25 at C.D. Smith Field. MCC will be looking to erase the memory of a 1-0 overtime loss in the Region 23 Championship game a year ago against Mississippi Gulf Coast.

“We’re excited about the Regions being held in Meridian and we’re also excited about the fact that if we win the Region 23 Championship, we will get to host the District Tournament next weekend,” said MCC women’s coach Mike Smith. “The women have had a good year and it feels great to be able to put yourself in a position to win the Region 23 Championship.”

Pam Gean and Kristen Morris lead the way for the Lady Eagles with 16 goals apiece heading into the title game. Morris was recently named the NJCAA National Player of the Week during the 2012 season for the Lady Eagles. Haley Hegwood will also look to continue her solid play at keeper this weekend for MCC after completing the regular season with 65 saves, while recording 10 shutouts in goal.

The Lady Eagles will enter the 2012 Region 23 Championship game against the Lady Wildcats with an overall record of 12-4-1.

Pearl River will enter the championship game against the Lady Eagles with a 10-2 overall record. The Lady Wildcats defeated Jones County Junior College 2-0 in the MACJC State Championship round to earn a spot in the Region 23 Championship game against Meridian.

Christina Gentry leads Pearl River with nine goals and Kacy Mixon collected four goals during the season for the Lady Wildcats according to the latest statistics available through the NJCAA.

The MCC men are scheduled to play Holmes Community College Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. The Eagles need a victory over HCC to earn a spot in the Region 23 men’s Championship game which will be played Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. against Pearl River.

“We have been preparing really hard this week and we hope to play our best soccer this week,” said MCC men’s soccer coach Alex George. “Everyone is healthy and we are looking for quality play out of our sophomores. We hope to get some early goals and limit our mistakes defensively. It should be a great game.”

The Eagles will enter the game against the Bulldogs with an overall record of 5-8-2. The two teams played twice during the regular season and split the two meetings. MCC defeated Holmes on September 19 at C.D. Smith Field by a final score of 2-1, while Holmes returned the favor with a 3-0 victory over the Eagles in Goodman, MS on October 12.

Kellen Roberts leads MCC into the tournament with five goals for the season, while Blake Hardin has collect three goals during the 2012 campaign according to the latest available statistics online provided by the NJCAA.

Holmes will enter the tournament with a 12-4-1 overall record and were defeated by Pearl River in the MACJC State Championship game by a final score of 4-2. The Bulldogs are led by James Cockrell with six goals, while Michael Orcutt has tallied five goals during the regular season for Holmes.