By Staff
RECORD SETTER Meridian's Bryan Bledsoe (9) makes a quick maneuver to avoid a tackle from Co-Lin's Joseph Rushing (11). Bledsoe tallied six goals in the Eagles' 10-0 win to set a new school single-game scoring record on Tuesday. Photo by Kyle Carter/The Meridian Star
By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Oct. 1, 2003
The Meridian Community College men's and women's soccer teams tallied a totaled of 19 goals and didn't allow the ball to break the Eagles' goal line once at home Tuesday.
The Eagles (9-0-2) notched a 10-0 win over the Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wolves (0-11-2), and the Lady Eagles (4-8) tallied a 9-0 victory over the Lady Wolves (1-11)
MCC sophomore midfielder Bryan Bledsoe set a new team record by scoring six goals in the win.
The Clinton native scored his first goal in the game's 12th minute on a penalty kick, after forward Travis Brown was fouled inside Co-Lin's goal box.
Bledsoe went on to set the program's single-game scoring record with five goals in the second half.
He scored all but one of the Eagles' goals in the game's final 45 minutes.
Bledsoe tallied his first goal of the second half with a rocket shot from the top of the box into the left corner of the net in the 54th minute. His second goal came in the game's 75th minute on a header off a crossing pass for a 6-0 lead.
The sophomore netted his three other goals in the closing seven minutes of the game scoring in the 83rd, 86th and 87th minutes. On his fourth and sixth goals, Bledsoe slipped the ball past a charging Wolves goalkeeper on breakaways.
MCC built a 4-0 lead at the break by outrunning Co-Lin's defenders. Eagles defenseman Cody Abrams took a pass in the middle of the box from midfielder Andrew Culpepper, who outran two defenders in the corner to cross the ball, for the team's second goal of the game.
MCC midfielder Brandon Rodgers netted the third goal heading the ball into the net off a cross from Brown, and Eagles forward Benton Dufour scored the fourth goal of the first half outracing two defenders to net the ball in the right corner.
MCC freshman forward Jay Barry scored the team's other goal in the second half at the games 78-minute mark for a 7-0 lead.
In the second half, the Eagles stopped chipping the ball over the Wolves players and racing down field and began to string together a succession of passes to move the ball down field.
MCC hit crisscrossing passes in the midfield, and the team often sent the ball back to trailers in the final 45 minutes.
MCC sophomore Jordan Sims recorded the shut-out win in his second start of the season. Eagles starting goalkeeper Will Sowell broke his left arm against East Central Community College Sunday and will not be able to play in net for four weeks.
In the women's contest, midfielder Rachel Wilson said goodbye to her teen years in style.
The sophomore from Lucedale celebrated her 20th birthday on Tuesday by netting two goals in the shut-out win over the Lady Wolves.
MCC midfielder Tiffany Holman started the scoring in the 15th minute bending a ball into the goal from the left side of the net.
Wilson followed the opening goal by scoring on shots into the center and left corner of the net from inside the goal box in the game's 15th and 22nd minutes for a 3-0 lead.
MCC played with 10 players against Co-Lin because the Lady Wolves only have nine field players and a goalie on the team.
The subtraction of one player didn't slow down the Eagles, who got goals from Cheri R. Wilson, Lyndsey Junkin, Lyndsey Key, Cheri D. Wilson, Jodi Cooper and Taylor Milling in the win.
MCC continues its season against Northwest Community College on Saturday at home. The women's match is slated to start at 2 p.m. followed by the men's game at 4 p.m.