Lopez scores 2nd hat trick in 7-0 win

Jennifer Lopez notched her second hat trick in three games to help power Mississippi Gulf Coast to a 7-0 win at East Mississippi that clinched a second playoff spot in a row Friday.

The Bulldogs improved to 9-3-1 overall, 6-3-1 in the MACCC. They are sixth in the standings but could move as high as fourth if they close the regular season Tuesday with a win at Jones and if Itawamba beats Pearl River.

The top seven teams in the conference advance to the NJCAA Gulf South District Tournament. The second- through fourth-seeds host quarterfinals, with the MACCC champion getting a bye into the semifinals.

Lopez (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) scored the first two goals and three of the first four. Charlotte Gatehouse (Fr., Southampton England/Oasis Academy) scored the last goal of the first half for a 3-0 lead at the break.

Gracee Michini (Fr., Lucedale/George County) scored goals four and five, and Isabella Reynolds (So., Pascagoula/Pascagoula) got the final score.

Kadie Craft (So., Picayune/Picayune), Linda Mustered (Fr., Biloxi/St. Patrick), Ava Green (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs), Millie Jebb-Geer (Fr., Dronfield England/Dronfield Henry Fanshawe) and Zipporah Oswald (Fr., Fort Walton Beach Fla./Choctawhatchee) picked up assists.

It was the second 7-0 win in three games for the Bulldogs, their highest-scoring contest of the season.

EMCC is 1-12-1, 0-9-1.

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