CLINTON, Miss. --- The 2016-17 Mississippi College athletics season was full of extraordinary moments both on and off the fields of play.
In June of 2016, the NCAA informed MC that they had completed the transition process and would be full members of Division II and the Gulf South Conference, earning the right play for conference and national championships.
With that as the backdrop, the Office of Athletic Communications put together a committee to vote on and compose a list of the "Top 10 Choctaw Moments" on the court, field and track.
While there were many moments this past year that had the Mississippi College alumni, students and fans proud of their Choctaws and Lady Choctaws, here's the list of the absolute best.
The stage was set. It was do or die time for the Mississippi College women's soccer team. The Lady Flames of Lee University had not connected on two of their last three penalty kicks, leaving the door wide open for MC to take the match outright with a successful PK attempt.
Freshman defender
Katie Taylor stepped up for her turn, and with a deep breath successfully connected on the 12-yard strike to give MC the 3-2 advantage in PKs and send the Lady Choctaws to the championship round of the Gulf South Conference Postseason Tournament.
That Friday, November 4 contest against Lee University in the semifinal round of the GSC Postseason Tournament served as one of biggest wins in recent program history. With the win, the Lady Choctaws clinched a spot to play in their first ever Gulf South Conference Postseason Tournament Championship game.
Neither team was able to crack the scoreboard on the night, but there were still plenty of shots taken to make up for the lack of scoring.
The first half of the contest saw the Lady Choctaws outshoot the Lady Flames five to two. The next 45 minutes, plus two overtime periods, however, saw the Lady Flames pick up the pace and rattle off 22 shots, with seven on goal; compared to just one total shot for MC.
When it came time for penalty kicks, both Lee and MC were able to knock in their first attempts. Sophomore
Samantha Carson found the back of the net for the Lady Choctaws following Lee's successful first attempt.
A pair of misses from both teams was then followed by each team grabbing their second point in PKs. Freshman
Liza Wise struck pay dirt for MC following Lee's second successful PK attempt.
A miss on the next attempt by Lee allowed for Taylor to seal the deal for the Lady Choctaws and book their trip to the tournament finals.
While it was Taylor that punched in the winning strike for the Lady Choctaws, goalkeeper
Andrea McDonald shined bright between the posts for MC. The Lady Choctaw netminder withstood a barrage of Lee shots over the course of the contest, while grabbing a season-high eight saves in her sixth shutout of the season.
The win served as the trademark moment in the Lady Choctaws first full season of competition in the Gulf South Conference, a season in which they compiled a record of 13-5-2; including a 9-2-1 mark against GSC opponents.
The Lady Choctaws placed three players on the GSC All-Conference teams in 2016, with
Caitlin Hayes racking up first-team honors, and
Gaylynn Cooper and
Lauren Kate Carter garnering second-team honors.
For any comments, opinions or thoughts on the list, get the conversation going on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages by searching ChoctawSports.
Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact
David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or
nichols@mc.edu.
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