­ROME, GA --- The Mississippi College men's soccer team erupted for four goals in their Gulf South Conference Opening 4-0 victory over Shorter University on Friday Evening.
 
TURNING POINT

• On attempt to clear a ball in MC territory, sophomore defender Connor Johnson delivered a long kick that bounced over Shorter goalkeeper Sean Carpenter's head and found the back of the net. Johnson's goal in the 32^nd minute doubled MC's lead to 2-0, and gave MC all of the momentum it needed to cruise to the 4-0 victory.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Horacio Gutierrez Jr. broke the scoreless tie in the 20^th minute, when he paired up with Johnson for the goal.
• Johnson's fortuitous score right before the half gave MC the 2-0 lead heading into the break.
• Gutierrez would go on to slot his second goal of the night in the 78^th minute, marking for his GSC-leading fourth on the year. Freshman Forward Victor Bazan was credited for the assist.
• Bazan delivered the final score for MC just moments later. Bazan, with help from freshman Michael Kuwornu, knocked in his second goal of the season in the 80^th minute, giving way to the final score of 4-0.

 
KEY STATS

• Gutierrez led the way for the MC attack, tallying two goals on the night.
• Both Johnson and Bazan would go on to finish with three points on the night, both accounting for both a goal and an assist in the match.
• The Choctaws tallied 20 shots on the night, to go with eight shots on goal. MC registered 11 shots in the first period, and nine in the second.
• In Goal, Humberto Pelaez recorded three saves on the night, while recording his second shutout of the season. Pelaez's record now sits at 4-0-1 for the year.
• Both teams took four corner kicks in the match.  The Choctaws were on the receiving end of 14 fouls, while the Hawks were tagged for 15 fouls.

 
MATCH NOTES

• With the win, the Choctaws improve to 4-0-1 overall, and 1-0 in GSC play.
• Four cards were passed out in total, with three going to Shorter and one to MC.

 
UP NEXT

• The Choctaws will travel to Cleveland, Tenn. to square off against GSC opponent Lee University on Sunday, Sept. 17. Kickoff is slated for 3:00 p.m.

 

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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.