LIVINGSTON, Ala. --- The Mississippi College men's soccer team opened Gulf South Conference play with a 3-0 victory over West Alabama on Thursday night at Tiger Stadium.

The Choctaws improved to 2-1-2 on the season and 1-0 in GSC play, while the Tigers fell to 2-3 and 0-1 in the league.
 

---

HOW IT HAPPENED
  - The first half remained scoreless over the first 38 minutes with both teams creating chances and the goalkeepers making a combined eight saves.
  - Senior Owen Connelly tallied the breakthrough in the 39th minute with the eventual game-winner on an assist from sophomore Guilhermer Santos.
  - The match would remain 1-0 until the 80th minute when senior Marco Sellan found a loose ball in the box and scored his first goal of the season to double the MC lead.
  - Connelly tacked on his second goal of the night in the final minute as he got behind the UWA defense and chipped the ball over the goalkeeper to give the match its final score.
 

---

KEY STATS
  - The evenly-played match saw West Alabama take 16 shots to 15 for the Choctaws.
  - Seven of the UWA shots came on goal as junior Alejandro Chavarria tallied his fourth shutout of the season, making all seven saves.
  - The Choctaws put six shots on net with Cosmas Uzoaru making three saves and allowing three goals.
  - Sellan led the Choctaws with five shots and three shots on goal, while Connelly also took five shots with two coming on frame.
  - Vince Stans led all players with seven shots for the Tigers and three coming on goal.
 

---

MATCH NOTES
  - The all-time series between MC and West Alabama is now tied at 4-4.
  - The Choctaws are now 3-2 against the Tigers when they play in Livingston.
  - This is just MC's second shutout of UWA in the eight matchups, while the Tigers have pitched one of their own.
  - The Choctaws have never defeated the Tigers by more than one goal until tonight's match.
 

---

NEXT UP
  - The Choctaws will play their first home GSC match of the season on Sunday when they host UAH at 3:30 p.m. at Robert P. Longabaugh Field.
 

---

Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and began 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.