Indians learn from road losses to Pearl River and Gulf Coast
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com

The Itawamba Community College men's soccer team suffered back-to-back losses against perennial powers Pearl River Community College and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, the Indians (0-2, MACJC North) saw a defensive breakdown allow Pearl River (1-0, 0-0 MACJC South) to take a 2-0 lead on a well-placed finish and penalty kick early in the contest.

Trailing 4-0 at the break, Estevan Garcia (Corinth HS) scored the first goal of the season for the Indians after earning and converting a penalty kick late in the second half. The Wildcats would eventually pull away for an 8-1 victory, the worst loss for the Indians since 2006.

"Pearl River was on fire and caught us off guard with their speed and finishing ability," said ICC head coach Mike Sullivan.

On Saturday, the defending state champion Gulf Coast Bulldogs (1-0, 0-0 MACJC South) took a 1-0 lead into halftime after scoring on a breakaway with 15 minutes left in the first half.

The Indians saw a bit of bad luck end their comeback hopes after a defensive clearance hit an official and fell squarely to a Bulldog striker in front of the goal resulting in the go-ahead goal as Gulf Coast picked up the 2-0 victory.

"We learned a lot about ourselves in these two loses," said ICC assistant coach Cody Carson. "We know what we have to improve on and where we need to be as a team to be able to compete with these type of teams."

The Indians return to the pitch on Tuesday to host Union University in their home opener at 4:00 p.m. and are scheduled to travel to Bethel University on Friday.