University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Golden Eagles Open Season Against MGCCC
8/17/2022 2:40:00 PM | Women's Soccer
HATTIESBURG, Miss.-- Southern Miss women's soccer is set to open the 2022 season at Mississippi Gulf Coast this Thursday at 2 p.m. in Perkinston, Miss.
"Anytime you play your season opener you want to make sure you start on the right foot. We have been working hard for the last two weeks. We want to be able to come out with a good performance that we can build on for the rest of the season," said head coach Mohammed El-Zare.
Need to know Southern Miss:
● The Golden Eagles are coming off a 10-4-3 season and were 4-1-3 in conference play.
● They won their two exhibition matches against Pearl River Community (7-0) and William Carey (2-1) this past week.
● Fourteen returners, including Ilana Izquierdo, a sophomore midfielder who is currently representing Columbia at the U20 World Cup in Costa Rica.
● The Cali, Colombia native returns after recording a team-high 21 points with seven goals and seven assists last season.
● The Southern Miss women's soccer team is led by 9th-year head coach Mohammed El-Zare and is assisted by J.P Valadares and Haley Knowles.
Need to know Mississippi Gulf Coast:
● The Bulldog's were 6-6-2 last season and 4-4-2 in conference play.
● Three returners include midfielder Kate Bertolino, forward Alyssa Palisi, and defender Bayleigh Jones.
● Gulf Coast women's soccer gained a new head coach, Aaron Avila, and a new assistant coach Carly Mauldin, former Golden Eagles assistant soccer coach.
Looking ahead:
Southern Miss hits the road for an afternoon competition against the Auburn Tigers at the Auburn Soccer Complex on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Follow Along
Follow @SouthernMissSoc on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for updates throughout the game.
