Holmes to face Jones in MACJC quarterfinals Thursday night

The Holmes Community College Bulldogs won their last two of three games and played themselves into this week's MACJC soccer playoffs.

The Bulldogs, who finished 4-9-1 overall and 3-4-1, in the North Division, defeated East Central on Oct. 9, 4-2, Itawamba on Oct. 12, 3-0 and tied Northwest yesterday in Ridgeland, 1-1. Holmes is set to play Jones College in the tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night in Ellisville at 7 p.m. If the Bulldogs win, they'll play in this weekend's semi-finals, also at Jones.

"We are very proud of the guys for all the hard work they put in, their dedication and perseverance even when things were not going our way," Associate Head Coach Ousmane Coulibaly said. "The togetherness, team spirit that the players were able to create and the belief they had in the program and each other is what allowed them to finish the regular season so strong."

The Bulldogs faced many obstacles in the preseason and during the season due to injuries. The Bulldogs fought through the injuries and eventually got several players back who played a big role in the late season turnaround.

"We had several key players injured early in the season and that did affect how we performed," Coulibaly said. "Getting most of them back definitely helped us make the late run and qualify for the playoffs." 

Holmes fell to Jones on Sept. 28, 3-0, but Coulibaly says this team has improved since then. "They (Jones) are a good team and a contender for sure, which is the reason they are in the playoffs. We were still missing some key players through injuries when we played them in the 3-0 loss. We learned a lot about them in that game and we will make sure to be ready this time to give it a go. Also, we know that it is the playoffs, and we are going into the game as the underdogs. We are looking forward to the challenge, and we will certainly enjoy the opportunity to compete."

Head Coach Matt Convertino said making the playoffs is a great achievement. "Making the playoffs was one of their goals during preseason so it is a 'Mission Accomplished'."

Convertino said the Bulldogs had players playing different positions while battling back from the injuries. "Well getting those last few players cleared to play has allowed us to move players into their preferred positions. When we had six players injured at one point we had center midfielders playing center back, outside midfielders player center midfield and so on.  A healthier lineup means players playing more in their comfort zone. Now we just have to get some of the players that were injured for 4 weeks or more get back to full fitness.

"Morale is much higher than the last time we played them," he said. "We are undefeated in our last three games so we will try to take some of the momentum of our last few games into the playoffs."