Women's Soccer | 11/2/2017 3:08:00 PM

ELLISVILLE – The 20^th-ranked Jones County Junior College Lady Bobcats will make some history this week.
For only the second time in program history, the Lady Bobcats (9-2-2) will be hosting an NJCAA District H playoff game.
It will be quite a challenge for JCJC, as the No. 4-rated Eastern Florida State College Titans (10-2) will be the opponent. The contest will begin at 5 p.m. Friday at Bobcat Soccer Field.
Lady Bobcat head coach Dolores Deasley says the team is looking forward to the game.
"The girls are pretty excited," she said. "It's not every day you get to play the No. 4 team in the country. The girls are looking forward to the challenge and are excited just to play another game at home."
Deasley respects the EFSC program.
"Eastern Florida is very strong," she said. "Traditionally, they are a strong program and they are used to making the national tournament. They are experienced, they are well-coached and they will be well-organized.
"They are very talented and it's exciting to have teams like that on our campus. We are looking forward to playing them and kind of seeing where we are at. Hopefully, it will be a good game and we will have plenty of support at Bobcat Soccer Field."
The two teams met last year at EFSC and the Titans prevailed, 5-3. Four years ago, JCJC hosted EFSC in the playoffs and the Titans won, 2-0.
The Lady Bobcats are coming off an emotional weekend which saw them claim their second consecutive MACJC/Region 23 Tournament title.
Jones and Mississippi Gulf Coast played to a 1-1, double overtime tie in the semifinals, but JCJC advanced 4-3 on penalty kicks. In the championship game, JCJC got a goal from Mikayla Banks (Vicksburg) and two goals from Aimee Durn (Watford, England) and defeated previously unbeaten and 16^th-ranked Holmes, 3-2.
Lady Bobcat Mia Holmes (Brandon) was named the MACJC Goalkeeper of the Week for her performance at the tournament.
Because of several injuries, JCJC played the entire tournament in a 24-hour span with only two players off the bench.
"We've talked all season long about our 'wee army,'" Deasley said. "I've said to them all season that all we need are 11 players to field a team. I've told them not to worry too much about that and just be thankful for the opportunity to play the game and give it your all.
"They have kind of just gotten used to playing full games and not worrying about it. Their mindset has been very good and they are just excited to play."
After playing 110 minutes vs. MGCCC and then having to bounce right back and face a talented Holmes team the next afternoon, many observers did not give the Lady Bobcats much of a chance.
But Deasley's troops proved them wrong.
"We played the whole weekend with two subs and you would have thought by Sunday there was no way they were going to have their legs for another 90 minutes," she said. "They showed you the level of grit and sheer character and determination they had to get the job done.
"They are excited and they are hungry to win games. We saw that in the second half against Holmes the other night."
Eastern Florida features a team with 13 players from Florida, nine internationals, one from Georgia and one from California. Their international list consists of four players from England, two from Germany, one from Canada, one from Brazil and one from Spain.
Deasley said the Titans are, obviously, a strong team.
"They have several players back from last year," she said. "The (Nathili) DeSilva kid is back and is having a good year this year. They have a solid keeper and a solid backline. They have a couple of English girls in the middle.
"It's tough competing against a team that has no limits on their internationals, plus they are able to recruit from Florida as well. But that's not to take away from our Mississippi girls. Our girls will be ready to stand up and be counted against anybody in the world."
Last year, Jones made the long trip to EFSC in Melbourne, Florida, which is on the east coast. Deasley is hoping the lengthy return trip by the Titans will benefit the Lady Bobcats.
"It's a long way to go," she said. "We made that trip last year and I felt like we were on the road for a week when we came back. It's good that they have to come to us this time. We did not know going into last weekend if our sophomores would get to play on their field again. Hopefully, our team will perform well and enjoy it.
"We should be all right if we just stick to the gameplan and play our best."
Eastern Florida has made five straight trips to the national tournament and finished runnerup in 2012 and 2015. The Titans are a perennial power, but Deasley knows her team will give their best effort on Friday.
"One thing I've learned about these girls through the course of the year is that when it matters most they are going to stand up to be counted," she said. "I think there are probably already a lot of people counting them out of this game (Friday), but what I've learned about them is don't count then out too soon.
"Come (Friday) night, we will have just as good of a chance to win as they do. That's the beauty of the game. On any given day, anything can happen."
The winner of this game will advance to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, which will be at EFSC's home field in Melbourne from Nov. 13-18.