PERKINSTON – The 9th-ranked Jones College Bobcats made history here Sunday afternoon at Bary Thrash Field on the campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
 
The Bobcats defeated No. 12 Pearl River 4-1 to capture its third straight MACCC Tournament championship. Jones also won the Region 23 title in the process, which enables the Bobcats to qualify for its first-ever NJCAA Division II National Tournament. The nationals will be June 5-10 in Wichita, Kansas.
 
Bobcat head coach Brendan Connolly said his team has been playing with confidence. Jones is 12-3 and has won six straight games.
 
"For us, I just feel like that we know how to win at the end of the day," he said. "We felt it, we knew it was there and we went and took it."
 
The game was scoreless until the second half.
 
The Bobcats broke the ice when Elean Fajardo (Oak Grove) scored in the 62nd minute. Matt Burke (Brandon) then scored off an assist by Fajardo in the 77th minute to give the Bobcats a 2-0 lead.
 
However, Pearl River got a penalty kick from Mohammed Diallo in the 79th minute to tighten things up at 2-1.
 
But the Bobcats instantly responded. 
 
Bennett Gibson (Sacred Heart) scored 23 seconds later in the 79th minute off an Andrew Craig (Northwest Rankin) assist to make it 3-1.
 
Connolly said that goal was crucial.
 
"You are kind of nervous at that moment in the game," he said. "But Bennett Gibson has really stepped it up in the second half of the season and for him to get that goal was fully deserved. I'm really proud of him. The game went perfect for us, apart from giving them a goal. We are getting used to winning and we want to win and we want to keep that going."
 
John Mark Rose (Jackson Prep) closed the scoring with a goal in the 84th minute, getting his own rebound off a header and drilling it in an open net.
 
Bobcat goalkeeper Peyton Wilbanks (Madison Central) went the full 90 minutes and had seven saves.
 
Jones ended up taking 18 shots, 10 shots on goal. The Wildcats took 12 shots and had eight shots on goal.
 
Each team had four corner kicks. The Bobcats were called for 20 fouls and PRCC was whistled for 17 fouls.
 
The Bobcats will find out on Thursday where they will be seeded and who they will face in Wichita.
 
Connolly said it will an exciting trip for the Bobcats.
 
"We knew all year that one of our teams from the MACCC was going to get into the national tournament," he said. "That was a little carrot we were chasing. We are there and there is a possibility that one of our other teams will get an at-large bid. I think the quality of our conference is such that we can get two teams in there this year.
 
"We've won our last seven games and with our ranking, I hope we can be one of the top seeds. I hope one of the other MACCC teams can get in there, too."
 
It's been a different soccer season this year because of COVID-19.
 
The MACCC usually plays its matches in the fall, but the NJCAA postponed the 2020 fall season to this spring because of the coronavirus.
 
Connolly said it's been a long haul to get to this point.
 
"We started talking about this getting in group messages a while back," he said. "Every team in our league has been like that. This is the most competitive the league has ever been. Pearl River, Mississippi Gulf Coast, Hinds ….you have to give them credit for getting this season in and having a really good, competitive season."
 
In the end, the Bobcats rose to the challenge and captured their unprecedented third straight conference crown.
 
"I'm saying back-to-back-to-back," Connolly said. "I'm not going to say 'three-peat.' We're just going to keep adding 'back' to them. I'm really proud of the lads."
 
The NJCAA Division II National Tournament will consist of four pods of three teams each.
 
Pearl River is now 11-4-1 and the Wildcats will wait and see if they receive an at-large bid.
 
The Bobcats had defeated Hinds 4-2 in the semifinals on Saturday to reach the title match.