Gulfport girls soccer team returning to state title game after win over Ocean Springs
Emily Boles’ one final kick was a microcosm of Gulfport girls soccer’s entire season.
The ball launched off Boles’ foot, over the goalie and into the net in the 56th minute of the Admirals’ thrilling 2-1 win over Ocean Springs in the 6A girls South State championship game.
The Admirals scored twice in four minutes, the second of which went unanswered.
“It felt really good, my brother was able to do that in his South State championship game against (Ocean Springs) a few years and so it felt really good to do it in mine,” Boles said after the game. “It was my first time playing in the South State championship, and it was the first time we beat (Ocean Springs) in four years so it felt amazing.”
The Admirals have seen plenty of playoff success under coach Christopher Pryor, and they’ve taken home a state title as recently as 2021.
But this season was different.
Gulfport lost 13 seniors from a team that lost early a year ago. The Admirals uncharacteristically allowed seven goals over two games in November, including a 3-1 loss to Ocean Springs.
To many observers, Gulfport was in a rebuild.
“When you graduate 13 seniors from last year’s squad, including the back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year, we lost Laila Johnson last year, a D-I signee, I think people just kind of wrote us off,” Pryor said. “I’m not going to lie to you, it was disappointing. But I felt invigorated, to be fair. There’s nothing more dangerous than a team with nothing to lose.”
The Admirals put together a 13-0-2 record between their loss to the Greyhounds two months ago and their heavyweight rematch in the semifinal round.
Tuesday’s win was the team’s 12th in a row, and marked the first time Gulfport’s senior class had successfully taken down Ocean Springs, the No. 1-ranked team in the state.
Just like Boles’ strike, which capped a two-goal spurt to overcame a 1-0 deficit and a 51-minute drought to open the match, Gulfport’s ticket-punching season has been a bounce-back.
“It just shows how much heart this team has,” said senior Mary Francis Symmes, who scored Gulfport’s first goal. “We don’t have the deepest roster in the world, but everyone cares so much and it means so much more.”
Gulfport heads to Jackson next, where it will face the winner of Lewisburg and Clinton.
The Admirals have won their three playoff games by a combined score of 13-1.
“With our fitness and the heart that we have, I felt like we had a good chance and the girls took care of business,” Pryor said.
Ocean Springs won the state title in 2019, but hasn’t returned to Jackson since then. The Greyhounds have come up short in the semifinal round in each of the past two years.
“Without these lows, the highs don’t feel as good,” Ocean Springs coach Neil Scott said. “I talked with the girls about that so they can pursue that in the future, but these are the tough ones. These are the ones you want to win... I’m super proud of my players, they’re an amazing group of girls and super talented.
“Things didn’t fall for us tonight, but we’ve got so many top-level girls coming back and, they definitely need a break, but they’ll be raring to go by next season. That’s something to look forward to at Ocean Springs.”
Gulfport is one of six South Mississippi schools that will be playing for a state title on Saturday. Joining the Admirals on the girls’ side will be West Harrison, Stone and St. Patrick.
The Long Beach and Bay High boys each earned a trip to Jackson, too. In total, 13 different teams from around the Coast reached the South State championship round, filling up nearly every one of the 16 available spots.
