Men's soccer team prepared for national tournament opener in Daytona

The Eastern Florida State College men's soccer team is heading to the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament next week for the third time in the past six years.

The Titans are back in the national tournament as the No. 5 seed after winning the Southeast District championship last weekend in Georgia.

"We are really excited as a group to make it to Nationals," Eastern Florida State College men's soccer coach Oliver Twelvetrees said. "We have worked really hard as a collective group to this point and will continue to do so to perform at our optimum level throughout the tournament."

The Titans are in Pool D in the tournament and will open Tuesday evening against No. 9 seed Cowley Community College and then play No. 4 seed Marshalltown Community College on Wednesday. Both games will be at 5 p.m. at Daytona State College.

Daytona State College was the start of a six-game win streak for the Titans and now they return with hopes of winning the programs first national championship.

"We have had to really dig deep since the regular season game against Daytona, winning in essence five playoff games in succession which has helped shape us as a team," Twelvetrees said. "Playing at Daytona will give us a certain degree of familiarity which can only be beneficial for the team and staff."

Eastern Florida State College has had some success in games at Daytona State College where they are 1-0 this season and coach Twelvetrees is 3-1-1 in his past five games.

Overall, the Titans are on a roll, allowing just four goals in the past 10 games and are 9-1 in those games.

"The boys hard work, determination and belief in each other has helped us get here and we need to continue to improve to reach our ultimate goal," Twelvetrees said.

Tickets are $10 at the gate or $40 for the week at Daytona State College. Fans can also pay to watch the games online at NJCAATV.com