Men's soccer team gets rematch in first game at national tournament

The Eastern Florida State College men's soccer team will open the NJCAA National Tournament on Monday afternoon in Wichita, Kansas.

The Titans, who are the No. 6 seed at 14-2-2, are back in the national tournament for the second straight season and will play No. 10 seed Murray State  at 4 p.m. EDT at Stryker Sports Complex.

It will be a rematch of last year's national tournament opener between the two teams and the Titans will be looking to get even with the Aggies. Last year Eastern Florida State College dominated possession but Murray State scored three times in the second half to post the 3-2 win. 

"I just think we got slightly unlucky in the Murray State game, then the Tyler game we knew we had to win by two," sophomore Zac Ford said. "We know we are a good side and can beat anyone, we just need to be as confident as possible."

Murray State comes into this year's tournament 18-1 on the season and won the Mid-West District Championship, beating Ranger College 2-0.

The men will play No. 3 Salt Lake Community College in the final game of pool play at 4 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. The winner of the group will advance to Thursday's semifinal.

"We are so tight on and off the field and especially on the field, we trust each other and we are all good players so there is that respect we have for each other, we know everyone can perform and has the ability," Ford said. "We are looking forward to being back in the tournament."

Fans can watch the games live on the NJCAA Network for $12 per game or $20 for the tournament. You can also follow the team all week on the EFSC Titans X page as well as at efsctitans.com