EUNICE, La. – For the first time in the program's short three-year history, LSU Eunice men's soccer will be on the national stage. The Bengals qualified for the NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer National Tournament as one of four at-large berths for the 12-team tournament set for June 5-10 at the Stryker Soccer Complex in Wichita, Kansas.
The tournament field was unveiled on the NJCAA's social media platform on Thursday morning.
LSUE (10-3-1) was selected as the top at-large team and named the number eight seed. The Bengals are in Pool A to start tournament play, grouped with No. 1 Iowa Western and No. 12 Laramie County. LSUE will face Laramie County on Sunday, June 6 at 10:00AM, followed by another 10:00AM start time against Iowa Western on Monday, June 7.
The tournament consists for four three-team pools playing round robin action from June 5-7. Pool winners advance to a four-team single elimination tournament culminating in the Championship Game on June 10 at 7:00PM.
The Bengals are one of three teams from the Gulf South District to advance to the National Tournament. District champion Tyler JC is slotted as the No. 6 seed, while Coastal Bend was another at-large team at No. 11.
The third time was the charm for head coach Josh McReynolds and the Bengals as the team has been one win short of a Nationals berth the last two years.
LSUE heads into Kansas with one of the staunchest defenses in the country, ranked seventh nationally in shutouts with six clean sheets. Goalkeeper
Vinicius Cadengue (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Instituto Federal de Brasilia) sports a 0.90 goals against average with 35 saves. Center back
Euwin Stevens (Cape Town, South Africa, Kasselsvlei Senior Secondary) headlines the back line including a knack for the dramatic with three game winning goals.
Freshman forward
Jose Escobar (Fort Pierce, FL, Fort Pierce Central HS) is the team leader with goals with five, while midfielder
Elie Bokota (Atlanta, GA, Clarkston HS) is tied with Escobar for the lead in points with 13.
The Bengals' pool features two perennial powers in Iowa Western and Lamarie County. The Reivers make their eighth national tournament appearance, while the Golden Eagles were national semifinalists a season ago.
2021 NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer District Championships
Wichita, Kansas | Stryker Sports Complex | June 5-10, 2021
Pool A
1.Iowa Western CC (13-0-2), 8. LSU Eunice (10-3-1), 12. Laramie County CC (8-2-2)
Pool B
2. Salt Lake CC (13-0-1), 7. Barton County CC (12-2-1), 11. Coastal Bend College (9-3-2-)
Pool C
3. Daytona State College (8-0-1), 6. Tyler JC (9-3-2), 10. Iowa Lakes CC (10-4-1)
Pool D
4. Western Texas College (8-0-1), 5. Harcum College (11-0-0), 9. Snow CC (10-2-1)
Pool Play – June 5-7
Semifinals (Pool Winners) – June 9, 4:00PM/7:00PM
Championship – June 10, 7:00PM
