EUNICE, La. – Third-ranked LSU Eunice Men's Soccer will begin its postseason in south Texas as the Bengals invade Coastal Bend College on Saturday, October 28 for the first round of the NJCAA Division I Gulf South District Tournament. The eight-team single elimination tournament will culminate with a championship game on Friday, November 3.
Despite a 12-1-1 record, the No. 4 Bengals will serve as the three seed in Region 14's North Division, going to No.2 South Division representative, Coastal Bend College. First kick from Beeville, Texas is scheduled for 1:00PM.
The winner of the Gulf South District Tournament will receive an automatic berth into the 2023 NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Wichita, Kansas from November 12-18.
The game against the Cougars will be a rematch of last year's District Tournament opener thriller, won by LSUE 4-3 in overtime.
LSU Eunice enters this postseason looking to bounce back after its first setback of the season, falling to No. 13 Western Texas College 2-1. The Bengals have used a high-powered offense and suffocating defense to a 12-win regular season, the second most in a season in program history. Five of LSUE's victories have come against NJCAA ranked teams, the second most victories over ranked opponents in the nation. LSUE has scored 55 goals this season, ranked 9th nationally, while posting the third most shut outs in the NJCAA with nine.
Jose Luis Bustamante (Bogota, Colombia, Colegio Andino) leads the LSUE offense in both goals (9) and assists (6) as his 24 points ranked 23rd overall nationally.
Zachary Clary (Pensacola, FL, Tate HS) has shined in net for the Bengals with a 0.57 goals against average, ranking fifth in the country, in addition to the third-best save percentage in the nation at .898.
Coastal Bend enters the postseason ranked 13th in the final NJCAA Division I polls with a 10-3-3 record. The Cougars' tandem of Jaden McKree and So Nagano lead the Coastal Bend offense with eight goals each, while goalkeeper Ryan Walsh-Rowe sports a 1.37 goals against average.
Other first-round matchups include Tyler JC and Jacksonville College, Angelina College and Northeast Texas CC, and Parish JC hosting Blinn College. The winner of the Bengals and Cougars will take on the winner of Tyler JC and Jacksonville College on Wednesday, November 1.
2023 NJCAA Division I Gulf South District Tournament
Higher Seeded Team Hosts Each Round
First Round – Saturday, October 28
1N. Tyler Junior College (13-1-1) vs. 4S. Jacksonville College (1-14-2) – 6:00PM
2S. Coastal Bend College (10-3-3) vs. 3N. LSU Eunice (12-1-1) – 1:00PM
1S. Angelina College (10-0-2) vs. 4N. Northeast Texas CC (3-8-2)– 7:00PM
2N. Paris Junior College (4-9-2) vs. 3S. Blinn College (13-6) – 6:00PM
Semifinals – Wednesday, November 1
TJC/JC Winner vs. CBC/LSUE Winner – Time/Host TBD
AC/NTCC Winner vs. PJC/BC Winner – Time/Host TBD
Championship Game – Friday, November 3
Semifinals Winners – Time/Host TBD
