By: Nathan DeHaan
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – On Tuesday, the Parkland men’s soccer team were announced as an at-large selection for the NJCAA DII Men’s Soccer Championship. The Cobras earned the No. 5 seed and will play in a round-robin pool against No. 4 seed Georgia Military College (13-2), the Atlantic District Champions, and No. 9 seed Mississippi Gulf Coast College (11-5-2), the Gulf South District Champions. This is the first time Parkland will be back at the Men’s Soccer National Tournament since 2016 when they finished 5th in the nation.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am for the players to be able to participate in the pinnacle of our sport, to represent Parkland College and our Champaign community at the NJCAA national tournament,” head coach Mark Sikora said after the announcement. “There is so much talent there and it is humbling to know that have earned our place this fall. Our goal is to continue to exhibit the high standard of competition that Parkland College Athletics is known for on the national stage. Without a doubt, this will be a challenge, but that is why we play. I am extremely proud to have the privilege to lead a fantastic group of young men in Wichita!”
Parkland’s first game will be Tuesday, November 16th versus Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College at 6:30 PM. Their second game against Georgia Military College will take place Wednesday, November 17th at 6:30 pm. There are four, three-team pools in the tournament. Round-robin pool play is Monday through Wednesday, with each team playing twice. The top-seed in each gets a day off between games. The winner from each pool advances to the semifinals, which will be Friday, Nov. 19. The finals will be the following day.
“It’s been a nerve-wracking week for us since our fate was so undecided,” admitted Sikora. “The coaches have been trying to explain that everything matters from preseason to postseason and being selected as one of 4 at-large qualifiers really drives that lesson home after our loss in the Region 24 final. Certainly, we felt confident that we should be in conversation when you look at our body of work from the entire regular season. Thankfully, the selection committee felt the same way.”
The tournament will be hosted at the Stryker Complex in Wichita, KS. All games will be streamed at http://njcaa.org/network. Fans can purchase a day pass for $10 or tournament pass for $25.
