WICHITA, Kan., November 17, 2023 – The opportunity to be the first back-to-back NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Champion since 2017 is calling for the Monroe College Mustangs men's soccer team, as the Mustangs are once again in the NJCAA Championship final in 2023, one year after taking home the trophy in Melbourne, Fla. The No. 4-seed Mustangs are set to take on No. 7 Tyler Junior College in a battle of two of the top NJCAA Div. I men's soccer programs of the last decade.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
2023 NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Championship
NJCAA Championship Central
Final: Saturday, Nov. 18 – 5:00 PM ET (4:00 PM CT)
Stryker Sports Complex – Wichita, Kansas
 
No. 4 Monroe College vs. No. 7 Tyler Junior College
 
CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE
Watch Live exclusively on ESPN+
Live Stats: MonroeCollegeMustangs.com/MSOCLiveStats
Monroe College Residence Life will be hosting a watch party in the Gaddy Cafeteria
 
NJCAA DIVISION I MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS
Monroe College has the opportunity to be the first back-to-back NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Champion since 2016-17, when Tyler Junior College won in consecutive seasons.
 
In the 2022 title game, the Mustangs defeated No. 7 seed Arizona Western College, 2-0. In 2021, Iowa Western Community College defeated No. 7 seed Arizona Western, 2-0. Tyler Junior College enters Saturday's championship game as the No. 7 seed.
 
Tyler won its first NJCAA Championship in 2009 and has six national titles in total. Tyler has twice had a run of winning three titles in four years, doing so in 2009, 2010 and 2012, as well as 2014, 2016 and 2017.
 
Monroe won its first NJCAA Championship in 2019, and then did it again in 2022. Monroe has been to the NJCAA Championship Final five times since its first appearance in 2011, winning its last two chances. Monroe will be making its sixth appearance in the NJCAA Championship Final, and as the No. 4 seed, this will be the sixth different seed number that the Mustangs have reached a final as (No. 5, No. 10, No. 2, No. 1, No. 3).
 
Since 2009, there have been 14 NJCAA Championship Finals. In that time, 11 championship games have involved either Tyler or Monroe. Monroe and Tyler have faced off in the championship game on two occasions, with Tyler winning both as the higher seed. 2023 is the first championship matchup between the two in which Monroe enters as the higher seed.
 
2005 was the first year (according to the NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Record Book) that the tournament was seeded. Since then, the No. 4 seed has appeared in the championship game five times, winning on four of those occasions. The No. 7 seed has made the championship game three times, but has never won the title.
 
NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Championship Archives
 
HOW WE GOT HERE
The Mustangs and Apaches have taken very different paths to reach the national championship game. Monroe came in as the No. 4 seed, having won the East District Championship, and was the top team in Pool D for the pool-play round of the tournament. Tyler got into the tournament as an at-large selection after falling to Angelina College in the Gulf South District Final. As the No. 7 seed, Tyler was the middle team in Pool B.
 
Monroe opened tournament play on Sunday against No. 9 Cowley College. The two teams went through double overtime with a 2-2 stalemate, forcing the game to a penalty-kick shootout, in which the Mustangs came out on top, 4-2. The Mustangs then picked up a 1-0 victory over No. 5 Angelina to win Pool D and advance to the semifinals. Monroe took on Pool C winner, No. 3 Salt Lake Community College, in Thursday's semifinal. Neither team was able to get on the board in the game, requiring another penalty-kick shootout to determine a winner. The Mustangs were triumphant once again with a 3-2 win in the shootout to move on to Saturday's championship.
 
Tyler got its week started on Monday against No. 11 Murray State College, picking up a 4-2 victory in its first Pool B matchup. The Apaches then upset the No. 2 seed, Eastern Florida State College, 1-0 on Tuesday to become Pool B's representative in the semifinals. Facing off with No. 1 Arizona Western, the Apaches took a 4-1 lead on the Matadors before a late run closed the gap at 4-3, but Tyler held on to pick up the win and advance to the championship game.
 
HOW THEY STACK UP

#4 MONROE	STAT (NJCAA RANKING)	#7 TYLER
12-2-3	RECORD	18-2-1
45 (25th)	GOALS	87 (2nd)
32.65 (21st)	GOALS PER GAME	4.14 (5th)
0.60 (1st)	GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE	0.62 (3rd)

#4 MONROE	STATISTIC	#7 TYLER
1-0-2	RECORD	3-0-0
3	GOALS SCORED	9
2	GOALS ALLOWED	5

 
TEAM LEADERS
#4 Monroe College

Points:
Tal Torgeman (18)
Felipe Jaime Arruda (14)
Gun Ha Lee (14)
Ryosuke Tanaka (14)
Sunao Yamamoto (14)
 
Goals:
Tal Torgeman (7)
Ryosuke Tanaka (6)
Sunao Yamamoto (6)
 
Assists:
Felipe Jaime Arruda (4)
Gun Ha Lee (4)
Alejandro Silvestrini (4)
Tal Torgeman (4)

Goalkeeper:
Alvaro Ramos
7-1-3
0.53 Goals-Against Average
.838 Save Percentage
 
#4 Tyler Junior College

Points:
Ato Smith Jr. (42)
Hagan Cupido (26)
Noe Robles (23)
 
Goals:
Ato Smith Jr. (18)
Hagan Cupido (10)
Noe Robles (9)
 
Assists:
Diomario Adamson (11)
Mydas Smalls (10)
Hagan Cupido (6)
Ato Smith Jr. (6)