The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is hosting their Division I Women’s Soccer Championship at Foley Sports Tourism (FST) November 11 – 17.
The tournament consists of twelve teams from around the country, eight of whom qualified by winning their district championships: Lewis & Clark Community College, Iowa Western Community College, Monroe Community College, Monroe College, Butler Community College, Tyler Junior College, Eastern Florida State College, and Paradise Valley Community College. The NJCAA also added four at-large bids to the tournament this year: Navarro College, Arizona Western College, Laramie County Community College, and Moraine Valley Community College.
All the qualifying teams are familiar with the national stage, each school having qualified at least three times previously. The exception being number-four seed Arizona Western College, who will be appearing at the national championship for the first time. The competition will be intense as defending champion and number-one seed Tyler Junior College looks to win its fourth title in ten years.
The tournament kicks off with a banquet at the Foley Event Center Sunday, November 11, followed by three days of pool play, November 12 – 14. The four teams who advance out of pool play will head into a direct elimination bracket with the championship game slated for Saturday, November 17.
The week full of action will bring an international spotlight to Foley with all games being streamed live on NJCAATV. With a number of international students on the rosters, it’s likely there will be friends and family from around the world watching.
This will be the first time Foley has hosted NJCAA soccer, but the association is familiar with the city after hosting golf here in May.
“Foley in the past has been a terrific host for our national championships, most recently with the NJCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship,” said Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA President and CEO. “The city’s terrific venues coupled with comprehensive and dedicated local involvement ensure that our teams and fans making the trip for this fall’s Division I Women’s Soccer Championship will enjoy their experience.”
FST Event Operations Coordinator Luke Persall said the city wants to make sure all the tournament visitors enjoy their time both on and off the field.
“This is an incredibly intricate tournament and a new and exciting challenge for our team,” said Persall. “While this tournament is new, we approach it with the same goal in mind, to give our visitors an experience that will have them return, whether they’re playing on our fields or not.”
To learn more about the NJCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship or any FST event, check out our events page.
