[NJCAA DIVISION I MEN] Yavapai will seek its third straight NJCAA Division I men's title at the 2009 national championships, which begin Thursday at Mercer County Community College.
The Roughriders are making their 19th trip to the national tournament after beating Arizona Western 2-0 on goals by Kyle Woodson and Jonathan Castro.
Host Mercer County, Yavapai's longtime rival for national supremacy, lost to Essex in the round of 16 and didn't qualify for this year's final eight.
No. 1 Tyler seed improved to 18-0-0 with wins over Mississippi Gulf Coast 1-0 in overtime and Western Texas 4-3 to reach the finals.
Among the top scorers on hand are Louisburg's Carl Munday, who is third nationally with 66 points (28 goals and 10 assists), Kevin Ellis of Barton, who is eighth with 50 points (21 goals and eight assists in 19 games), David Malloy of Yavapai, who is ninth (21 goals and eight assists in 21 games), and the Essex pair of Herve Valcourt (18-11-47) and Sheldon Palmer (17-11-45), who are 10th and 11th, respectively.
Nov. 19 in West Windsor, N.J.
First Round
#1 (9:30 am) Tyler (18-0-0) vs. #8 Iowa Central (17-4-0)
#2 (Noon) Yavapai (18-4-0) vs. #5 Louisburg (17-2-1)
#3 (2:30 pm) Georgia Perimeter (20-1-0) vs. #7 Essex N.J. (15-2-2)
#4 (5:00 pm) Schoolcraft (16-1-2) vs. #6 Barton County (20-3-0)