Tiger men’s soccer team picked to repeat as conference champs
Defending Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Division 1 Men’s Soccer regular season champions and 2024 NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer National Runners-Up Cowley College has been picked to defend their league crown in 2025 as part of the KJCCC D1 Men’s Soccer preseason order of finish as voted on by league coaches on Tuesday, August 12th.
"Being picked first in the conference is an honor, but we have a lot to prove," Cowley head coach Marcos Ribeiro said. "This really doesn't mean much. We have still got to put in the work. This adds a little more pressure, but we are pumped for the season."
With all five coaches submitting ballots as part of the preseason poll, the Tigers received 29 total points and four of six first-place votes to edge out Barton Community College, which received 27 points and the remaining two first-place votes. The Tigers and Cougars met in last year's NJCAA D1 Men's Soccer Plains District Tournament title game, which saw Cowley win 2-1 for the second-straight season to earn a National Tournament berth for the fourth-straight year. Since 2018, the NJCAA Division 1 Men's Soccer Plains District Champion has been Cowley or Barton, with the Tigers winning the district titles in five of the seven years.
Picked to finish third was Dodge City as the Conquistadors posted a five-win season under first-year head coach Juan Espinal, who will enter year two after receiving 21 points in the preseason poll. Seward County was picked fourth after finishing fourth in the regular season last year and advancing to the NJCAA D1 Men's Soccer Plains District Tournament semifinals, where they fell to Cowley in their second season as a program. SCCC received 19 points to finish ahead of Coffeyville and Garden City, who tied for fifth in the poll with 12 points each.
Coffeyville will be the first KJCCC D1 men's soccer team to start their season as the Red Ravens will play at noon on opening day when they take on the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain on Thursday, August 21st, to begin their 2025 campaign. Barton will take on Trinidad State College in a neutral-site game in Dodge City on Friday, August 22nd, to start their season, while Cowley, Garden City, Dodge City, and Seward County will all begin their respective seasons with non-conference matches on Saturday, August 23rd. Conference play will start on Wednesday, September 10th, with two matches as Dodge City will play at Coffeyville, while Barton will head to Seward County, as each of the six teams in the conference will play 10 total conference matches throughout September and October.