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Tyler beats Monroe College for 4th DI Men's Soccer title in 6 years

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL  |  BOX SCORE  |  AWARDS  |  PHOTOS


PRESCOTT, Ariz. – Tyler (Texas) was crowned NJCAA Division I Men’s Soccer champions after defeating Monroe College (N.Y.) 2-1 in the championship match of the national tournament. The victory gave the Apaches their fourth national title in six years with their other championships coming in 2009, 2010 and 2012.

In the 36th minute, sophomore midfielder Yaw Amankwa out ran two opposing defenders into a breakaway and sent a ground ball to the left pocket of the net to put Tyler up, 1-0.

Moments later, the Apaches advantage grew when Monroe freshman midfielder Mamadou Balde received a red card in the 40th minute after taking the legs out from under a Tyler player at midfield. Balde left the game and the Mustangs played a man short for the final fifty minutes of play.

The Apaches widened their lead to 2-0 in the 49th minute when sophomore defender Liam McNally sent a free kick curving over the Monroe line and into the back of the net.

Monroe responded in the 78th minute with a goal from sophomore midfielder Tarek Beckles. A throw-in from the Mustangs landed at the feet of Beckles who pushed the ball through the defense and shot the ball past the Tyler keeper. His unassisted goal put the score at 2-1 with under thirteen minutes left in the game.

Despite remaining efforts from Monroe to even the score and force additional play, Tyler held off until the 90-minute buzzer sounded to officially secure their victory and the championship crown.

Amankwa was named Tournament MVP after scoring a goal in all four of Tyler’s victories. For the week, he totaled six goals and an assist. Apaches sophomore forward Nazeem Bartman, freshman midfielder Ricardo Gomez and sophomore defender Milton Sangabriel joined Amankwa on the all-tournament team.

Coming in as the No. 4 seed, Tyler’s run to their fourth title began with two shutout victories in pool play. The Apaches opened with a 4-0 win over No. 9 seed CCBC Essex (Md.) and closed out pool play with a 5-0 rout of No. 5 seed Pima. 

Winning their final eight matches, Tyler finished their year with a 21-3-0 overall record. Despite entering the tournament as the No. 10 seed, the Mustangs knocked off top-seed Iowa Western in pool play and closed their season at 12-4-2.


Photo courtesy of Terry O'Keefe