Men's Soccer | 11/2/2018 1:16:00 PM

ELLISVILLE – It could labeled as a "David vs. Goliath" matchup.
But the Jones College Bobcats plan on giving their all when they face No. 4 ranked Tyler Junior College (Texas) in the NJCAA South District playoffs this weekend.
This will be the first appearance ever for the Bobcats in the NJCAA playoffs.
Tyler has won the NJCAA Division I national championship two years in a row and three of the past four years. The Apaches have won six national championships in the past nine years and have finished runnerup twice.
Jones head coach Brendan Connolly said it will be quite a challenge for his team.
"Tyler is the real deal again this year," he said. "They are a team that you've got to beat if you want to win a national championship. This is the first round of the 'knockout stage' and I know we will get their best, so we've got to give them our best."
Jones is 14-2-1 entering the game, while Tyler is 17-2. 
On the 26-man Apache roster, there are 18 foreign players.
The Bobcats won the first-ever MACJC title for the men's program two weeks ago when they beat Southwest, 2-1, in overtime. Jones tied LSU-Eunice 4-4 in the Region 23 title game last week, but the Bengals were declared champions after getting a 4-2 advantage in penalty kicks.
Connolly said the Bobcats have already accomplished a great deal in 2018.
"This team has already made some history and they are continuing to do that," he said. "We are a bit inexperienced at this stage of the season. I think we are learning as we go along what we need to do and how we need to do to compete at this level."
Sophomore forward Thomas Carlile (Athgarvan, Ireland) leads the Bobcats in scoring with 55 points – 22 goals scored and 11 assists. Freshman Callum Harley (Whitley Bay, England) has excelled in goal throughout the year.
Jones has had few lulls during the season.
The Bobcats started out 3-0 before a loss and then put together a seven-game winning streak.
"So far, this season has been good," Connolly said. "We've been consistent and we've had very few bad performances that I can recall. We've had lots of good wins and lots of good come-from-behind wins. By doing that, it shows that we've had a lot of hunger and a lot of desire to win games.
"That's what we are in the business of doing – just continuing to win."
Connolly said the team would do its best to represent the MACJC.
"We are happy to still be playing," he said. "We are the only Mississippi team still playing and we are trying to relish the moment. We are just trying to continue to get better each day."
The Bobcats will arrive in Tyler on Friday evening.
The game will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday at Pat Hartley Field on the TJC campus.
"We've been preparing all week, so we will continue to prepare once we get there," Connolly added.
At stake for the Bobcats will be a trip to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, which will be Nov. 12-17 at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Florida.
"We are very excited," Connolly added. "The players are relishing this opportunity to go play the top program in the nation and try to compete for a spot at the national tournament."
There will be eight district champions and four at-large qualifiers for the 12-team national tournament.