ELLISVILLE – The Jones College men's soccer program has been among the state's best in recent years.
 
The Bobcats have won five of the past seven MACCC titles, including a championship in 2024. Tenth-year head coach Brendan Connolly said there are several factors that contribute to the program's success.
 
"We have great leadership here at Jones," Connolly said, who is 104-39-9 in his time at Jones. "It is a place that demands success and we aim to bring that each year. The success we have had on the soccer pitch comes from each group of players year in year out placing the team above themselves. We recruit a lot of talented players each year and we strive to make them great teammates and ultimately build a great team that can win championships each year."
 
The Bobcats, ranked No. 13 in the NJCAA Division II preseason poll, have a good balance to the roster with 11 sophomores and 12 freshmen. 
 
Sophomores on this year's team will be goalkeepers Joshua Goodwin (Oak Grove) and Brax Rials (East Rankin Academy), forwards Matt Reed (England) and Dylan Dykes (Petal), midfielders Landen Linares (Petal), Cole Cress (Jackson Prep) and Eskil Instebø (Norway) and defenders Parker Sellers (Oak Grove), Andrew Pearce (Forrest County AHS), Cade Thortis (Northwest Rankin) and Tripp Alexander (Gulfport).

Reed was an All-MACCC Second Team selection in 2024.

"We have an amazing group of returning lads that had some success last year and we know they can lead a very talented group of incoming players so we are excited for this season," Connolly said. "We are excited to see the growth of returning players like Tripp Alexander, Cole Cress, Dylan Dykes and Landen Linares into key performers for us."
 
The Bobcats went 11-3-3 last year and played a difficult non-conference schedule. 

This year's slate will be no different with the Bobcats opening the season in Westfield, Ind., on Aug. 23 vs. Heartland (Ill.) and on Aug. 24 vs. Western Iowa Tech. They will also travel to play games in Georgia vs. Georgia Military College and Andrew College and will host National Park College (Ark.), Enterprise State (Ala.) and Northeast Alabama.
 
"We start the season with eight out of conference games," Connolly said. "The first two games will be at the JUCO Kickoff Classic in Indianapolis. This is a great chance for the lads to play against some of the top teams in the nation. It's a long trip so we are looking forward to the team coming together on this long road trip."
 
In the MACCC, Pearl River is ranked No. 8, Mississippi Gulf Coast is No. 12 and Hinds is No. 19. 
 
Connolly said the conference is loaded once again.
 
"The MACCC will be very competitive again this year," he said. "There are no easy opponents and each game has its own script that we need to be prepared for. We love the challenge of playing in such a tough conference – it brings the best out of us."
 
Former Bobcat player Dalton Morgan is back for his third season as an assistant coach and Dave Brown begins his first year with the Bobcats. Shawn Hunter returns as goalkeepers coach.
 
"I am very pleased and thankful for our staff this year," Connolly said. "We are excited to see what Dave can bring to our program. Dalton knows what it takes to win as a player and as a coach now at Jones so we look forward to his continued growth. Shawn prepares our goalkeepers so well through the week."
 
The Bobcats open the home portion of the scheduled with a 6 p.m. contest on Sept. 3  vs. No. 12 Mississippi Gulf Coast in a game that does not count in conference play.
 
All home games are scheduled to air on jcbobcats.com/watch. Tickets are available online for $7 at jcbobcats.com/tickets or $10 cash only at the entrance.