Thursday marked the opening games of the NJCAA National Tournament. The Stars had been riding a high from the success of the State Tournament and were anxious to play. Game one went very well with FCCJ posting a 6-4 win over Southeastern Community College from Iowa.
We had a great crowd. Over half of our 18 players had friends or relatives come out for the tournament. From Mom and Dads, to sisters and brothers, and grandparents, aunts and uncles, FCCJ had a rowdy crowd of 40 or so all cheering the team on in the 11 a.m. game. It really made for a special atmosphere and a chance to share such a wonderful experience with the student-athletes and their families.
After the game, the team traveled back to a restaurant for lunch. The Egg and I is a local establishment that our team host had recommended on Wednesday. The girls liked it so much, they asked to return there on Thursday. This was okay as long as they won the first game. The return to The Egg and I was greeted with excitement and the staff was happy for the extra business from the parents and families.
The team then traveled back to the hotel for a little rest before the second game. In between the games, we had to return for the opening ceremonies of the tournament. Each team and their hosts were introduced and marched onto the field with their State flags and college banner. We entered in front of the other Florida team, Gulf Coast Community College, and the two Florida teams were able to stand together and represent the state and region together.
After the ceremony, the team drove around a little before returning to warm-up for their game with Blinn College out of Texas. Game two was not as kind to the Stars and Blinn won 2-1. Everyone is disappointed but still very focused on the task at hand and feel good about our chances to be successful.
Game three is Friday at 11 a.m. MDT (1 p.m. EDT) and our opponent is Spartanburg Methodist College. If things work out, we will play at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 8 p.m. (all MDT) Friday, but we must win against Spartanburg to have a chance to worry about the 1 p.m. game.