(October 24, 2022) Enid, Oklahoma – It seemed like yesterday was August 28th, and the Bucks were hosting Rose State at Tapley Park on an emotional Sunday afternoon to kickoff their Region II Schedule. Now, it's the last week of October, and the brackets have been set for the Region II Tournament hosted by Visit Enid at the Advance Soccer Complex. This is the first event/games ever to be held at the complex.
The Bucks have made it on both the men's and women's side for the third straight season. The women are the #6 seed after a 4-10-0 region record, while the men are the #3 after finishing 5-4-1. Overall, the women sport a 6-12-0 overall record, while the men are 6-7-2. The ladies are making their third straight region tournament appearance after winning the first postseason game in school history last year. The men make the tournament for the fourth time in a row in four seasons and have played in the finals the previous three years. Both seasons that the Bucks won the Region II Championship, they entered the tournament as the #3 seed. Can they repeat history in 2022???
Women's Tournament Preview
Thursday, October 27th – Game 1 – 12 pm
#4 Eastern Oklahoma State College vs. #5 Murray State College – For the first time in school history, the Mountaineers received votes in the NJCAA DI Women's Rankings. On the season, Eastern beat the Aggies 3-1 and 1-0 in their two meetings. Winner gets #1 Seminole State at 9 am on Friday, October 28th.
Thursday, October 27th – Game 2 – 2:30 pm
#3 Rose State vs. #6 UA Rich Mountain – For the second straight season, the Raiders and Bucks meet in the Region II Tournament. Last year, it was in the semi-finals after the Bucks won their first postseason game in school history. On the season, Rose State won a pair of 2-1 matches over the Bucks. At home, the Bucks lost on a penalty kick in overtime. The Bucks have yet to beat the Raiders in four seasons. Is this the game the ladies get over the hump against Rose State? Winner gets #2 NOC-Tonkawa at 3 pm on Friday.
Friday, October 28th – Game 3 – 9 am
#1 Seminole State vs. Winner of Game 1 – The Trojans swept both the Mountaineers and Aggies on the season. Nationally ranked Seminole State has advanced to the National Tournament three years running. Can they make it for the fourth time?
Friday, October 28th – Game 5 – 3 pm
#2 NOC-Tonkawa vs. Winner of Game 2 – The nationally ranked Mavericks swept both the Raiders and Bucks on the season by a combined score of 15-0. If the Mavericks win, they could setup a showdown between ranked teams with Seminole State. The Mavericks and Trojans split on the year, each winning at home in 1-0 matches.
Saturday, October 29th – Game 7 – 1 pm
Winners of Games 3 & 5 – Will somebody knock off one of the nationally ranked teams to shake things up, or will it be a battle of who advances to the District Tournament with Region 9, while the other bids for an at-large to the National Tournament???
Men's Tournament Preview
Friday, October 28th – Game 4 – 11:30 am
#1 Eastern Oklahoma State College vs. #4 Murray State College – Like on the women's side, Eastern received votes in the NJCAA DI Men's Rankings this season for the first time in school history. Undefeated in region play, the Mountaineers swept the Aggies on the season, 4-2 and 1-0. Eastern did tie Rich Mountain and Rose State during the season. Can the Aggies do what nobody else has done this season and beat Eastern to advance to the region finals??
Friday, October 28th – Game 6 – 6 pm
#2 Rose State College vs. #3 UA Rich Mountain – For the third time in four seasons, the Bucks and Raiders meet up in the tournament. The previous two times, it was for the Region II Championship, which was split. On the season, the Rose State beat the Bucks 1-0 and 3-1 in their two meetings. As previously mentioned, the Bucks have made the region championship game the previous three seasons and won it the two times they were the #3 seed. Can they do it again???
Saturday, October 29th – Game 8 – 3:30 pm – Region II Championship
One thing is for sure on the men's side, once you make it to the tournament, it's anybody's to win. Can Eastern remained unbeaten in the region and advance to travel to the Region 5 Winner for the District Championship? Can the Bucks advance to the championship game for the fourth straight year in only four soccer seasons in school history, and win it for the third time as the #3 seed? Or will the Aggies or Raiders advance? The championship is up for grabs, and it's anybody's to win in Enid.
#GOBUCKS