ALBANY, GA - In opening ceremonies at the NJCAA Division I Soccer Championships, head Marshalltown Community College men's soccer coach Rafael Martinez, was named NJCAA Great Lakes District Coach of the Year, leading the Tigers to a 14-6-1 season and birth into the National Championship Tournament.

At the Championships, the Tigers went 1-1 in pool play action. The Tigers fell to NJCAA Division I, 4th ranked Tyler Junior College (19-2-1) 3-0 on Monday, but came back to defeat 9th ranked Jefferson College (14-7-1) 2-0 on Tuesday.

A 2-0 Jefferson regulation win over Tyler would have created a three-way tie in pool play, forcing a playoff game. If Jefferson claimed a two point victory over Tyler and the Apaches scored at least one goal, the Tigers would have come out on top of pool D and moved into the semifinal round.

Tyler knocked off Jefferson College Wednesday night, ending the MCC men's soccer team's hopes of a semifinal birth. With the 3-0 win over the Vikings, the Apaches will advance out of pool D and play on Friday.

The Region XI Champion Tigers are set to return to Marshalltown today.