TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (June 3, 2021) - The No. 2 Salt Lake Community College men's soccer team will open its quest for an NJCAA national title Saturday.

The Bruins, who ended the season with a Region 18 championship and an NJCAA West District title, will open the 2021 NJCAA Division-I Men's Soccer Championships in pool play. SLCC is assigned to a pool with No. 7 Barton County and No. 11 Coastal Bend, and will open the tournament with a Saturday matchup against Coastal Bend, followed by a Monday encounter with Barton.

Salt Lake coach Mark Davis said his team is looking forward to returning to the pitch after strong practices.

"The biggest goal is to play our best and get out of group play," he said. "We are putting all our energy on the first match; after the first match, will focus on the second match."

Pool play is set up to where the team with the highest number of points after the pool concludes play will advance to the national semifinals on June 9. Teams will be reseeded heading into the semifinals, with the national championship match scheduled for Thursday. 

The tournament will be played in Kansas, with matches taking place at Wichita's Stryker Complex. With hot-and-humid weather conditions forecasted, SLCC will spend time preparing for the differing conditions.

"We are really focused on drinking water, and staying hydrated and nutrition," said Davis. "We are not that focused on the weather, as it's something we really can't control. We're just focusing on ourselves and getting our team ready to play."

Updates and information on the Bruins will be available on slccbruins.com throughout the tournament.