Wallace State Wins District Title on Penalties
The Alabama program beat Patrick & Henry 6-5 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless 110 minutes, earning a berth in the national tournament.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Soccer
Wallace State men's soccer won the NJCAA Division II Southeast District Championship on penalty kicks, defeating Patrick & Henry 6-5 after the teams remained scoreless through 110 minutes. The win qualifies the Alabama school for the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
Why it matters
The result advances Wallace State to the national tournament in its second season under head coach James Fee. For Alabama soccer fans, it marks a notable run for a state junior college program against a ranked regional opponent.
Wallace State converted all six of its penalty kicks, with Senécal stopping Patrick & Henry's sixth attempt to seal the 6-5 shootout win after 110 scoreless minutes. The program is ranked No. 18 nationally, while Patrick & Henry is ranked No. 19, and the national field will be 12 teams.
The players
Wallace State Community College
Wallace State is a public two-year college in Hanceville, Alabama, whose soccer program competes in the NJCAA Division II ranks.
James Fee
James Fee is the head soccer coach of Wallace State in his second season leading the program.
Emrik Senécal
Emrik Senécal is the Wallace State goalkeeper who stopped Patrick & Henry's sixth penalty attempt to decide the shootout.
The details
The match was decided after 90 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute extra periods without a goal, sending it to a penalty shootout. Eduardo Gutierrez, Jared Orellana, Juan Gazga, Wilson Nichols, Luis Orta, and Matti Stöcker converted penalties for Wallace State, which played two games in two days to claim the title.
Timeline
Saturday, October 31, 2026: Wallace State wins the district championship on penalty kicks in Martinsville, Va.
Monday, November 15, 2026: The NJCAA Division II National Championship begins at the Spencer Soccer Complex in Huntsville.
Season Trajectory
The district title advances Wallace State into the NJCAA Division II National Tournament, a 12-team field that narrows the path for regional junior college programs. Winning the district on penalties keeps the Alabama program in contention within its second season under James Fee.
The district title locks in a national tournament berth, so Wallace State's path now runs through the 12-team national bracket starting Nov. 15. Fans planning to attend should watch for game times once the field is finalized.
The takeaway
A penalty shootout can decide a season, and Wallace State's perfect six-for-six showing shows how a single goalkeeper and steady finishing can carry a program into a national tournament.
What happens next
The NJCAA Division II National Championship begins Nov. 15 at the Spencer Soccer Complex in Huntsville, with game times to be announced once the 12-team field is set.
Further reading
For more on junior college play across the state, see our Soccer coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Cullman Tribune.
