CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team fell to sixth-ranked Midwestern State Saturday afternoon (Sept. 9), 4-1. The Tigers fall to 0-3-1 on the season with the loss, while the Mustangs continue their perfect season at a 4-0 clip.
The Tiger offense was aggressive in the first half as seven different Tigers were able to find an opening in the defense for a scoring opportunity. However, only four of those eight shots were on target, all of which were saved. The defensive unit also had posted a solid first half, holding the potent Mustang offense in check throughout the first 45 minutes.
The tide began to turn out of the break as FHSU surrendered the first goal early in the second half on a header from Mustang Laurence Chamberlain. MSU continued the offensive onslaught, ramping up its offensive output with a pair of goals from Julian Barajes in the 76th minute and Steve Pondeca in the 80th minutes to give the Mustangs a comfortable three-goal lead.
The Tigers continued to fight back aggressively as Derick Gonzalez pushed a free kick from 20 yards out into the back of the net, giving the Tigers life in the 83rd minute and cutting the deficit to 3-1. Midwestern State quickly responded, as Koby Sapon-Amoah clipped the inside of the far post from just outside the box nearly one minute after Gonzalez’ goal to increase the Mustang lead back to three. That score held up until the end of the match, keeping the Mustangs’ undefeated season in check.
Fort Hays State finished the match with the advantage in shots, rifling off 14 on the afternoon. The Tigers also took four more corner kicks than Midwestern State, but could not find the back of the net more than the lone goal. Tobias Patino and Gonzalez each attempted three shots in the contest to lead the Tigers, while senior Michael Yantz collected six saves in goal.
The Tigers will be in action again next week with a pair of matches in Washington state on Thursday and Saturday (Sept. 14, 16). The Black and Gold will continue the search for their first win on the season against Seattle Pacific and Western Washington.
FHSU Sports Information