HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team outlasted bitter conditions as they defeated the Upper Iowa peacocks 5-2 on Thursday evening. The Tigers improved to 9-5-2 overall and 6-1 in MIAA play as the Peacocks dipped to 5-9 on the year and 0-6 in conference play.
It didn’t take long for the Tigers to get on the board as Fort Hays State utilized the brisk wind behind their backs and junior Tobias Patino connected on a pass to Derick Gonzalez who then set up Abdoulaye Cisse to score the first goal of the game in the ninth minute. Cisse scored his eighth goal of the season and Gonzalez kept his team record streak of consecutive matches tallying a point alive with his 12th assist on the year.
The Tigers went into halftime with a little help from the Peacocks as they scored an own goal in the 45th minute to push the Tiger lead to 2-0. With the wind advantage, the Tigers were able to get 11 shots and five shots on goal in the first period.
The Peacocks were determined to get on the board out of the break with the wind at their backs and got what they ordered. Upper Iowa scored their first goal of the match in the 50th minute as Efrain Gonzalez, Jr set up Italo Martins with a through ball that Martins lobbed over the head of Michael Yantz and found the back of the net to cut the Tiger lead in half, 2-1.
After a sequence of four straight shots from Brian Ness, Benji Granillo, Raul Fierro and Granillo again, Gonzalez was able to sneak one past the keeper for his team-leading ninth goal of the season on the rebound from Granillo’s blocked shot to give the Tigers the 3-1 advantage in the 61st minute. The Peacocks were able to find a hole in the Tiger defense to cut into the lead once again roughly two minutes later on a flick off of a corner kick delivery from Ryan Crabtree with Tate Lofdahl scoring his first goal of the season.
The Tigers struck again in the 72nd minute of the match when Nathan De La Hoya, Gonzalez and Ness dribbled the ball between each other in the box and Ness took advantage and delivered a strike in the back left corner of the net doubling the Tigers lead to 4-2. Ness picked up his second goal of the season and Gonzalez added another assist to his increase his season total to 13 and now owning the season record for most assists in year in program history.
FHSU was not done on this blustery fall night as Fierro earned his seventh score of the year on a blocked shot attempt from Luis Mendez that beat keeper Connor Rortvedt and gave the Tigers the 5-2 lead in the 88th minute.
Yantz earned the victory in goal for the Tigers tonight as he improved his overall record to 7-4-2 on the season. Fort Hays State outshot Upper Iowa 27 to 6 in the match, with a 16-5 advantage of shots on frame.
The Tigers are back in action on Sunday (Oct. 29) as they host the Lindenwood Lions for at least a share of the conference title with a win. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.