HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team battled No. 22 Rogers State to a 2-2 draw Sunday afternoon (Nov. 17) inside FHSU Soccer Stadium. But with the GAC/MIAA Championship on the line, the match didn’t end after two overtimes and 110 minutes. The Hillcats of Rogers State prevailed in a penalty kick shootout, besting the Tigers 4-3.

To get to the title match, FHSU handled the Harding University Bisons in a 3-1 victory, while Rogers State commanded a 2-0 victory over Northeastern State University.

The two advancing sides featured the top two seeds in the tournament field. Fort Hays State, the regular season conference champions, entered the match ranked eighth in the latest NCAA Super Region 3 rankings, while the second-seeded Hillcats are listed at No. 11 in the region rankings.

Fort Hays State was able to strike first in the opening half. A cross sent into the middle of the six-yard box provided heaps of trouble for GAC first team goalkeeper Dillon Dean. As the ball bounced through a mixed group of Tigers and Hillcats, junior Arsenio Chamorro was taken down by Dean. After a slight pause, central referee Brian Bauer allotted for a Fort Hays State penalty.

Perfect from the spot this season, junior captain Moritz Walther began his routine. On the blow of the whistle, Walther began his run up and hit a driven ground ball to the center of the goal, sending Dean diving to his left.

Just nine minutes later, Rogers State retaliated with a goal of their own from the foot of Chris Sowder. Callum Hubble sent a ball into the box from the right wing. FHSU goalkeeper Cullen Fisch attempted to make a diving stop to send the ball out of the danger zone, but the ball just grazed off the keeper’s fingertips. Sowder extended his leg and tapped the ball just inside the far post to even the match score up at one in the 19th minute.

The two sides carried a draw into the locker room, featuring a very even matchup with the Tigers leading the Hillcats by two in shots and corners taken over the first 45 minutes.

The second half of regulation featured another back and forth battle, ending with four corners taken and Rogers State leading by just one shot.

Tournament MVP Noah Robson resumed the scoring in the 56th minute when winger Jordan Watson fought off a challenge and relinquished possession to Robson, who was playing just beyond the edge of the 18-yard box. The senior forward took one touch and then ripped a shot through a window of Tiger defenders.

With the ball soaring towards the net, Fisch took two steps and leapt in an attempt to make a save, but was unable to reach the ball that had nestled into the upper most right corner of the goal—putting Rogers State out in front, 2-1.

However, only four minutes later, Fort Hays State junior forward Mauricio Etcheverry equalized the match on a breakaway. With Agudelo to his right and Rogers State freshman defender Manuel Camarena at his tail, the Asuncion, Paraguay native took his shot on goal.

Slipping just in front of the stretched leg of defender Michael Turner, the shot proceeded to one-hop and slide under Dean as it bounced into the back of the net.

There would be six registered shots in the second half, only one requiring a save from Fisch until the horn blew to signal the end of regulation.

A pair of shots were attempted in the first overtime periods. Both sides remained poised and attempted runs in the behind the defense from the wings, but neither team was able to clock in the game-winning goal.

With under two minutes remaining in the second overtime period, a foul was called on Tigers senior Sergio Villalba, who was giving chase to a Hillcats attacker making his move on the Fort Hays State back line. The senior midfielder was ultimately called for a foul, being handed a red card and reducing FHSU to ten men.

The Black and Gold managed to defend the Hillcats free kick and see out the remaining time on the clock.

With regulation and both overtime periods coming to a close, the two sides geared up for penalty kicks.

Both head coaches, Gerry Cleary and Derek Larkin, would enter in two more names on the team sheet for penalty kicks. FHSU’s Kieran Brown and RSU’s Austin Wormell would see their first action of the day and be tasked in goal.

Chamorro was the first player to step up for the Tigers and would miss the target on his attempt. Robson followed with his attempt and beat Brown at the center of the goal. Each penalty kick taker in rounds two, three and four would hit the back of the net, giving the Hillcats a 4-3 advantage heading into the final round.

Junior Ross Boyd stepped up to the spot and rifled a shot to the left of the goal. Wormell jumped off of his line at the moment of impact and created a save that crowned the Hillcats as GAC/MIAA Champions.

The final result of the match snapped the longest home winning streak in the nation at 25 games. But with the official result going in as a draw, the Tigers kept a 27-match unbeaten streak alive in the record books.

Fort Hays State sports a 13-5-2 record on the 2019 campaign. The Black and Gold will now await the NCAA Selection Show, hoping to be selected as a team in a field of 40 to continue their postseason.

Ranked No. 8 in the Super Region Rankings, the Tigers avoided a loss in the conference tournament and remained unbeaten against No. 11 ranked Rogers State this year, officially posting a 2-0-1 record in the head-to-head even though penalty kicks decided which team hoisted the GAC trophy on Sunday in Hays. Rogers State was on the outside of the top 10 of the super region rankings going into conference tournament week, but a tie with the Tigers may not be enough to get into the NCAA field. The GAC does not receive an automatic qualifier for its tournament champion.

No. 9 ranked Indianapolis sat idle all week after a loss in the early rounds of the GLVC Tournament. No. 12 ranked Wisconsin-Parkside topped No. 10 ranked Saginaw Valley State in the GLIAC title match, so Wisconsin-Parkside will claim one of the three automatic qualifying spots for the NCAA Tournament from Super Region 3. Fort Hays State will have to see if its name is called as one of the seven from the super region to get an at-large selection. The Tigers are hoping to make their eighth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

That selection process is slated for a 5:30 p.m. CST announcement on Monday, Nov. 18 on NCAA.com.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The winningest senior class in the program’s NCAA Division II history went out with a bang on Saturday as Fort Hays State posted a record-setting 91-7 win at Northeastern State to close out the season at Doc Wadley Stadium. FHSU broke both its single-game and season scoring records, finishing at 8-3 overall.

The 91 points shatters the single-game mark of 66 set earlier this season in a win at Lincoln. The Tigers finish the year with 455 points in just 11 games, going past the mark of 446 set by the 1995 team in 12 games. The Tigers also finish the year averaging 41.4 points per game, and that breaks the 1995 team’s scoring average record of 37.2 per game.

**Note: FHSU had a team in 1913 score 125 points against the Salina All-Stars, which was not a college, so this is a new record against a collegiate opponent.**

It didn’t look like a complete runaway early as FHSU scored just 13 points in the first quarter, but a landslide of points befell NSU in the second quarter, 42 to be exact, and FHSU led 55-7 at halftime. Two consecutive Voshon Waiters rushing touchdowns in the third quarter pushed the Tigers past the single-game scoring record to a 69-7 lead. Te’Corey Tutson added another rushing touchdown late in the third to push the advantage to 76-7.

Senior Kyler Kinnamon picked up his first touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 5-yard pass from Trey McJunkin. Adrian Soto also scored his first collegiate touchdown in the fourth, a 65-yard sprint to the endzone untouched. The senior La Crosse, Kansas duo of Andrew Jay and Sheldon Schmidt connected on a 2-point conversion play that pushed the final tally for the Tigers to 91.

The Tigers had a very senior-themed touchdown scoring compilation in the first half. Harley Hazlett started the scoring on a 19-yard pass from Chance Fuller. Charles Tigner and D.J. Hickman each followed with touchdown plunges from a yard out. Matt Wendelberger joined the scoring act next on a 9-yard pass from Fuller. Tigner added another one-yard touchdown run before Layne Bieberle snagged a 1-yard touchdown pass from Fuller. A defensive touchdown by Sterling Swopes on a 48-yard fumble recovery interrupted the senior scoring streak, but Tigner followed again with a 2-yard pass from Fuller.

With the four passing touchdowns by halftime, Fuller found himself on top of the single-season passing touchdowns list with 35 this season. That topped the school record of 34 thrown by Shawn Behr in 1995. He finished the year with 3,344 passing yards, the fourth most in a single-season in FHSU and his 258 completions for the season are second most.

When the dust settled, Fort Hays State finished with 734 yards of total offense. It was still a little shy of the school record 761 yards produced by the 1970 team against Southern Colorado.

The Tiger defense nearly had a shutout with just one defensive breakdown on a 73-yard touchdown pass by the RiverHawks in the second quarter. The Tigers were rock solid outside of that mistake, allowing just 123 total yards for the game. It was the fewest yards allowed to an opponent since a 15-0 win over Adams State on September 15, 2001. Tanner Hoekman led the Tigers with seven tackles to finish with 294 in his career, tying Layton Hickel for sixth on the career tackles list in the NCAA era.

Bieberle finished second on the all-time receiving yards list at FHSU with 2,625 by adding 68 to his overall total on Saturday. Bieberle was the seventh Tiger to pass the 2,000-yard receiving mark earlier this season and Hazlett joined that fraternity on Saturday as the eighth, now with 2,038 after a 58-yard receiving effort. Hazlett holds the all-time receptions record at FHSU with 184 and Bieberle joins old record holder Eric Busenbark in a tie for second with 168.

Dante Brown finished the year with 109 kicking points (19 field goals and 52 PATs). The 2018 Don Hansen Division II Special Teams Player of the Year put up 232 points over two seasons. He is the only kicker in program history to break the 100 mark, and did it two consecutive years.

Fort Hays State reached eight wins in a season for the fifth straight year and the senior class went out with a record of 36-11. The Tigers also produced their seventh consecutive winning season, which dates back to 2013.

LINDSBORG, Kan. – The No. 17 Fort Hays State wrestling team had five wrestlers take first place at the eighth annual Swede Open Saturday (Nov. 16), hosted by Bethany College. The Tigers had more first-place finishers than any other school (Nebraska-Kearney 4, Newman 1). Two of the other nine Tiger wrestlers to compete also finished in the top four in their respective weight class.

Jonathan Ball took the crown at 149 pounds after finishing 4-0 with four different types of wins. The sophomore opened the day with a 17-2 tech fall before pinning his opponent in the quarterfinals. Ball advanced to the finals with a 6-1 decision before winning the title with a 12-3 major decision.

A.J. Cooper had little trouble navigating through the bracket at 285 pounds, winning all five of his matches to secure the title. The junior won his first three bouts via tech fall, dominating Wyatt Wells (Labette CC) 18-3, defeating Dustin Mason (Bethany) 20-2 and crushing Nate Connelly (Hastings) 18-0. Cooper earned a spot in the title bout thanks to an 8-3 decision against Lee Herrington (Nebraska-Kearney) before recording a late pin in the championship bout against Korinthian Nabors (Lindenwood-Belleville).

Tereus Henry had quite the day, going 5-0 to win the 197-pound competition thanks to four pins. The freshman won his opening bout with a pin just seconds before the final horn sounded and added another pin in the first period of the second round. Henry moved on to the semifinals thanks to a sudden victory win over Jace Lacaille of Nebraska-Kearney before getting back to dominating his opponents. He advanced to the championship thanks to another first period fall before taking down another Loper, Andrew Demos, with one minute remaining in the championship bout.

Aryus Jones took home first place at the Swede Open for the second year in a row after dominating the 184-pound bracket. Jones pinned his first two opponents in less than 20 seconds before moving on to the finals with an 18-0 first period technical fall in the semis. The sophomore had to go the full seven minutes in the championship bout, but still did not drop a point in a 5-0 decision.

Marty Verhaeghe took home first place in the 174-pound division thanks to a 4-0 day. He recorded a pin in the first round before winning via decision in the next three rounds. He came away victorious in the championship bout thanks to a go-ahead takedown with 70 seconds left on the clock, earning a 6-4 decision.

Anthony Scantlin reached the championship bout at 157 pounds after three-consecutive wins before finishing in second place. The sophomore picked up a 10-0 major decision in his first match before recording back-to-back decisions in the quarters and semis. Scantlin finished the day 3-1 after dropping the first-place match via a 5-1 decision.

Conrad Cole reached the semifinals after three-straight victories, including an 11-0 major decision and a pin. The senior dropped a narrow 6-3 decision in the semis before recovering with a 15-0 technical fall in the consolation semis. He finished fourth after coming up short in the third-place match.

The Tigers will return to the mat next weekend when they travel north to Kearney, Neb. for the Younes Hospitality Open on Saturday, Nov. 23.

Mason Turner – 125 pounds
Champ. Round 1 – Mason Turner (Fort Hays State) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 – Mason Turner (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Konner Alejandro (Hastings) (Fall 1:50)
Quarterfinal – Studd Morris (Unattached Central Oklahoma) won by decision over Mason Turner (Fort Hays State) (Dec 8-4)
Cons. Round 4 – Blayne Harris (Cloud County Comm College) won by medical forfeit over Mason Turner (Fort Hays State) (MFF)

Dy’Juan Carney – 133 pounds
Champ. Round 1 – Dy’Juan Carney (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Alec Segarra (Nebraska Kearney) (Fall 1:42)
Champ. Round 2 – Dy’Juan Carney (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Rhett Miner (Colby CC) (Fall 4:34)
Quarterfinal – Tyler Lawley (Newman) won by fall over Dy’Juan Carney (Fort Hays State) (Fall 2:13)
Cons. Round 4 – Bobby Robinson (Ottawa) won by fall over Dy’Juan Carney (Fort Hays State) (Fall 1:38)

Conrad Cole – 133 pounds – 4th place
Champ. Round 1 – Conrad Cole (Fort Hays State) won by major decision over Andy Rojas (Colby CC) (Maj 11-0)
Champ. Round 2 – Conrad Cole (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Blake Leiszler (Cloud County Comm College) (Dec 7-4)
Quarterfinal – Conrad Cole (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Parker Hardy (Hastings) (Fall 2:14)
Semifinal – Austin Kolvek (Baker) won by decision over Conrad Cole (Fort Hays State) (Dec 6-3)
Cons. Semi – Conrad Cole (Fort Hays State) won by tech fall over De`Khyale McFarland (Neosho community college) (TF 15-0)
3rd Place Match – Edrich Nortje (Hastings) won by fall over Conrad Cole (Fort Hays State) (Fall 2:58)

Kadin Heacock – 149 pounds
Champ. Round 1 – Ethan Ewing (Neosho community college) won by decision over Kadin Heacock (Fort Hays State) (Dec 7-6)
Cons. Round 1 – Mouhammad Sangariev (Colby CC) won by decision over Kadin Heacock (Fort Hays State) (Dec 9-3)

Jonathan Ball – 149 pounds – 1st place
Champ. Round 1 – Jonathan Ball (Fort Hays State) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 – Jonathan Ball (Fort Hays State) won by tech fall over Cordell Hunt (Labette Community College) (TF 17-2)
Quarterfinal – Jonathan Ball (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Teontae Wilson (Nebraska Kearney) (Fall 5:00)
Semifinal – Jonathan Ball (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Kaleb Canoyer (Nebraska Kearney) (Dec 6-1)
1st Place Match – Jonathan Ball (Fort Hays State) won by major decision over John Fox (York) (Maj 12-3)

Anthony Scantlin – 157 pounds – 2nd place
Champ. Round 1 – Anthony Scantlin (Fort Hays State) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 – Anthony Scantlin (Fort Hays State) won by major decision over Cole Denny (Neosho community college) (Maj 10-0)
Quarterfinal – Anthony Scantlin (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Cole Halouska (Dakota Wesleyan) (Dec 7-1)
Semifinal – Anthony Scantlin (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Taygen Smith (Hastings) (Dec 8-7)
1st Place Match – Tyler Cunningham (Nebraska Kearney) won by decision over Anthony Scantlin (Fort Hays State) (Dec 5-1)

Josh Lenker – 157 pounds
Champ. Round 1 – Josh Lenker (Fort Hays State) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 – Dallas Boone (Neosho community college) won by tech fall over Josh Lenker (Fort Hays State) (TF 21-3)
Cons. Round 2 – Josh Lenker (Fort Hays State) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 – Brenner Vogan (Unattached) won by decision over Josh Lenker (Fort Hays State) (Dec 9-3)

Marty Verhaeghe – 174 pounds – 1st place
Champ. Round 1 – Marty Verhaeghe (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Dailen Presgrove (Oklahoma Wesleyan) (Fall 4:36)
Quarterfinal – Marty Verhaeghe (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Jensen McDermott (Benedictine) (Dec 8-3)
Semifinal – Marty Verhaeghe (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Wyatt Hayes (Nebraska Kearney) (Dec 10-5)
1st Place Match – Marty Verhaeghe (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Cameron Young-Leggett (Ottawa) (Dec 6-4)

Clint Herrick – 184 pounds
Champ. Round 1 – Clint Herrick (Fort Hays State) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 – Branden Cardwell (Neosho community college) won by decision over Clint Herrick (Fort Hays State) (Dec 3-2)
Cons. Round 2 – Clint Herrick (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Matthew Ordonez (Bethany) (Fall 4:25)
Cons. Round 3 – Clint Herrick (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Eli White (Benedictine) (Dec 3-1)
Cons. Round 4 – Clint Herrick (Fort Hays State) won by major decision over Ridge Smith (Oklahoma Wesleyan) (Maj 8-0)
Cons. Round 5 – Clint Herrick (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Tyson Villalpando (Neosho community college) (Dec 8-4)
Cons. Semi – Joey Ewalt (Barton) won by tech fall over Clint Herrick (Fort Hays State) (TF 15-0)

Matt Hook – 184 pounds
Champ. Round 1 – Matt Hook (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Matthew Ordonez (Bethany) (Dec 7-3)
Champ. Round 2 – Nate Panagakis (Newman) won by fall over Matt Hook (Fort Hays State) (Fall 1:44)
Cons. Round 2 – Matt Hook (Fort Hays State) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 – Dakota McCaleb (Labette Community College) won by decision over Matt Hook (Fort Hays State) (Dec 5-1)

Aryus Jones – 184 pounds – 1st place
Champ. Round 1 – Aryus Jones (Fort Hays State) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 – Aryus Jones (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Tyson Villalpando (Neosho community college) (Fall 0:15)
Quarterfinal – Aryus Jones (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Chase Pywell (Bethany) (Fall 0:20)
Semifinal – Aryus Jones (Fort Hays State) won by tech fall over Joey Ewalt (Barton) (TF 18-0)
1st Place Match – Aryus Jones (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Nate Panagakis (Newman) (Dec 5-0)

Tereus Henry – 197 pounds – 1st place
Champ. Round 1 – Tereus Henry (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Joshua Wilson (Bethany) (Fall 6:48)
Champ. Round 2 – Tereus Henry (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Timothy Carter (Lindenwood-Bellville) (Fall 1:48)
Quarterfinal – Tereus Henry (Fort Hays State) won in sudden victory – 1 over Jace Lacaille (Nebraska Kearney) (SV-1 12-10)
Semifinal – Tereus Henry (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Dylan Newton (Neosho community college) (Fall 2:53)
1st Place Match – Tereus Henry (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Andrew Demos (Nebraska Kearney) (Fall 6:02)

LJ Flax – 285 pounds
Champ. Round 1 – LJ Flax (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Mateo Pena (Labette Community College) (Fall 6:12)
Champ. Round 2 – Elwin Trejo (Cloud County Comm College) won by fall over LJ Flax (Fort Hays State) (Fall 3:36)
Cons. Round 2 – LJ Flax (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Jacob Sabus (Central Christian College) (Fall 2:40)
Cons. Round 3 – Malique Trumbo (Unattached) won by fall over LJ Flax (Fort Hays State) (Fall 3:21)

A.J. Cooper – 285 pounds – 1st place
Champ. Round 1 – A.J. Cooper (Fort Hays State) won by tech fall over Wyatt Wells (Labette Community College) (TF 18-3)
Champ. Round 2 – A.J. Cooper (Fort Hays State) won by tech fall over Dustin Mason (Bethany) (TF 20-2)
Quarterfinal – A.J. Cooper (Fort Hays State) won by tech fall over Nate Connelly (Hastings) (TF 18-0)
Semifinal – A.J. Cooper (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Lee Herrington (Nebraska Kearney) (Dec 8-3)
1st Place Match – A.J. Cooper (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Korinthian Nabors (Lindenwood-Bellville) (Fall 7:00)

HAYS, Kan – Fort Hays State volleyball rolled to a 3-1 senior day victory over the Missouri Southern State Lions on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 16).

This victory moves FHSU to a 7-21 overall record and a 4-16 mark in conference action to end the 2019 campaign.

After an early 9-8 scoreline in favor of the Tigers, Missouri Southern, lead by Janelle Brehm with 17 kills throughout the match, snatched five straight points to push out to a 13-9 lead.

Continuing their fight, FHSU saw kills landed from freshman Delaney Humm, senior Morgan West, and freshman Mykah Eshbaugh, but couldn’t crack further than three points into the Lions lead. Missouri Southern would go on to take the first set, 25-20, on a service ace by Alicia Pickett.

The Tigers opened up the second set with the first point on a service error from Missouri Southern’s Morgan Nash. However, the Lions entered a three-point swing to own a 3-1 lead. Fort Hays State would regain the advantage on a five-point run headed up by Humm, which included two of her three service aces in the match.

The second frame would move on to feature runs by both sides, until the Tigers were able to establish control with senior Abbie Hayes behind the service line. FHSU would continue to enter their fifth run of the set by collecting the final three points at the hands of Humm and Eshbaugh.

Humm and freshman Emily Ellis lead the opening action in the third frame for FHSU, claiming responsibility for six of the first 10 points. Still down by two, junior Tatum Bartels’ kill provided a spark that lead to lead-changing momentum.

With the Tigers recently gaining the lead at 13-12, junior Taylor White stepped behind the line and sent her second ace of the afternoon over the net, forcing the Lions to call a timeout. Eshbaugh, Humm, and Bartels would be the only Tiger athletes to register points for the remainder of the set.

FHSU locked up their second consecutive set victory on Humm’s 18th kill of the match.

Holding their first 2-1 lead since facing off against No. 14 Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 2, the Tigers battled to open the final frame. Neither the Lions or the Tigers were able to establish much separation until the Black and Gold earned five straight points, headlined by three kills from freshman Morgan Christiansen. This created their first lead since a 6-5 score earlier in the set.

Missouri Southern evened the game back up at 21 points each. A bad set by the Lions’ Morgan Nash and an attack error by Shaylon Sharp created a small window of separation for the Tigers. Two points later, Bartels would end the day with her 11th kill.

Freshman Delaney Humm lead the way for the Black and Gold, landing 20 kills at a .370 clip and notching 19 digs—two shy of her career best in both kills and digs. Bartels was responsible for 11 kills on the day while Ellis and Christiansen trailed her with five each.

All three of the seniors honored on Saturday afternoon saw action in the match. West contributed three kills and a block in two sets played, while Kyle Brown collected her minutes in the first frame.

Hayes starred at libero in her final appearance as a Tiger and featured a team-leading 21 digs, just one behind Missouri Southern’s Emalee Lowe. Following the match, the Tigers No. 43 moved into sole possession of fifth place all-time for digs per set in a career with 3.51.

Fort Hays State at Colorado School of Mines
Saturday, November 16, 2019 – 4 pm CST
Radio: KFIX (96.9-FM)
LISTEN LIVE

Fort Hays State at UC-Colorado Springs
Sunday, November 17, 2019 – 4 pm CST
Radio: KJLS (103-3.FM)
LISTEN LIVE

After a 2-0 start to the season, Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball returns to action on Saturday and Sunday in Colorado. The first stop on the road trip is Colorado School of Mines, the No. 14 ranked team in the nation by the NABC, in Golden before traveling to UC-Colorado Springs. Colorado School of Mines is 1-1 so far, while UCCS sits at 2-0 going into the weekend. Games on both days begin at 4 pm CT / 3 pm MT.

Fort Hays State claimed a pair of wins in Arkansas last week with an 88-78 win over Arkansas Tech and a 58-53 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State. The Tigers had a balanced scoring effort over the two games with seven players reaching double figures at least once. Aaron Nicholson, Jared Vitztum, and Nyjee Wright are all averaging a team-high 12 points per game.

Colorado School of Mines plays its third game of a seven-game home stand to open the season. The Orediggers were upset on their home floor in the season opener against St. Mary’s University (Texas), 85-84 in overtime. However, they bounced back with a blowout 75-47 win over Lubbock Christian. Fort Hays State claimed a 75-71 win over Colorado School of Mines last year in Hays, but the Tigers fell in double overtime in the 2017-18 meeting in Golden by a score of 109-101.

The meeting between UC-Colorado Springs and FHSU on Sunday will be the final game of a four-game home stand to open the year for UCCS. The Mountain Lions won their first two games last week, 69-61 over Midwestern State (Texas) and 90-62 over Cameron (Okla.). UCCS will play Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday before hosting the Tigers on Sunday. FHSU defeated UCCS 67-51 last year in Hays as FHSU extended its record in the all-time series with UCCS to 12-0.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State men’s soccer defeated the Harding University Bisons 3-1 in the first GAC/MIAA semifinal on Friday to advance to the title game Sunday. The Tigers victory improves their record to 13-5-1 overall in 2019, while the Bisons fall to 9-7-2.

GAC Freshman of the Year Alec Bevis put the Tigers on the board early in the match. In the eighth minute, junior Mauricio Etcheverry sent a corner into the box. Flying over the heads of every defender, Bevis beat his man at the opposite edge of the six-yard box and tapped the ball into the back of the net—beating goalkeeper Carlos Calderon to the near post.

Fort Hays State was able to strike again just 10 minutes later. A cross from Etcheverry rattled between a trio of Harding defenders. After a pair of touches from the Bisons, the ball fell right to the feet of Arsenio Chamorro, who displayed a clinical finish past a diving Calderon to extend the Tiger lead to two goals.

With just under three minutes remaining in the first half, FHSU won a free kick spotted in their attacking third. Senior Moises Peralta stepped up with confidence and drilled a ball towards the goal, rattling off of the crossbar from nearly 40-yards out.

The Black and Gold grabbed their third goal of the match in the 69th minute. Seniors Joey McCain and Santiago Agudelo played a pair of passes, the first off of McCain’s throw-in and the second from Agudelo’s back-heel, down the line. McCain, sprinting from the sideline put a cross towards the center of the six-yard box. Chamorro, who had scored previously, jumped in front of his defender. Sticking his foot out, he redirected the ball to the far post, past the outstretched hands of Calderon.

While Fort Hays State persisted with aggression on the offensive end and retained possession for a majority of the match, Harding was able to lessen the margin in the 72nd minute when Jeremy Nwonumah was sent through on goal and beat goalkeeper Cullen Fisch for the Bisons only score of the contest.

The Tigers registered 17 total shots on Friday afternoon, four of which hit the target. Fisch remained active at the anchor of FHSU’s defense, notching five saves.

The victory puts Fort Hays State through to their match on Sunday afternoon against Rogers State. The Hillcats fought to a 2-0 victory over the Northeastern State RiverHawks on Friday night (Nov. 15).

FHSU defeated Rogers State in both meetings throughout the 2019 campaign—the first meeting resulted in a 2-0 victory in Hays, Kan. while the latter match was a 1-0 scoreline in Claremore, Okla.

The Tigers hold a 2-1 series lead all-time over the Hillcats.

Sunday’s championship contest between the two sides is slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team dropped a hard-fought match against Pittsburg State on Friday (Nov. 15), 28-30, 23-25, 25-16, 25-14. The Tigers outhit the Gorillas on the day, but late PSU rallies in the first and second set made the difference. The Tigers move to 6-21 overall and 3-16 in MIAA play, while the Gorillas improve to 14-14 on the year and 9-10 in conference action.

Fort Hays State tallied a .198 attack percentage on the day while limiting Pittsburg State to a swing rate of .176 thanks to nine total team blocks. The Tigers had a significant edge in digs, 105-90.

Morgan Christiansen led the team with an impressive .526 attack percentage, recording 11 kills and just one error on 19 swings while adding four blocks (one solo). Tatum Bartels added 10 kills, six digs and five blocks (two solo). Morgan West and Mykah Eshbaugh tallied nine kills each, with Paige Baird and Delaney Humm adding eight kills apiece. Katie Darnell recorded a double-double with 38 assists and a career-high 21 digs. Abbie Hayes led the team with 28 assists and added the lone service ace for the Tigers.

The teams went back and forth for the entirety of the opening set, with neither team leading by more than two. Pittsburg State was the first team to reach set point at 24-23, but a kill from Christiansen extended the set. Baird and West added kills to extend the set before Darnell added a kill to give the Tigers a chance at set point, 27-26. After the Gorillas tied things up, Humm found the floor with a big kill to give the Tigers another chance at the set, but the Gorillas responded with three consecutive points to secure the win, 30-28.

The Tigers trailed by as many as five late in the first set, 22-17, before going on a 6-1 run to tie things up. Kills from Christiansen and West combined with four Pitt State errors combined to help the Tigers level the score at 23-23 before the Gorillas used another late run to take the set, 25-23.

Fort Hays State never trailed in the third set, taking the first two points and seven of the first 10. Two kills from Mykah Eshbaugh anchored a 6-0 run late in the set to help the Tigers take complete control, 20-9. Christiansen recorded a solo block to give the Tigers a chance at set point before combining with Humm on a set-clinching block, giving the Tigers a 25-16 win. Pittsburg State responded with its best set of the afternoon, posting a .302 attack percentage en route to a 25-14 win.

The Tigers will wrap up the regular season Saturday (Nov. 16) when they host Missouri Southern for Senior Day. First serve is set for noon from Gross Memorial Coliseum.

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer had seven student-athletes named to the All-GAC Team for the 2019 season on Thursday evening (Nov. 14). Santiago Agudelo is the Offensive Player of the Year, Sergio Villalba is the Defender of the Year, Alec Bevis is the Freshman of the Year, and Gerry Cleary is the Coach of the Year. The Tigers received three first-team, two second-team, and two honorable mention selections.

First-team selections went to senior forward Santiago Agudelo, senior defender Sergio Villalba, and sophomore midfielder Rogelio Lopez.

Agudelo adds another conference player of the year honor to his impressive resume as a Tiger. The Frisco, Texas native was the MIAA Player of the Year in 2018 and adds the GAC Offensive Player of the Year honor this season. Agudelo has 34 points on the season, producing 14 goals and 6 assists to lead the GAC-Champion Tigers. Last year, he also received the D2CCA Central Region and National Player of the Year awards with 58 points (26 goals, 6 assists). He now has a total of 92 points in his two seasons on the field for the Tigers, which is a school record.

Villalba receives the GAC Defender of the Year honor and the first all-conference first team honor of his career at FHSU. A native of Asuncion, Paraguay, Villalba is now a three-time all-conference recipient after earning All-MIAA Second Team honors in 2016 and 2018. Last year, he also earned D2CCA All-Central Region 2nd Team honors. Villalba has appeared in 78 matches throughout his career at FHSU playing 6,285 minutes, accmumulating 32 points (13 goals, 6 assists).

Lopez is now a two-time all-conference performer by earning first-team honors in the midfield. The Katy, Texas native was the MIAA Freshman of the Year in 2018, while also garnering an all-conference second team selection. Has 10 points this season to rank fifth on the team and has a total of 24 points over 36 matches in two seasons at FHSU.

Second-team selections went to junior defender Moritz Walther and senior midfielder Mauricio Etcheverry.

Walther is now a two-time all-conference performer at Fort Hays State. The Wiesloch, Germany native earned All-MIAA First Team and D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team honors last year as a midfielder. Walther moved to the back line to strengthen the Tiger defense this year, but still ranks third on the team in scoring with 12 points (5 goals, 2 assists). Walther has 24 points over two seasons at FHSU. He was also named a GAC/MIAA Distinguished Scholar Student-Athlete for having more than 70 college credit hours and at least a grade point average of 3.7.

Etcheverry picks up the first all-conference honor of his career at FHSU. The Asuncion, Paraguay native has 12 points in his career over 60 matches at FHSU, producing 3 goals and 6 assists.

Earning honorable mention nods were freshman defender Alec Bevis and freshman midfielder Jacob Basden.

Bevis is the 2019 GAC Freshman of the Year. The Wichita, Kansas native leads FHSU in minutes played this year with 1,580. He has played entire matches in 14 of 18 contests so far this year, while helping FHSU allow an average of 1.3 goals per match. He also has two points this year, both on assists.

Basden has been a nice steady addition to the midfield for FHSU this year. The Dural, Australia native has logged 817 minutes and started 11 of the last 14 contests.

Cleary picks up conference coach of the year honors in his first season guiding Fort Hays State. By guiding FHSU to the conference regular season title, Cleary has now led collegiate programs he has coached to 16 conference titles. This is Cleary’s eighth conference coach of the year honor after earning the distinction seven times as a head coach at Martin Methodist College.

Below is the 2019 All-GAC Men’s Soccer Team.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – FORT HAYS STATE – Santiago Agudelo, F, Sr., Frisco, Texas

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – FORT HAYS STATE – Sergio Villalba, D, Sr., Asuncion, Paraguay

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR – ROGERS STATE – Jaime Ponce, D, Jr., Enid, Oklahoma

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – FORT HAYS STATE – Alec Bevis, D, Wichita, Kansas

COACH OF THE YEAR – FORT HAYS STATE – Gerry Cleary

GAC/MIAA ELITE SCHOLAR STUDENT-ATHLETE
Joshua Tatarian, Northeastern State

GAC/MIAA DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR STUDENT-ATHLETES:
Moritz Walther, Fort Hays State
Andre Cunha, Harding
Jonathan Curnutt, Harding
Matheus Ribeiro, Harding
Erol Banuelos, Rogers State
Jarrod Cooper, Rogers State
Jake Simpson, Rogers State

All-GAC/MIAA First Team
* F FORT HAYS STATE – #9 Santiago Agudelo, Sr., Frisco, Texas
F NEWMAN – #14 Eddie Jabbari, Sr., Reading, England
F NORTHEASTERN STATE – #19 Flynn Semmerling, So., Hamburg, Germany
F ROGERS STATE – #7 Jake Simpson, Sr., Cambridge, England
* MF NEWMAN – #10 Victor Rubio Lopez, So., Madrid, Spain
MF FORT HAYS STATE – #6 Rogelio Lopez, So., Katy, Texas
MF HARDING – #14 Christian Ramos, Sr., Denton, Texas
MF ROGERS STATE – #8 Noah Robson, Sr., Liverpool, England
* D FORT HAYS STATE – #13 Sergio Villalba, Sr., Asuncion, Paraguay
D NORTHEASTERN STATE – #15 James Doyle, Jr., Merseyside, England
D ROGERS STATE – #5 Jaimie Ponce, Jr., Enid, Oklahoma
D ROGERS STATE – #6 Micheal Turner, Jr., Ramford, England
G ROGERS STATE – #1 Dillon Dean, Jr., Mustang, Oklahoma

All-GAC/MIAA Second Team
F HARDING – #7 Jeremy Nwonumah, Sr., Chicago, Illinois
F NEWMAN – #9 Ignacio Lerech, Jr., Tucuman, Argentina
F NORTHEASTERN STATE – #11 Aaron Ugbah, Sr., Tulsa, Oklahoma
F ROGERS STATE – #10 Jordan Watson, Jr., London, England
MF NORTHEASTERN STATE – #14 Scott Adams, Sr., Jenks, Oklahoma
MF OKLAHOMA BAPTIST – #8 Alejandro Castillo, Sr., Peralta, Spain
MF FORT HAYS STATE – #17 Mauricio Etcheverry, Sr., Asuncion, Paraguay
MF SOUTHERN NAZARENE – #18 Angel Lopez, So., Dallas, Texas
D OUACHITA – #12 Kobe Coleman, So., Georgetown, Texas
D HARDING – #15 Adrian Renteria, Fr., Grand Prairie, Texas
D FORT HAYS STATE – #20 Moritz Walther, Jr., Wiesloch, Germany
D NORTHEASTERN STATE – #7 Ben Watson, Sr., Sherman, Texas
G NEWMAN – #1 Jean Claude Console, So., Aosta, Italy
G NORTHEASTERN STATE – #0 Justin Hinman, So., Little Rock, Arkansas

All-GAC/MIAA Honorable Mention
MF FORT HAYS STATE – #8 Jacob Basden, Fr., Dural, Australia
MF OUACHITA – #11 Noa Cuellar, Sr., Frisco, Texas
MF ROGERS STATE – #9 Callum Hubble, Jr., Chelmsford, England
MF OUACHITA – #10 Abraham Lazo, Sr., Irving, Texas
MF HARDING – #10 Matheus Ribeiro, Sr., Belo Horizonte, Brazil
MF NORTHEASTERN STATE – #4 Sam Scarth, Fr., Liverpool, England
MF NEWMAN – #7 Santiago Martinez Zuviria, Jr., Buenos Aires, Argentina
D FORT HAYS STATE – #5 Alec Bevis, Fr., Wichita, Kansas
D OUACHITA – #5 Jakob Cuellar, Sr., Frisco, Texas
D NEWMAN – #12 Enzo Nalis, Jr., Bastia, France
D SOUTHERN NAZARENE – #25 Eric Romero, Fr., Dallas, Texas
D NEWMAN – #4 Fernando Rubio Garcia, Sr., Sevilla, Spain
D NORTHEASTERN STATE – #5 Sadaam Yousufzai, Jr., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
G HARDING – #00 Carlos Calderon, Sr., Santander, Spain
G OUACHITA – #1 Matt Day, So., Texarkana, Texas

INDIANAPOLIS – In the latest installment of the NCAA Regional Rankings, Fort Hays State men’s soccer checks in at No. 8 in Super Region 3.

Previously, the Tigers earned the seventh spot the super region before falling to Newman. FHSU then became the No. 9 ranked team but this week moves back up one spot after finishing the regular season with a pair of wins and a regular season conference title.

The top five teams in Super Region 3 remained unchanged from last week. Lake Erie (Ohio) tops the field, followed by Bellarmine (Ky.), Ohio Valley (W.Va.), Maryville (Mo.) and McKendree (Ill.).

Along with FHSU, Cedarville (Ohio), which occupies the sixth spot, and Tiffin (Ohio), clocking in at seven, also have moved up one spot from the previous release.

Great American Conference foe Rogers State remains in the ranks, moving up one spot from No. 12 to No. 11.

With the GAC Tournament yet to be played, both FHSU and Rogers State will have an opportunity to rise in the NCAA rankings. The Tigers go head-to-head against the Bisons from Harding University on Friday (Nov. 15), while the Hillcats take on the Northeastern State RiverHawks.

The winner of those two matchups will be slated in the championship game on Sunday (Nov. 17).

This week’s release of the NCAA Super Region Rankings will be the last before the NCAA Division II Selection Show, which airs on Monday, Nov. 18.

 

Below are the rankings for Super Region 3 through games as of Nov. 10, 2019:

 

SUPER-REGION 3
Rank	School	In-Region Record	DII Record
1	Lake Erie	18-1-0	18-1-0
2	Bellarmine	14-0-4	14-0-4
3	Ohio Valley	12-3-2	12-3-2
4	Maryville (Mo.)	15-2-2	15-2-2
5	McKendree	14-2-2	14-2-2
6	Cedarville	10-2-6	10-2-6
7	Tiffin	9-4-5	9-4-5
8	Fort Hays State	12-5-1	12-5-1
9	Indianapolis	12-5-1	12-5-1
10	Saginaw Valley State	12-5-1	12-5-1
11	Rogers State	12-5-1	12-5-1
12	Walsh	8-6-3	10-6-3
12	Wisconsin-Parkside	11-5-2	11-5-1

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State men’s soccer head coach Gerry Cleary announced this morning the signing of Class of 2020 freshman, Ethan Doud.

Doud will be making the move from one tiger family to the next as he prepares to continue his soccer journey in black and gold. Currently a senior at Goddard-Eisenhower High School, he was ranked the preseason No. 1 high school player in the Greater Wichita area and will be bringing his highly touted skills to a program riddled with success.

As an All-Metro selection in 2018, the central midfielder posted seven goals and 13 assists through 18 games. Doud led his team to an 18-1-1 record in the 2019 campaign, a top four placement in the Class 5A bracket, and a top 10 ranking in Kansas according to MaxPreps.

“No player in the Wichita area controls the game the same way,” wrote Hayden Barber of the Wichita Eagle. “Last year, Doud pulled the strings for Eisenhower on its way to a share of the AVCTL II title. Although not a high-volume scorer like other in the area, Doud’s vision and soccer IQ set him apart from others in Kansas. Those attributes earned himself spot on the Eagle’s All-Metro team and AVCTL II first team.”

Doud has earned an additional accolade on the AVCTL II First Team for the production during his senior season as well as the AVCTL II Player of the Year honor.

“We are excited that Ethan has chosen to be a Tiger,” Cleary stated. “Our staff has a great relationship with him and his family. He is one of the top players in the state and we know he will be the same for us.”

Doud starred as a three-sport athlete collecting three varsity letters in wrestling spending time on the diamond as a member of the baseball team. He has also spent time playing at the club level for FC Wichita’s U20 Academy team.

WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State Football continues to receive votes in the latest AFCA Top 25 Poll, released on Monday, as it heads into the final week of the 2019 season. The Tigers dropped from the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll, a list they found themselves in the last two weeks until the tough double overtime loss to Northwest Missouri State at home last week.

The double overtime loss in a battle of nationally ranked teams last week in Hays went the way of Northwest Missouri, but was enough to keep the Tigers among the teams receiving votes. Central Missouri remains undefeated at 10-0 going into the final week of the season and holds the No. 9 ranking in the AFCA Poll, while Northwest Missouri remained No. 12 in the AFCA Poll. In the latest D2Football.com Poll released on Tuesday (Nov. 12), UCM is one notch lower in the rankings at No. 10, while NWMSU is No. 12 in that poll as well. FHSU and Missouri Western are receiving votes in the AFCA Poll, both tied for third in the MIAA with 7-3 records.

The Tigers dropped out of the D2Football.com media poll. They had been ranked 24th entering Saturday’s game with the Bearcats.

Fort Hays State finishes its 2019 schedule with Northeastern State on Saturday (Nov. 16) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma at 2 pm. Northeastern State remains winless going into the final week of the season. The Tigers are looking for their fifth-straight season of at least eight wins under Chris Brown, while the senior class is looking to be the winningest in program history by win percentage with the potential of posting a 36-11 mark. If they can reach 36 wins on Saturday, it would match the win total produced by the 2018 senior class.

Below is the AFCA Top 25 Poll for November 11, 2019.

Rank	School (1st votes)	Record	Pts.	Prev.	Week 10	Next Game
1.	Valdosta St. (Ga.) (28)	9-0	772	1	D. No. 20 West Florida, 26-21	Nov. 16 at West Georgia
2.	Ferris St. (Mich.) (1)	10-0	742	2	D. No. 14 Grand Valley St. (Mich.), 21-16	Regular Season Complete
3.	Tarleton St. (Texas) (2)	10-0	710	3	D. William Jewell (Mo.), 58-3	Nov. 16 at Western New Mexico
4.	Minnesota St.	10-0	685	4	D. Sioux Falls (S.D.), 42-39	Nov. 16 at Upper Iowa
5.	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	10-0	626	5	D. Arkansas-Monticello, 35-7	Nov. 16 vs. No. 20 Henderson St. (Ark.)
6.	Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)	10-0	614	7	D. North Carolina-Pembroke, 45-31	Nov. 16 at Catawba (N.C.)
7.	Colorado School of Mines	10-0	590	8	D. Dixie St. (Utah), 35-27	Nov. 16 at Chadron St. (Neb.)
8.	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	10-0	552	9	D. Gannon (Pa.), 56-7	Nov. 16 at No. 13 Kutztown (Pa.)
9.	Central Missouri	10-0	522	10	D. Lincoln (Mo.), 73-6	Nov. 16 at No. 12 Northwest Missouri St.
10.	Colorado St.-Pueblo	9-1	434	11	D. Black Hills St. (S.D.), 58-0	Nov. 16 vs. Western Colorado
11.	Bowie St. (Md.)	10-0	426	13	D. Elizabeth City St. (N.C.), 60-21	Nov. 16 vs. Fayetteville St. (N.C.)
12.	Northwest Missouri St.	9-1	419	12	D. Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 36-33 2OT	Nov. 16 vs. No. 9 Central Missouri
13.	Kutztown (Pa.)	10-0	418	15	D. Millersville (Pa.), 37-17	Nov. 16 vs. No. 8 Slippery Rock (Pa.)
14.	Harding (Ark.)	9-1	371	16	D. Southeastern Oklahoma St., 35-14	Nov. 16 at Arkansas Tech
15.	Notre Dame (Ohio)	9-1	318	6	Lost to Glenville St. (W.Va.), 23-20 OT	Nov. 16 at West Virginia St.
16.	Indianapolis (Ind.)	8-1	315	17	D. No. 23 Truman St. (Mo.), 44-28	Nov. 16 vs. Lake Erie (Ohio)
17.	Wingate (N.C.)	9-1	289	18	D. Newberry (S.C.), 35-28	Nov. 16 at Mars Hill (N.C.)
18.	Indiana (Pa.)	9-1	272	19	D. Edinboro (Pa.), 35-6	Nov. 16 at Shippensburg (Pa.)
19.	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	8-2	219	14	Lost to No. 2 Ferris St. (Mich.), 21-16	Nov. 16 vs. Wayne St. (Mich.)
20.	Henderson St. (Ark.)	9-1	216	22	D. Southern Arkansas, 38-31	Nov. 16 at No. 5 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)
21.	Tiffin (Ohio)	8-1	147	25	D. Hillsdale (Mich.), 35-24	Nov. 16 at Findlay (Ohio)
22.	West Florida	7-2	130	20	Lost to No. 1 Valdosta St. (Ga.), 26-21	Nov. 16 vs. West Alabama
23.	Texas A&M-Commerce	7-2	119	24	D. Texas-Permian Basin, 44-13	Nov. 16 at Angelo St. (Texas)
24.	West Chester (Pa.)	8-2	43	NR	D. Lock Haven (Pa.), 56-14	Nov. 16 vs. California (Pa.)
25.	Truman St. (Mo.)	8-2	33	23	Lost to No. 17 Indianapolis (Ind.), 44-28	Nov. 16 at Urbana (Ohio)

Dropped Out: Angelo St. (Texas) (21)

Others Receiving Votes: Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 25; Angelo St. (Texas), 24; Shepherd (W.Va.), 17; Virginia St., 4; Wayne St. (Mich.), 4; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 3; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 3; West Texas A&M, 3; Dixie St. (Utah), 2; Missouri Western St., 2; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 2; Virginia Union, 2; Augustana (S.D.), 1; Eastern New Mexico, 1.

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Fort Hays State seniors Santiago Agudelo and Sergio Villalba earned weekly recognition from the Great American Conference for their performances in the final week of the regular season. Agudelo earned Offensive Player of the Week, while Villalba earned Defender of the Week on Tuesday (Nov. 12).

Agudelo had a big week offensively by scoring five goals and adding an assist. In a 6-1 win over Southern Nazarene, Agudelo recorded the fifth hat trick of his career at FHSU. He provided the first two goals of the match, then recorded his hat trick on Fort Hays State’s fifth goal of the match just over three minutes into the second half. In the 3-2 overtime win at Oklahoma Baptist, he scored the last two goals for FHSU. He put the Tigers up 2-0 in the first half before lifting the team to victory just 1:20 into overtime with the game-winner. He assisted on Fort Hays State’s first goal of the match, so he had a hand in all three goals for the team. Agudelo had both game winners for the Tigers on the week and now has 13 career game winners at FHSU.

Villalba had two goals and two assists in the 6-1 win over Southern Nazarene in Hays. He scored the third and fourth goals of the match in the latter part of the first half, giving FHSU a 4-0 lead by halftime. He also assisted on the second and fifth goals of the match, both to Santiago Agudelo, who completed a hat trick on Villalba’s second assist. Villalba also played all 91:20 in the 3-2 overtime win for FHSU at Oklahoma Baptist.

Agudelo and Villalba join Goalkeeper of the Week Dillon Dean from Rogers State as recipients of the weekly honors from the conference office.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State men’s soccer head coach Gerry Cleary announced the signing of two newcomers on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Blake Arndt and Taisei Arima will join the Black and Gold in the spring of 2020.

Arndt, a native of Wichita, Kansas, joins the Tigers as a sophomore transfer from the University of Central Arkansas, who played in six matches during the 2018 campaign.

The 6-foot-3 forward reeled in two All-State forward selections, two first team All-City forward selections and one All-Metro nod during his tenure at Wichita Northwest High School. Prior to his senior season, Arndt was named one of the top 10 players to watch in 2017 by The Wichita Eagle.

He boasts a career stat-line of 56 goals and 16 assists through 62 matches played as four-year varsity starter for Wichita Northwest. Arndt also helped lead the Wichita Cyclones to a 2015 USYS National Championship.

“We are excited to give Blake a new home. He has played at Division I for two years. I was able to watch him play a lot with FC Wichita last summer,” Cleary said. “The experience he brings to our squad is unbelievable. He has three years to play as a Tiger and we expect great things from him.”

Taisei Arima will join the FHSU family as a freshman from Machida, Japan, where he played at Seiryo High School and with Yokohama Takeru FC.

During his time with Seiryo High School, Arima logged 335 total minutes in five matches, while recording one goal from the midfield.

For Yokohama Takeru FC, he recorded 391 total minutes in five matches and scored one goal.

Throughout his high school and club career, Arima has helped lead his teams to an overall record of 6-0-4.

“Taisei is coming in as a winger for us. We are excited for him to join us and add to the great culture that we continue to build as a program,” Cleary added.

These two newcomers will join an already solid squad of Tiger veterans, who have reached a national ranking as high as No. 3. FHSU has recently locked up their third consecutive regular season title and is in the mix to make their eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.