KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State men’s soccer junior forward Santiago Agudelo has been named MIAA Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week, announced Tuesday (Oct. 30) by the league office. This is the fifth time Agudelo have achieved the honor this season.

Agudelo produced nine points for the week in a pair of conference wins, helping Fort Hays State complete the first-ever perfect MIAA Men’s Soccer regular season at 8-0. In a 3-1 win over Upper Iowa, he had the game-tying goal in the 31st minute before adding an insurance goal in the 85th minute to secure the win. He had a hand in all three goals at Lindenwood, assisting on the first goal of the match for FHSU before adding the team’s second goal in the 66th minute and then an insurance goal in the 79th minute to push FHSU back out to a two-goal lead. Agudelo leads the nation (all NCAA levels and NAIA) in goals scored with 26.

The Black and Gold complete their regular season play by hosting the University of Mary this weekend. The Tigers and Marauders are slated to battle on Saturday (Nov. 2). Kickoff for the Senior Day match is set to commence at 6 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State remains No. 7 in the second release of the NCAA Super Region 3 Rankings, released on Monday (Oct. 29). The top seven of the rankings remain unchanged, while there was slight movement in the No. 8-10 positions.

Fort Hays State faces its biggest test of the season this week in a game with big implications on the region rankings. The Tigers face the fourth-ranked team in the super region, Northwest Missouri State, in Maryville, Mo. A win would likely push the Tigers higher in the rankings, but still give them a chance to win their second straight MIAA title. The Tigers defeated the Bearcats last year in Maryville to win the MIAA title by a score of 13-12.

Northwest Missouri State continues to lead the MIAA standings at 8-1, but Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State each sit just one game back. Northwest Missouri State faces Central Missouri following its game with FHSU this week, while Pittsburg State has Washburn and Missouri Southern remaining over the final two weeks. Fort Hays State plays Northeastern State in the final week of the season. The Tigers are looking to pull the Bearcats back into a tie for first with a week to play.

Pittsburg State moved up one spot this week to No. 8 in the rankings, while Harding slid down to No. 9. Missouri S&T jumps in this week at No. 10, replacing Saginaw Valley State.

The game this week at Northwest Missouri State will be available to view on several local television channels, while also available on several digital platforms. Look for a release on fhsuathletics.com soon for the television providers and channels carrying the game.

Below are the Super Region 3 Rankings for October 29, 2018.

Rank	Team	In-Region Record	Division II Record
1	Ferris State (Mich.)	8-0	9-0
2	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	9-0	9-0
3	Grand Valley State (Mich.)	6-1	8-1
4	Northwest Missouri State	8-1	8-1
5	Indianapolis	7-1	7-1
6	Southern Arkansas	8-1	8-1
7	Fort Hays State (Kan.)	7-2	7-2
8	Pittsburg State (Kan.)	7-2	7-2
9	Harding (Ark.)	7-2	7-2
10	Missouri S&T	5-1	7-1

FAYETTE, Iowa – The Fort Hays State wrestling team has been ranked 17th in the 2018-19 NCAA DII Wrestling Coaches Association Preseason Top 25, released Monday (Oct. 29) by the organization. The poll consists of top 12 rankings of all ten weight classes, with each sport earning a set number of points for the team.

The Tigers have two wrestlers ranked in the preseason poll, totaling 22 points to help FHSU rank 17th in the country. Junior Brandon Ball enters the year ranked fourth at 141 pounds after earning All-American honors and finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships in 2016 and qualifying for the NCAA Championships before falling in the round of 16 last year. Sophomore Efe Osaghae sits in fifth in the initial rankings at 157 pounds. Osaghae earned a trip to the NCAA Championships in 2017, while finishing eighth and earning All-America Honors. Ball leads the MIAA in his weight class, as Osaghae sits in third in the conference at 157 pounds.

Fort Hays State is third among MIAA programs in the preseason poll, with Nebraska-Kearney opening the year ranked No. 2 and Lindenwood sits at No. 12. A year after winning the NCAA Championships, St. Cloud State opens the year as the favorite to win the national title again, earning 92 team points in the poll.

Tiger fans get their first look at the 2018-19 squad at the Black and Gold Scrimmage (Nov. 1) at 7 p.m. The regular season begins with the Bethany Swede Open (Nov. 10).

Poll Methodology: This is a tournament power index ranking. TPI point total are broken down by the following individual rankings: 1^st=20pts, 2^nd=16pts, 3^rd=13pts, 4^th=12pts, 5^th=10pts, 6^th=9pts, 7^th=7pts, 8^th=6pts, 9^th=4pts, 10^th=3pts, 11^th=2pts, 12^th=1pt. The TPI point totals will be lower than the final actual NCAA tournament points because it does not include bonus points. The preseason ranking does not include true freshmen.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The No. 10 ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team defeated Lindenwood on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 28), 3-1, to cap off a perfect conference season (8-0) for the Tigers. FHSU improves to 14-2-1 overall and 8-0 in conference play, while the Lions dipped to 8-5-2 overall and 2-3-1 in MIAA play.

FHSU and LWU exchanged shots throughout the first half, until Rogelio Lopez broke the scoreless tie in the 34th minute. Santiago Agudelo fed Lopez the ball who found the back of the net from 11 yards out to put the Tigers up 1-0.

The 1-0 score would be had as the teams headed to the locker rooms for intermission.

In the second half, Santiago Agudelo added his 25th score of the season in the 66th minute, receiving a through ball from Abdoulaye Cisse and crossing the goal line putting FHSU ahead 2-0. Agudelo shot the ball from seven yards out and beat the keeper.

Just a few ticks over five minutes after this lead for the Tigers, the Lions wanted to join the fun and struck the goal threshold to cut into the FHSU lead. Gaspar Alvarez and Jose de Gregorio fed the ball ahead to Johannes Brendle for his fourth score of the year. At the 70:53 mark, FHSU held a slim 2-1 advantage over Lindenwood.

After each team fired off another shot, Santiago Agudelo added an insurance goal for the black & gold in the 79th minute. Moritz Walther found Agudelo after intercepting a pass between two Lions defenders and then Agudelo capitalized on his team-leading 26th goal to put the Tigers up 3-1 for good.

Fernando Pina earned the victory in goal for FHSU to improve to 8-0-1 for the season. Pina faced eight shots throughout the match and recorded four saves. Agudelo led all Tigers with two goals, six shots and four shots on frame in 90 minutes of play. Cisse produced three shots, with two coming on goal.

The Tigers are back in action next weekend as they host the University of Mary (Nov. 3) for a Senior Day tilt set to commence at 6 p.m. inside FHSU Soccer Stadium.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State locked up a first-round home match in the MIAA Tournament on Sunday (Oct. 28) with a 1-0 win over Washburn. The Tigers closed out the regular season at 10-6-2 overall, 8-3 in the MIAA, while Washburn moved to 7-9-2 overall and 3-6-2 in the MIAA.

A header goal by Olympia Katsouridis in the 83rd minute off a nice crossing pass from Cailey Perkins was all the Tigers needed for the victory. Nikita Woods also earned a helper on the play by passing ahead to Perkins before she sent in the crossing pass.

Shots were tough to come by throughout the afternoon with FHSU holding just an 8-6 advantage. The Tigers outshot the Ichabods by just one in each half, 3-2 in the first half and 5-4 in the second. Katsouridis and Perkins led the Tigers in shots with two each.

Deonna Wellbrock moved to 2-1 on the season in goal by earning a three-save shutout. Bailee Russell took the loss for Washburn, moving to 1-5-1 on the year.

The official MIAA Women’s Soccer Tournament bracket will come out soon, but the Tigers finished conference regular season play in a third-place tie with Emporia State. The Tigers will host an opening round game on Wednesday evening (Oct. 31) in Hays. Opponent and game time will be announced when the MIAA releases the official tournament bracket.

FAYETTE, Iowa – The No. 10 ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team defeated Upper Iowa on Friday (Oct. 26), 3-1. The Tigers improved to 13-2-1 overall and 7-0 in MIAA play, while the Peacocks dipped to 4-7-2 on the season and 2-4 in conference play.

The Tigers trailed for the just the fourth time at any point throughout the 2018 season as the Peacocks grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute of the match after Italo Martins Soares found a hole in behind the Tiger defense and connected on his team-leading fifth score of the year.

Santiago Agudelo continued his stellar junior campaign with the equalizer in the 31st minute, plating his 23rd goal of the season with some help from the foot of Moises Peralta. Peralta picked up his third assist of the season in the process. The rest of the first period was stagnant as neither team could capitalize on their scoring opportunities.

In the 52nd minute, Abdoulaye Cisse fed the ball ahead to Alonso Rodriguez, who then knocked in his third goal of the season on a header near the right post that snuck past the Peacock goalkeeper.

The Tigers cashed in on an insurance goal in the late ticks of the contest as Agudelo recorded his 24th score and seventh multi-goal contest of the year from about ten yards out, blowing the ball past the Upper Iowa keeper.

Fernando Pina earned the victory in goal for Fort Hays State, improving his overall record to 6-0-1. Pina allowed his sixth goal of the season, his first goal allowed since a 2-1 victory over Lindenwood (Oct. 7). Santiago Agudelo led the way with eight shots in the match. Agudelo and Rodriguez each had four shots on frame.

The Tigers are back in action Sunday (Oct. 28) as they take on Lindenwood in the final regular season conference match for FHSU. The Tigers and Lions are slated to battle each other starting at 1:30 p.m. from St. Charles, Mo.

KEARNEY, Neb. – With the regular season dwindling down, every game is becoming more crucial for the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team. In their first contest of the final weekend, the Tigers needed overtime against the Lopers but secured the 2-1 win in Kearney following an early goal from Olympia Katsouridis. The win improves FHSU to 9-6-2 and 7-3 in MIAA play, while the Lopers drop to 5-11-1 and a 3-6-1 conference mark.

Fort Hays State got on the board first as freshman Cailey Perkins captured her seventh goal of the season as she headed the ball in off an assist from Darby Hirsch in the 12th minute of play. FHSU held the 1-0 lead over UNK until Megan Merkel found fellow Loper Megan Cook inside the box after a rebounded shot to tie up the match at 1-1 in the 25th minute.

The 1-1 tie held steady for the remainder of regulation, forcing overtime between the two programs. In the previous meeting this season for UNK and FHSU, that contest also needed extra time before the Tigers claimed the 1-0 victory off a Hirsch goal.

It was a similar tale for the Tigers this match as well, as Katsouridis only needed 36 seconds in overtime to notch the game-winning goal. Katsouridis recorded her third goal of the year in a header off an assist from Nikita Woods just eight yards out. Fort Hays State stole the 2-1 win over Nebraska-Kearney.
UNK outshot Fort Hays State by a 12-9 margin with nine hitting on target compared to eight from the Tigers. Hirsch led all players with four shots on the day.

Megan Kneefel recorded the win in net for the Tigers as she documented eight saves in her 12 shots faced. Kneefel boosts her season record as anchor FHSU to 8-5-2 and increased her total saves to 72.

Fort Hays State has already clinched a spot in the conference tournament; however, it will come down to how Sunday’s matches around the conference shake out to determine if the Tigers will host or hit the road for their first round matchup.

The Tigers will host Washburn for their final regular season contest of the year on Sunday (Oct. 18) for Senior Day. The Ichabods and Tigers are set for first kick at 1 p.m. at FHSU Soccer Stadium.

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team came up short in Friday’s match against Pittsburg State, falling in three sets (Oct. 26). The Tigers are now 8-19 on the year and 2-13 in MIAA play, while the Gorillas move to 18-10 overall and 7-8 in league competition.

After celebrating their senior class before the match, the Gorillas came out on fire, taking the first five points before cruising to a 25-12 victory in the opening set. Fort Hays State turned things around in the second frame, capturing seven of the first 10 points to lead by as many as four. The Tigers led as late as 9-8, but a 9-2 run by the home team put them in front for good. FHSU fought back within two (16-14) after a solo block from Tatum Bartels and an Amirah Bentley service ace, but the Gorillas finished strong to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room, 25-18.

A service ace from Bre Becker helped the Tigers open a back-and-forth third set with four consecutive points. The first of 10 ties in the set came at 5-5 in the midst of a big PSU run to thwart Fort Hays State’s early advantage. The game of runs returned to the Tigers, who scored four in a row again to retake the lead, 10-8. A kill from Azlyn Cassaday followed another Bartels solo block, tying things up at eight. A Gorilla error gave FHSU the lead before Madison Elwood and Bartels teamed up for a block to double the advantage.

After the teams traded points for several rallies, the Tigers put together five-straight points to jump in front 20-15. Multiple kills from Cassaday, a pair of PSU errors and an Abbie Hayes service ace handed the Tigers their largest lead of the match, prompting a Gorilla timeout. Pittsburg State came out of the huddle on a mission, finishing the sweep after an 11-4 run handed them a 26-24 victory.

Cassaday led the Tigers with 10 kills and 12 digs, posting her team-leading sixth double-double of the season. Amirah Bentley contributed 11 assists, eight digs, two kills and one service ace. Bartels totaled three blocks (two solo) to go along with one dig. The Tigers were limited to a .056 attack percentage, while the Gorillas posted a .212 swing rate.

The Tigers will wrap up the road portion of their regular season Saturday (Oct. 27) when they take on No. 14 Central Oklahoma at 4 p.m. in Edmond, Okla.

After winning nine-straight matches, Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer is in position to make a seventh straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers stayed at No. 1 in the latest set of NCAA Central Region Rankings, released Wednesday (Oct. 24). The top two teams in the Central Region are chosen to compete in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers picked up a non-conference win at the University of Mary this past Sunday and have already clinched their second-consecutive MIAA title with three more regular season matches to play. The No. 2 team in the region, Northeastern State, sits at 11-2-1 overall and has four matches to finish the regular season.

Tabbed at No. 3 is Lindenwood, keeping three MIAA schools in the mix. Harding rounds out the top four in the region.

Below are the NCAA Central Region Rankings for October 24, 2018.

Rank Team Division II Record In-Region Record
1 Fort Hays State 12-2-1 11-1
2 Northeastern State 11-2-1 10-2-1
3 Lindenwood 7-4-3 7-4-2
4 Harding 7-5-1 7-5-1

Fort Hays State Football moved up to No. 23 in the latest D2Football.com Top 25 Poll, released on Tuesday (Oct. 23). The Tigers moved up two spots from No. 25 last week. Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State are also in this week’s Top 25.

Northwest Missouri State is No. 5 in the poll for a second straight week, though it holds the No. 11 ranking in the official AFCA Poll. Pittsburg State jumps into the Top 25 this week at No. 25. Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State are both among the top receiving votes teams in the AFCA Poll.

Nine of the 10 teams referenced in the first release of the NCAA Super Region 3 rankings are in the D2Football.com Top 25. Super Region 3 teams make up nearly 40 percent of the Top 25.

Below is the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll for October 23, 2018.

Team Record Previous
1 Minnesota State 8-0 1
2 Ferris State 8-0 2
3 West Georgia 8-0 3
4 Ouachita Baptist 8-0 4
5 Northwest Missouri State 7-1 5
6 Minnesota Duluth 8-0 6
7 Valdosta State 8-0 7
8 Grand Valley State 7-1 8
9 Colorado Mines 8-0 9
10 Tarleton State 7-0 10
11 Midwestern State 6-1 11
12 CSU-Pueblo 7-1 12
13 West Chester 7-0 13
14 Indianapolis 6-1 14
15 Kutztown 7-0 15
16 Notre Dame 8-0 16
17 Tiffin 8-0 19
18 LIU-Post 7-0 18
19 Central Washington 6-2 20
20 Texas A&M-Commerce 6-2 22
21 Southern Arkansas 7-1 21
22 Harding 6-2 23
23 Fort Hays State 6-2 25
24 Lenoir-Rhyne 7-1 NR
25 Pittsburg State 6-2 NR

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State junior forward Santiago Agudelo has been named MIAA Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week, announced Tuesday (Oct. 23) by the league office. This is the fourth time Agudelo has achieved the honor this season.

Agudelo recorded his fourth hat trick of the season in Fort Hays State’s only game this past week. He scored goals in the 11th, 27th, and 29th minutes to push FHSU out to a 3-0 lead at the University of Mary, ultimately going on to win 7-0. He scored on all three of his shot attempts in the match. In Fort Hays State’s current nine-match win streak, Agudelo scored 19 of his nation-leading 22 goals for the season. He only played 32 minutes at Mary before resting for the remainder of the match. He continues to lead the nation in goals per game (1.57), shots on goal per game (3.29), and points per game (3.5), and is tied for the lead in game-winning goals (7).

The Tigers resume conference play this weekend when they travel to Fayette, Iowa to take on Upper Iowa on Friday afternoon (Oct. 26). Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. against the Peacocks.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team jumped two spots in the latest release of the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Poll. The Tigers now sit at No. 10 in the nation, released Tuesday (Oct. 23). The Tigers extended their winning streak to tie the program record at nine-consecutive matches.

The Tigers defeated University of Mary on Sunday (Oct. 21), in a 7-0 shutout. Santiago Agudelo recorded his fourth hat trick of the season in Fort Hays State’s only game this past week. He scored goals in the 11th, 27th, and 29th minutes to push FHSU out to a 3-0 lead at the University of Mary, ultimately going on to win 7-0. He scored on all three of his shot attempts in the match. In Fort Hays State’s current nine-match win streak, Agudelo scored 19 of his nation-leading 22 goals for the season. He only played 32 minutes at Mary before resting for the remainder of the match. He continues to lead the nation in goals per game (1.57), shots on goal per game (3.29), and points per game (3.5), and is tied for the lead in game-winning goals (7).

The Black and Gold continue their road trip by resuming conference play this weekend. The Tigers are set to take on the Peacocks of Upper Iowa in Fayette, Iowa on Friday (Oct. 26). Kickoff is set to begin at 3 p.m.

Below is the United Soccer Coaches Men’s Division II Poll for October 23, 2018.

Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1 Simon Fraser 1 14-0-0
2 Young Harris College 2 13-0-0
3 Palm Beach Atlantic 3 13-1-0
4 Univ. of Charleston 4 13-0-2
5 Colorado School of Mines 5 14-1-1
6 Midwestern State 7 13-1-1
7 Lander 10 11-1-2
8 Azusa Pacific 14 12-1-0
9 Adelphi 13 12-2-1
10 Fort Hays State 12 12-2-1
11 Univ. of Southern Indiana 16 12-2-1
12 Mercy College 8 9-2-1
13 Barry 19 9-3-1
14 West Chester RV 10-2-3
15 West Texas A&M 17 11-2-2
16 Saginaw Valley State 22 9-1-5
17 UC-San Diego 24 12-2-2
18 Nova Southeastern 23 9-3-0
19 Southern New Hampshire 18 11-2-2
20 Northeastern State 20 11-2-1
21 Notre Dame College 11 12-3-0
22 Limestone College 21 10-3-0
23 Colorado Mesa 24 10-1-4
24 CSU-Los Angeles 9 11-2-2
25 Univ. of Indianapolis RV 12-3-1
Records shown are through games of Oct. 21, 2018.

Also receiving votes: Lynn University, Ohio Valley University, Spring Hill College, Le Moyne College, Lindenwood University, Florida Tech, Florida Southern College.