HAYS, Kan. – With 0-2 records in the MIAA, both Northeastern State and Fort Hays State were fighting for their first conference win of the season. The game seemed destined for extra time before Darby Hirsch played hero for the second time this season as she netted a late-game goal to give the Tigers a 1-0 victory over the RiverHawks.

With the win, FHSU records their first MIAA win to improve to 1-2 in conference and 3-5-2 overall. Northeastern State drops to 6-4 and 0-3 in MIAA play on the season.

Both teams played lock down defense and relied on their goalkeepers to keep the match scoreless. However, in the 85th minute, Hirsch connected on passes from both Cailey Perkins and Chloe Montano as she played the ball ahead to capture her second goal of the season. This shot gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with just five minutes remaining in regulation. That goal would prove to be the winner for FHSU as they earned their first MIAA win of the season.

Fort Hays State out-shot Northeastern State in the match by a 19-6 margin, with 10 hitting on goal. Perkins led the way with four shot attempts on the day, the most for any player. Nikita Woods and Olympia Katsouridis accounted for three shots each, while five other Tigers recorded at least one shot. For the RiverHawks, five players attempted a shot against Tiger keeper Megan Kneefel, led by Valeriia Pankratova with two.

The Tigers were awarded two yellow cards in the match during the final ten minutes against Katsouridis and Macy Decker.

Kneefel picks up the win in net for the Tigers, improving her record to 3-4-2 and totaling 44 saves after collecting five in the match. Brennan Hockett falls to 5-3 for the RiverHawks and adds nine saves to her total for the season.

Fort Hays State is back home next weekend for another two-match weekend in Hays. On Friday (Oct. 5) the Tigers welcome Missouri Western in a 7 p.m. duel followed by a 2:30 p.m. match against Northwest Missouri State on Sunday (Oct. 7).

HAYS, Kan. – Two quick Central Oklahoma goals proved to be too big of a deficit for the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team to come back from. In the end, the No. 20 Bronchos notched one more goal to claim the 3-0 victory over the Tigers, staying unbeaten on the season at 9-0. Fort Hays State drops to 2-5-2 and 0-2 in MIAA play nearing the midway point of the season.

Asha Haile got things going quickly for the Bronchos, netting two goals in the first 15 minutes of the match. Haile earned her third goal of the season as she rebounded a shot off the post and beat the Tiger keeper Deonna Wellbrock to the right following as assist from Haley Post. At the 14:46 mark, Haile struck again on a double-assist play from Katie Killion and Taryn Kedzior as she snuck behind Wellbrock to put the Bronchos up 2-0. That score would hold through the remainder of the first half. Central Oklahoma limited the Tigers to zero shots in the first 45 minutes as they headed into the locker room with the momentum.

In the second half, the Tigers only got one shot off against the ranked opponent. With just twelve minutes left in regulation, the Bronchos sealed the victory as Morgan Cherry captured her fourth goal of the season from two-yards out. Central Oklahoma took the victory at a margin of 3-0, giving the Tigers their first shutout loss since the first match of the season.

In total, the Bronchos recorded 17 shots as opposed to just one from the Tigers. Kelsi Gibson picked up the win in goal for Central Oklahoma without seeing a shot on frame, improving to 8-0 on the season in net. Wellbrock, making her first start of the season, took the loss with five saves. Wellbrock drops to 0-1.

The Tigers continue their home stand on Sunday as they host the RiverHawks of Northeastern State. That battle is slated for a 1 p.m. kick off.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team dropped the first match of a two-week road trip Friday evening, coming up short against Northwest Missouri State in straight sets. The Tigers dip to 6-12 on the year and 0-6 in MIAA play, while the Bearcats are now 14-3 and remain perfect in league play at 6-0.

Isabelle Reynolds and Kayla Vitztum paced the team with seven kills each, with Tatum Bartels and Azlyn Cassaday adding six kills apiece. Katie Darnell led the team with nine digs while adding 12 assists alongside Bre Becker’s team-best 14 assists.

The Tigers compiled a .141 attack percentage, while NWMSU countered with a .375 swing rate. Both sides managed two blocks, while Northwest won the service ace battle, 5-0.

The Tigers continue their road trip Saturday with a midafternoon contest at Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Mo. First serve is set for 1 p.m.

SHAWNEE, Okla. – The No. 14 ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer squad defeated Oklahoma Baptist 6-0 on Thursday (Sept. 27). The Tigers improved to 6-2-1 overall on the season, while the Bison dipped to 1-10 on the year. The victory marked the second shutout for the Tigers on the season.

Santiago Agudelo started things off on the right foot when he supplied the Tiger offense with his eighth goal of the season on a pass from Moises Peralta in the 21st minute of the contest. Agudelo utilized the touch pass from Peralta to deliver the Tigers a 1-0 lead into the back right corner of the net.

In the 32nd minute, Fort Hays State stretched their lead to 2-0 when Raul Fierro trapped a pass on his chest from Luis Torres and struck the ball on a shot to the top left corner of the net. For the remainder of the first half, both defenses stepped up and went to intermission with the Tigers leading the Bison by two goals.

After the break, the Tigers attempted seven shots out of the gate before connecting on the eighth shot in the 53rd minute. Rogelio Lopez rifled off three of the shots in the sequence before picking up his third goal of the week after beating the defender with the ball crossing the goal line to the bottom right corner of the frame.

Abdoulaye Cisse scored his first goal of the season in the 66th minute, giving the Tigers a commanding 4-0 lead after finding the back of the net on a quick shot to the right corner. FHSU scored their fifth goal of the match when Santiago Agudelo intercepted a Bison pass and placed it into the bottom left corner of the net for his team-leading ninth goal of the year. FHSU leadsOklahoma Baptist at the 74:11 mark in the second half. With his two goals, Agudelo recorded his sixth goal in the past week and has scored a goal in three-consecutive contests.

The Tigers weren’t done scoring when Alonso Rodriguez netted his second score of the season in the 88th minute, extending the lead to 6-0 over the Bison. Rodriguez intercepted a pass and shuffled through two OBU defenders on his way to finishing off the shutout victory.

FHSU outshot OBU 22-7 in the match, including an 11-3 advantage in shots on frame. Rogelio Lopez led the Tiger offense with five shots. Fernando Pina earned the victory in goal for the Tigers, improving his overall record to 2-0-1 while recording his first shutout as a Tiger.

Fort Hays State is back in action on Saturday (Sept. 29) when travel over to Bethany, Okla. to battle the Crimson Storm. Kickoff with Southern Nazarene is slated for 1 p.m.

MONKEY ISLAND, Okla. – The Fort Hays State men’s golf team finished tenth at the MSSU Fall Invitational (Sept. 24-25), hosted at Shangri La Country Club. Senior Mac McNish led the Tigers with identical rounds of even-par 72 in rounds one and two before finishing with a 3-under par 69 to post a 3-under (213) score and tied for tenth individually.

Connor Schultz posted rounds of 79, 78 and 72 to finish solo 43rd. Isaiah Grover finished in a tie for 53rd after carding rounds of 77, 82 and 78. Marcus Willey fired off rounds of 90, 77 and 74 to finish in a tie for 61st. Bryce Cowan shot rounds of 89, 79 and 74.

Oklahoma Christian took the team title with an aggregate score of 848. St. Mary’s (Texas) finished second with a score of 851 and Southeastern Oklahoma State (855) finished third. Fort Hays State finished tenth as a team with a score of 317-306-289 for a total of 912. Zach James of Southeastern Oklahoma State claimed the individual title after posting an 11-under (205) score for the tournament.

The Tigers will be back in action next week when they compete at the Newman Fall Invitational (Oct. 1-2). The event is set to be hosted at Crestview Country Club.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team soared up seven spots in the latest release of the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Poll. The Tigers are now ranked No. 14 in the nation, released Tuesday (Sept. 25). The Tigers are coming off a week in which they began MIAA play with a strong 2-0 start.

The Tigers defeated Southwest Baptist (Sept. 21), 9-0, while breaking many school records in the process. They scored the most goals in a single match (nine), produced the most points in a single match (29) and tied the record for assists in a single match with 11. Forward Santiago Agudelo recorded the seventh hat trick in team history in the victory, while setting the new standard for points in a match with eight (three goals, two assists).

FHSU then upset then No. 8 ranked Northeastern State in Tahlequah (Sept. 23), 4-1. The Tigers exacted revenge of last season’s heartbreaking loss to the RiverHawks in the Central Region Championship, falling to them 2-1 after allowing the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation.

The Tigers finished up their road slate this weekend as they take on Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday (Sept. 27) in Shawnee, Okla. before traveling over to Bethany, Okla. to battle Southern Nazarene on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 29).

Below is the United Soccer Coaches Men’s Division II Poll for September 25, 2018.

Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1 Simon Fraser 3 8-0-0
2 Palm Beach Atlantic 5 8-0-0
3 Young Harris College 4 7-0-0
4 Midwestern State 1 6-0-1
5 Univ. of Charleston 7 7-0-1
6 Southern New Hampshire 20 8-0-0
7 Ohio Valley 2 8-1-0
8 CSU-Los Angeles 12 7-1-0
9 Florida Southern College 18 6-0-0
10 Lander 16 5-0-0
11 Colorado Mesa 17 5-0-2
12 Univ. of Indianapolis 9 6-1-1
13 UC-San Diego 23 7-0-1
14 Fort Hays State 21 5-2-1
15 LIU Post 25 5-1-0
16 Notre Dame College 13 6-2-0
17 Northeastern State 8 6-1-0
18 Colorado School of Mines RV 7-1-0
19 Florida Tech 24 5-1-0
20 Wingate RV 4-1-1
21 Northern Michigan 22 4-1-1
22 Le Moyne College NR 6-1-0
23 CSU-San Marcos 19 6-1-0
24 Limestone College 10 5-1-0
25 Seton Hill RV 4-0-3
Records shown are through games of Sept. 23, 2018.

Also receiving votes: Barry University, Georgian Court University, Merrimack College, Fort Lewis College, McKendree University.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the first time in her Tiger career, senior Yessenia Gonzales has been named the MIAA Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week after setting a new personal record. Gonzales received her honor from the conference office on Tuesday (Sept. 25).

Over the weekend, Gonzales and her fellow Tigers competed in the Chile Pepper Festival hosted by the University of Arkansas. Gonzales achieved her new PR at the meet as she ran her fastest 5K time of her collegiate career at 18:05. This mark boosted Gonzales to a 29th overall finish among the other runners, while finishing in seventh among NCAA Division II competition in the race.

Gonzales and the rest of the FHSU team will travel to Lawrence this Saturday (Sept. 29) to partake in the Rim Rock Farm Collegiate Classic hosted by the University of Kansas.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State junior forward Santiago Agudelo has been named MIAA Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week, announced Tuesday (Sept. 25) by the league office. This is the first time Agudelo has achieved the honor.

Agudelo had a huge week for No. 21 ranked Fort Hays State, recording 11 points over two matches. He helped the team to a 2-0 start in MIAA play with a 9-0 win at Southwest Baptist and a 4-1 win at No. 8 ranked Northeastern State. He recorded the seventh hat trick in FHSU program history in the 9-0 win at SBU, while adding a pair of assists in the match as well. In the 4-1 win at NSU, he provided what proved to be the game-winning goal in the match and assisted on the first goal of the match for FHSU. It helped FHSU claim its second win over a top-10 ranked team this year.

The Tigers head south to take on Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday (Sept. 27) to take on the Bison. Kickoff is set to commence at 7:30 p.m. from Shawnee, Okla.

Fort Hays State moved up one position in the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll, released on Tuesday (Sept. 25). The Tigers are No. 13 in the latest edition, while holding the No. 18 ranking in the official AFCA Top 25 Poll.

Pittsburg State moved up to the No. 7 ranking this week in the poll, while a loss at Central Oklahoma moved Northwest Missouri State down to No. 11 in the poll.

Minnesota State holds the No. 1 ranking in both the D2Football.com and AFCA Polls.

Below is the D2Football.com Top 25 for September 25, 2018.

Team Record Last Week
1 Minnesota State 4-0 1
2 Indiana (Pa.) 4-0 4
3 Ferris State 4-0 5
4 Midwestern State 4-0 6
5 Grand Valley State 4-0 7
6 West Georgia 4-0 8
7 Pittsburg State 4-0 9
8 Central Washington 3-1 10
9 Ouachita Baptist 4-0 12
10 West Florida 3-1 11
11 Northwest Missouri 3-1 2
12 Minnesota Duluth 4-0 13
13 Fort Hays State 3-1 14
14 Texas A&M-Commerce 3-1 3
15 Valdosta State 4-0 17
16 CSU-Pueblo 3-1 23
17 Harding 3-1 15
18 Southern Arkansas 4-0 19
19 West Chester 4-0 18
20 Colorado Mines 4-0 21
21 Indianapolis 2-1 24
22 West Alabama 3-1 22
23 Sioux Falls 3-1 NR
24 Tarleton State 3-0 NR
25 Notre Dame 4-0 NR

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Junior kicker/punter Dante Brown earned MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors on Monday (Sept. 24) for his efforts in the 55-20 win over Missouri Southern last weekend. It is the second time he has earned the honor this year, also getting the nod after his performance against Central Missouri in the first week of the season.

Brown finished with 13 kicking points in the 55-20 win for Fort Hays State over Missouri Southern. He was a perfect 2-of-2 on field goal attempts, connecting from 48 and 43 yards, and went 7-of-7 on PAT tries. He was also effective on his three punts in the game, averaging 52 yards per punt with a game-long of 65 yards. He is now 7-of-8 on field goal attempts this season, connecting four times from 40 or more yards and his only miss was from outside 40 yards. He is averaging 42.7 yards per punt for the season.

Brown joins Central Oklahoma quarterback Chandler Garrett (Offensive Athlete of the Week) and Pittsburg State defensive lineman Cole Morris (Defensive Athlete of the Week) as the weekly honorees from the conference office.

EMPORIA, Kan. – Starting conference play with a clean slate, the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team hoped to begin their MIAA season on a high note. However, a second half offensive surge was not enough as Emporia State captured the 3-2 win over Fort Hays State in a Sunday tilt. With the loss, the Tigers drop to 2-4-2 overall and 0-1 in MIAA play. The Hornets add to their wins to boast 6-1-1 record and 1-0 conference mark.

The Hornets got on the board first as Daniela Cardona earned her first goal of the season following a solo shot from 30-yards out on the right side. Emporia State would take the 1-0 lead into halftime over the Tigers.

The second half saw offensive breakthroughs for both squads as four goals were tallied between the two teams. Quickly into the first two minutes of the second half, Vianei Sanchez netted her third goal of her senior campaign at the 46:15 mark. Sanchez completed a header from a corner kick by Jordan Thompson to tie up the match at 1-1. The Tigers would not settle down as Nikita Woods managed her first goal in an FHSU uniform following a touch shot eight yards out off the foot of Shayla Podlena just 37 seconds later. This 2-1 lead would be Fort Hays State’s only lead of the match.

After calming down the Fort Hays State offense, Emporia State regained the momentum after a Tanna Benefiel goal off a header from a free kick. Ashlyn Lakin would record the assist for the equalizing goal. The Hornets would sting one last time in the match to reclaim the lead following another assist from Lakin, this time connecting with Rachel Marshall on a header from 10 yards out. This would turn out to be the game-winning goal as Emporia State captured the 3-2 victory.

Emporia State out-shot Fort Hays State 21-5 and 6-4 in shots on goal. Five different Tigers attempted a shot in the match. Three yellow cards were handed out in the match with Jordan Thompson collecting one in the final minutes of play for the Tigers and the other two going to the Hornets.

Megan Kneefel was once again the anchor in goal, this time collecting three saves in her 90 minutes of play. Kneefel has recorded 36 saves on the season and mimics her team’s record. The winning goalie for the Hornets was Jillian Patton who notched two saves in the contest.

Fort Hays State is back home for two matches this upcoming weekend, starting with a 7 p.m. Friday (Sept. 28) battle against Central Oklahoma. Sunday’s (Sept. 30) match against Northeastern State is slated for 1 p.m. inside FHSU Soccer Stadium.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The 21st-ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team upset eighth-ranked Northeastern State 4-1 on Sunday (Sept. 23). The Tigers improved to 5-2-1 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA, while the RiverHawks dip to 6-1 on the season and 1-1 in conference play.

In a rematch of the 2017 Central Region Championship where Northeastern State defeated Fort Hays State 2-1 in Philippi, W.V., the Tigers got the best of the RiverHawks this time around as they used four second half goals and Tiger goalkeeper Fernando Pina picked up ten saves, holding the RiverHawk offense to one goal in the match.

The first half was a defensive battle between the conference rivals as neither team was able to capitalize. The Tigers outshot the RiverHawks 11-3 heading into intermission.

Luis Torres started the offense for the Tigers with his third goal of the season in the 54th minute, with an assist to Raul Fierro for setting him up and giving the Tigers the 1-0 lead. Santiago Agudelo connected on his team-leading seventh goal in the 68th minute of the contest to increase the Tiger lead to 2-0 over the RiverHawks.

In the 71st minute, midfielder Rogelio Lopez picked up a pass from Moises Peralta and found the back of the net to stretch the lead to 3-0. RiverHawk striker Joe Garcia was able to get Northeastern State on the board in the 75th minute after scoring on a rebound from a penalty kick save from Pina. The Tigers weren’t done just yet, as Lopez picked up his second goal of the contest in the 79th minute, with the help on a Nathan De La Hoya assist.

Fernando Pina picked up the win in goal for the Tigers, moving to 2-0 overall on the season. Pina’s ten saves move him into second in program history for saves in a single match. Santiago Agudelo led the offense with five shots in the match.

The Tigers are back in action next weekend when they continue their road trip in Shawnee, Okla. to battle the Oklahoma Baptist Bison Thursday (Sept. 27). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.