TOPEKA, Kan. – Hoping to avoid a fourth-straight overtime match, the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team took on Washburn in Topeka Friday for their final non-conference contest of the season. While extra time was not needed, the Tigers were unable to get ahead of the Ichabods as they fell 3-1. With the loss, Fort Hays State drops to 2-3-2 this season, while Washburn ends their non-MIAA schedule at 4-3 overall.

Through the first 45 minutes, neither the Tigers nor the Ichabods gained advantage over the other. Play remained even in the first half with both teams recording four shots, but none found the back of the net.

The second half was more offensively driven for both teams with the Tigers and Ichabods once again equalizing shot attempts with eight apiece. However, three Washburn attempts resulted goals. Mackenzie Heiman got the Ichabods on the board first as she earned her second goal of the season in the 59th minute. Less than one minute later Ellie Karloff put Washburn up 2-0 with her first goal of 2018 in the 60th minute. The scoring for the Ichabods commenced in the 71st minute as Tera Lynch achieved her second goal for the season to add to the Washburn lead at 3-0.

Jordan Thompson scored the first goal of her Tiger career in the 82nd minute to help Fort Hays State avoid a shutout. The Ichabods maintained their advantage in the closing minutes to take the 3-1 victory.

Both the Tigers and Ichabods ended the match with 12 shot attempts, Washburn with six shots on goal as opposed to four by Fort Hays State. Washburn claimed the fouls column as they were called for 14, compared to just six for the Tigers.

Much like shot attempts, the teams mirrored each other with three saves in the game. Whitney Bockover earned the win on 12 shots faced and improved her season record to 2-0. Megan Kneefel took the loss for the Tigers and dropped to 2-3-2 on the season. She ended the match with one save. Deonna Wellbrock played her first minutes this season, capturing two saves.

The Tigers open up MIAA play on Sunday (Sept. 23) when they travel to Emporia State, a team they have already seen this year in a match that concluded in a 1-1 tie. That contest is slated for 2 p.m.

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team defeated Southwest Baptist on Friday (Sept. 21), 9-0, behind Santiago Agudelo’s hat trick. This was the Tigers’ second hat trick of the season and seventh in school history. The Tigers improved to 4-2-1 on the season and begin MIAA play 1-0, while the Bearcats moved to 0-7 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

The Tigers began the game aggressive by firing off ten shots in the first ten minutes of the match as FHSU scored three goals in the first 7:50 of the contest. Arsenio Chamorro got things started for the Tigers as he connected on his second goal of the season on a pass from Tobias Patino, who placed the ball about 25 yards out from a corner kick that Chamorro drilled into the back of the net.

Agudelo scored his fourth goal of the year in the seventh minute after Chamorro’s shot hit the post and Agudelo picked up the rebound and fired the ball into the net, giving the Tigers an early 2-0 lead. Chamorro increased the Tiger lead to 3-0 just 1:08 later, scoring his second goal of the contest on a pass from Agudelo on the left side of box to the foot of Chamorro who snuck the ball past the goalkeeper.

Coming off the bench, Nathan De La Hoya scored his first goal of the season on a through pass up the middle from Moritz Walther. Then, in the 26th minute Mauricio Etcheverry took a free kick and passed the ball ahead to De La Hoya, who flicked the ball ahead to Agudelo and then beat the keeper near the post for his second score of the contest and fifth of the season.

Fort Hays State took a commanding 5-0 lead into intermission after recording 16 shots in the first period, nine of those on frame.

The second half started about the same way as the first when Patino connected on a pass to Abdoulaye Cisse, who crossed the ball into the box to Agudelo who completed the hat trick in the 49th minute. In the 51st minute of the match, Patino collected his third assist of the contest when he found Agudelo over the top up the middle, who found Luis Torres in the box and scored his second goal of the season, taking a 7-0 lead over the Bearcats.

Alonso Rodriguez found the back of the net for the first time this year when he collected a ricochet off the keeper’s chest to make the score 8-0 in the 60th minute. The Tigers weren’t done yet as Mariano Benitez found Antonio De La Torre on a give-and-go pass that beat the keeper on the left side of the box.

After all was said and done, FHSU broke the school record for goals in a single match (nine) and points in a match (29), while they tied the match record for assists (11). The Tigers produced the fourth most shots in a single match with 31 on the afternoon. The Tigers set the largest margin of victory and the largest margin of victory on the road in school history with the 9-0 final score.

Agudelo set the individual record for the most points in a match (eight). He scored three goals (seventh hat trick in team history) and produced two assists. Patino tied the second-most assists in a match, when he supplied three different Tigers with goals. Caden Frank enters the top-five all-time with seven shots in the match, while tying the record for most shots on goal in a single contest (five).

Fort Hays State improved to 11-0 all-time against Southwest Baptist. Cullen Fisch earned the victory in goal, improving to 4-2 on the young season.

The Tigers are back in action on Sunday as they travel to Tahlequah, Okla. to take on No. 8 Northeastern State for a 1 p.m. kickoff on the pitch.

Fort Hays State received a boost of two spots in the latest D2Football.com Poll, released on Tuesday (Sept. 18). The Tigers are No. 14 in the latest poll after holding the No. 16 spot last week.

Fort Hays State is one of four schools currently in the D2Football.com Top 25. Northwest Missouri State is now No. 2, while Pittsburg State vaults into the Top 10 at No. 9. Both teams are 3-0, the only remaining unbeaten teams in the MIAA. Central Missouri holds the No. 16 ranking this week.

The Tigers, now 2-1 overall on the season, head to Joplin, Missouri this Saturday for a meeting with Missouri Southern at 6 pm. The Lions are 0-3 overall.

Below is the D2Football.com Poll for September 18, 2018.

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

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Fort Hays State Volleyball team fell to No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday (Sept. 18) in straight sets. The Tigers are now 6-9 overall on the season and 0-3 in MIAA play, while the Lopers improved to 14-1 this season and 2-1 in league action.

UNK took an early 5-0 lead in the first set before FHSU got on the board thanks to an attack error on the Lopers. Nebraska-Kearney led wire-to-wire for the first set, claiming the opening frame 25-18. Kayla Vitztum led the Tigers with four kills in the first set.

The Tigers grabbed an early 5-2 lead in the second set, thanks to a couple kills from Vitztum and one by Isabelle Reynolds. The Lopers stormed back, matching the score for the first time in the second frame, 6-6. Back-and-forth play from the squads produced four lead changes and two more ties. After the Lopers took the lead back 10-9, did not look back in the set and headed into the locker room with a two-set advantage after a 25-15 win.

Vitztum’s 11th and final kill put the Tigers in front with a 3-2 advantage early in the third set, before the Lopers grasped the lead and never looked back as they wrapped up the match, 25-14.

Vitztum led the Tigers with 11 kills, while Tatum Bartels picked up another six kills and swung a team-high .278 in the match. Christianna Herron tallied five blocks while Abbie Hayes collected 18 digs.

The Tigers play host to Pittsburg State on Friday (Sept. 18) when they take on the Gorillas inside Gross Memorial Coliseum for the Tigers home-opener. First serve is set for 6 p.m.

MUSKOGEE, Okla. – The Fort Hays State men’s golf team finished tenth among MIAA teams and 18th overall at the NSU Men’s Golf Classic (Sept. 17-18), hosted at Muskogee Country Club a 6,729-yard, par 71 golf course. Senior Mac McNish led the Tigers with rounds of 73, 74 and 72 to post a 6-over (219) and tied for 48th individually. McNish finished the week with five birdies.

Isaiah Grover posted rounds of 73, 79 and 78 to finish in a tie for 85th individually. Grover carded six birdies for the week, most on the team. Connor Schultz finished in a tie for 89th after carding rounds of 79, 76 and 78. Schultz completed the week with four birdies. Colton Bobek fired of rounds of 78, 80 and 79 to finish solo 97th, while posting four birdies. Bryce Cowan shot an 84 before improving with rounds of 78 and 77 in the final two rounds while carding three birdies in the tournament.

Lindenwood took the team title with an aggregate score of 831, breaking the tournament record by besting the previous low by seven strokes. Central Missouri and Arkansas Tech tied for second with a score of 846. Fort Hays State finished 18th as a team with a score of 304-307-305 for a total of 916. Francois Jacobs of Arkansas Tech claimed the individual title after posting a 12-under (201) for the tournament.

This was the first designated MIAA event of the year. Lindenwood topped the conference field, followed by Central Missouri and Northeastern State. The top individual among MIAA golfers was Yente Van Doren of Lindenwood, who was just three strokes off the winning pace at 12-under par (201).

The TIgers will be competing in their third tournament in as many weeks next week when they travel to Monkey Island, Okla. to play in the MSSU Fall Invitational at Shangri La Country Club.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Fort Hays State women’s golf team finished in a tie for 12th at the RMAC Fall Preview (Sept. 17-18). The event was held at Tiara Rado Golf Course, a par-71, 5,952-yard course. The Tigers shot rounds of 324 and 322 to finish 78-over (646) for the tournament.

Senior Hannah Perkins led Fort Hays State as she finished in a tie for 15th individually. She fired rounds of 8-over (79) and 3-over (74) to finish 11-over (153) for the week. Perkins led the squad by carding five birdies in the tournament.

Taylor DeBoer and teammate Kelsey McCarthy tied for 46th. DeBoer shot rounds of 78 and 85, while McCarthy carded rounds of 85 and 78. Madison Roether tied for 65th individually with rounds of 82 and 87. Kira Mestl shot rounds of 90 and 85.

The University of Tampa won the tournament, shooting 37-over (604) as a team. Dixie State University finished second after shooting 615 as a team. CSU-Pueblo finished third with a total score of 615. Kiira Riihijarvi of Univ. of Tampa was the individual champion at 12-under par (130).

The Tigers will be back in action in two weeks as they will compete in the UCO RCB Classic (Oct. 1-2) in Edmond, Okla. hosted at the Golf Club of Edmond.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After playing all 202 minutes for the Tigers through two-consecutive overtime matches, Alex Polignano has been named the newest MIAA Defender of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday (Sept. 18). Polignano, a sophomore defender, has been a vital part of her Fort Hays State team who boasts a 2-2-2 record through six matches this season.

Polignano anchored a Tiger defense which had a 0.44 goals against average for the week, including a shutout 1-0 overtime win against Nebraska-Kearney. Prior to that contest, Fort Hays State played in another extra period match in which they ended in a 1-1 draw against Emporia State. Through the two matches, FHSU allowed 17 shots for the week to conclude with an average of 8.5 per match. Within regulation time, Fort Hays State allowed 15 of those shots with the remaining two coming in their overtime periods.

Her defensive strengths also helped Tiger goalkeeper Megan Kneefel go 1-0-1 for the week, another player who was present for all 202 minutes of the week.

Polignano and the rest of her Tiger squad hits the road for two-straight away matches this weekend. First, Fort Hays State concludes its non-conference schedule with a visit to Washburn in Topeka on Friday (Sept. 21) for a 6 p.m. night match. Following that, the Tigers open up MIAA play with a Sunday (Sept. 23) meting at Emporia State set for 2 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team fell three spots in the latest release of the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Poll. The Tigers are now ranked No. 21 in the nation, released Tuesday (Sept. 18). The Tigers are coming off a week in which they went 0-1-1 in their west coast swing against Point Loma Nazarene and Biola University.

Fort Hays State continues their six-match road slate this weekend as they begin MIAA play. The Tigers travel to Bolivar, Mo. to take on Southwest Baptist on Friday (Sept. 21) before make the trip to Tahlequah, Okla. to face No. 8 Northeastern State on Sunday (Sept. 23).

Below is the United Soccer Coaches Men’s Division II Poll for September 18, 2018.

Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1 Midwestern State 1 5-0-0
2 Ohio Valley 2 6-0-0
3 Simon Fraser 3 6-0-0
4 Young Harris College 4 5-0-0
5 Palm Beach Atlantic 7 6-0-0
6 Merrimack College 6 4-0-0
7 Univ. of Charleston 10 5-0-1
8 Northeastern State 8 5-0-0
9 Univ. of Indianapolis 11 6-0-0
10 Limestone College 12 4-0-0
11 St. Mary’s (Texas) 13 3-0-1
12 CSU-Los Angeles 20 5-1-0
13 Notre Dame College 5 5-1-0
14 Rollins College 21 4-0-0
15 Mercy College 17 4-0-1
16 Lander 16 4-0-0
17 Colorado Mesa 19 3-0-2
18 Florida Southern College RV 4-0-0
19 CSU-San Marcos RV 6-0-0
20 Southern New Hampshire RV 6-0-0
21 Fort Hays State 18 3-2-1
22 Northern Michigan NR 4-1-0
23 UC-San Diego 14 5-0-1
24 Florida Tech RV 4-1-0
25 LIU Post 23 4-1-0
Records shown are through games of Sept. 16, 2018.

Also receiving votes: Colorado School of Mines, Seton Hill University, Wingate University, Northwood University, Barry University, University of West Alabama, Lindenwood University.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State senior defensive tackle Wyatt Parker earned MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week honors on Monday (Sept. 17) for his efforts in the 30-24 win over Washburn this past Saturday. Parker had a great all-around performance, helping the nationally ranked Tigers improve their record to 2-1 overall.

Parker finished with 7 tackles, including 3.0 for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception. His forced fumble on a sack of quarterback Blake Peterson in the fourth quarter set up Fort Hays State’s final touchdown drive of the game, extending the lead to 30-10 which proved to be the decisive scoring play. Later in the fourth quarter, Parker intercepted a tipped pass with 2:14 remaining. He helped the Tigers hold Washburn to 299 yards of total offense.

Parker joins Central Missouri’s Jeremy Hunt (Offensive Player of the Week) and Pittsburg State’s Jared Vincent (Special Teams Player of the Week) as the weekly honorees for football from the conference office.

HAYS, Kan. – For yet a third-straight match, the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team took to extra time to decide on a winner. This time, however, the Tigers came out on top as Darby Hirsch netted an early overtime goal off an assist from Cailey Perkins to seal a 1-0 non-conference win over Nebraska-Kearney.

With the win, the Tigers even out to 2-2-2, while the Lopers are now 2-4 overall.

On a windy day in Hays, both teams had to fight against that obstacles on the field. The Tigers saw this advantage with the wind to their back as they attempted 14 shots compared to just five from the Lopers. In the first 45 minutes, Nebraska-Kearney held the shot advantage during the only period for them in favor of the wind as they out-shot the Tigers 4-2. However, in the second with the switch of sides, FHSU recorded 11 shots over just one from the Lopers.

After another 90 minutes of scoreless play, the Tigers headed into a third-straight match needing extra play. The previous two overtime matches have ended in ties for Fort Hays State, making this the first OT win of the season for the Tigers.

After Hirsch attempted the game-high five shots on the day, her final was the most important. In the 93rd minute of play, Perkins slipped behind a Loper defender to find Hirsch waiting near the goal. A quick pass from Perkins found the foot of Hirsch who pushed it past Nebraska-Kearney goalkeeper Ali Hirschmann to give the Tigers their second win of the season at 1-0. This was Hirsch’s first goal of her junior campaign while Perkins captured her second assist for the season.

Hirschmann was a strong presence in the net for the Lopers throughout the rest of the matches, bringing in eight saves even with the wind as her enemy. Hirschmann takes the loss in her first appearance this season for UNK and drops to 0-1.

Megan Kneefel captures her second win of the season to mirror her team’s record at 2-2-2 following two saves on the day, advancing her season total to 35.

Fort Hays State travels to Topeka to take on Washburn in its final non-conference match of the season. Gametime is set for 6 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 21). The Tigers open up MIAA play following that contest with Emporia State on the road on Sunday (Sept. 23) at 2 p.m.

HAYS, Kan. – For the second-straight match this season, 90 minutes of play was not enough as the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team took to two overtime sessions, ultimately ending in a 1-1 tie. With the draw, Fort Hays State drops to 1-2-2 on the season while Emporia State records its first tie of the season to dip to 3-1-1.

Emporia State led the offensive push in the first 45 minutes of play, leading the Tigers in the shot column with five shots while limiting Fort Hays State to just one attempt. Neither team could find the back of the net, leaving the score knotted up at 0-0 heading into halftime. With the next 45 minutes of play ahead of them, both squads evened out their shot attempts with both the Tigers and Hornets attempting five in the half.

With the potential for overtime looming, the Hornets stung first as Shelby Keyes captured her first goal of the season in the 75th minute to claim the first 1-0 lead of the match. The Tigers would not back down though as they equalized the score at 1-1 with Olympia Katsouridis capturing her first goal of her sophomore campaign in the 83rd minute as she completed a header from an assist by Cailey Perkins on the left side of the goal. The final minutes of regulation resulted in neither team gaining the advantage, sending the match to a first decisive period.

Emporia State tried to end the match with a win as they attempted two shots while leaving the Tigers shot-less in the first overtime. However, the second and final overtime went in favor of Fort Hays State who attempted their share of two shots with neither resulting in a goal. After 110 minutes of play, the Tigers and Hornets ended in a draw in their non-conference match.

Maria Walden for Emporia State led all players with four shots including two on goal, while Darby Hirsch accounted for three of her own for the Tigers. The Hornets ended the match with 12 shots compared to just eight by the Tigers. Taking her second-straight tie in goal for Fort Hays State was Megan Kneefel who tallied five saves in the tilt. Kneefel now owns 33 saves through five matches for the Tigers. Taking the tie on the other side was Hornet keeper Jillian Patton who recorded just one save in the match.

The Tigers are back in action for the second of three-straight non-conference matches against MIAA foes. They host Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday with a kickoff set for 1 p.m.

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team opened MIAA play with a 3-0 road loss against Washburn Friday evening (Sept. 14). The Tigers were unable to get into a rhythm against a tough Ichabod defense that totaled 12 blocks in the match.

Fort Hays State moves to 6-7 overall and 0-1 in MIAA play, while the Ichabods remain undefeated at 13-0 and 1-0 in league action.

Washburn took control early and never let up in the first set, capturing the first six points to force the Tigers to use an early timeout. The teams traded points for the rest of the set but Washburn’s defense stood tall, not allowing FHSU more than two consecutive points for the entire frame.

A service error and a kill from Kayla Vitztum gave the Tigers an early 2-0 lead to start the second set, but Washburn grabbed a stranglehold on the game thanks to a 13-2 run, including a seven-straight points to take the lead for good. Later, with the Tigers trailing by nine, the Tigers strung together four-consecutive points to ultimately pull within three, 22-19, thanks to an 8-2 run. Washburn rebounded after taking a timeout, taking the set 25-21 after a kill from Kelsey Gordon.

Azlyn Cassaday handed the Tigers the lead yet again to start the third set with a kill before multiple Ichabod errors and a strike from Christianna Herron gave the Tigers their largest lead of the evening, 5-2. FHSU held the lead as late as 7-6 after a kill from Morgan West, but Washburn slowly established a lead before scoring the final five points to take the match, 25-15.

The Tigers were limited to a .009 hitting percentage, its lowest outing in more than six years (.000 vs. UNK, 9/11/12). Washburn countered with a .262 swing rate. Both sides dug out 48 balls, with the Ichabods holding a 37-24 edge in assists.

Cassaday led the Tigers with 10 kills while adding four digs defensively. Abbie Hayes tallied 18 digs on the back line and dropped in one of two FHSU aces. Amirah Bentley tossed up a team-best 12 assists in the loss.

The Tigers will look to get back to .500 overall and in league play Saturday when they travel to take on Emporia State at 3 p.m.