Fort Hays State (2-2. 2-2 MIAA) at
Central Oklahoma (2-2, 2-2 MIAA)
Saturday, October 5 – 1 pm
Wantland Stadium – Edmond, Okla.

Fort Hays State Football returns to action on Saturday (Oct. 5) at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. Kickoff is set for 1 pm at Wantland Stadium between the two teams, both entering at 2-2 on the season. The Tigers are looking for their third straight win after victories over Washburn and Missouri Southern in the two previous weeks, while also looking to run their win streak over UCO to five games after winning each meeting since 2015.

Fort Hays State will need to be ready for a battle on Saturday. The Bronchos finished 8-4 overall each of the last two years, claiming bowl wins each season. The last two meetings between the teams in Edmond have been nail biters for the Tigers, winning 31-24 in 2017 on a touchdown pass with 42 seconds remaining and 30-29 in 2015 on a field goal as time expired. Last year, FHSU defeated Central Oklahoma 15-0 in Hays on five field goals by Dante Brown. It was FHSU’s first shutout of an opponent since 2008.

The Tigers continue to thrive in the passing game, averaging 313.5 yards per game this season through the air to rank ninth in NCAA Division II. However, the rushing offense has established a presence in each of the last two games, averaging 171.5 per game in that span. Chance Fuller ranks seventh in NCAA Division II for passing yards per game (298) and fifth in passing touchdowns (12). Harley Hazlett has been his top target, averaging 97 receiving yards per game with 28 catches for 388 yards. Hazlett ranks fifth in NCAA Division II for receiving touchdowns with six. Charles Tigner leads the FHSU rushing attack, averaging 80.2 yards per game.

Defensively, the Tigers held each of their last three opponents to less than 400 yards of total offense. Last week they allowed 344 to Missouri Southern, the lowest of any opponent so far this year. Tanner Hoekman leads the Tigers in tackles with 34. Drew Harvey is right behind with 33, while leading the team in tackles for loss (5.0) and sacks (2.0). The Tigers have seven interceptions, which ranks 12th in NCAA Division II, all within the last two games. Hoekman, Hayden Kreutzer, and Isaiah Creal-Musgray all have two passes picked off so far this year.

Dante Brown continues to produce field goals at a high rate for the Tigers, making 9-of-12 attempts so far this year. His 2.25 field goals per game average ranks second in NCAA Division II. He ranks 16th in the nation in scoring, averaging 10 points per game.

Central Oklahoma is coming off a 59-10 loss at Northwest Missouri State this past week. UCO is 1-1 at home so far this year with a close 37-35 loss to Pittsburg State, a team now ranked No. 15 in the nation, and a 63-0 win over Lincoln.

FHSU Sports Information

EDMOND, Okla. – Fort Hays State notched its first MIAA victory of the season on Friday night with a big 2-1 win over No. 14 ranked Central Oklahoma. Not even a first-half lightning delay could deter the Tigers from ending the Bronchos’ 13-match unbeaten streak at home.

Coming into the match, UCO had been a thorn in the side of FHSU winning six of the last seven meetings. Fort Hays State snapped a four-match skid to UCO with the win, moving to 5-3 (1-1 MIAA). The Tigers handed the Bronchos their first loss of the year, now 6-1-2 (1-1 MIAA).

Only 10 minutes ticked by before lightning from a storm in the area caused a delay of an hour. The delay did not faze the Tigers. Five minutes after play resumed, FHSU drew a foul in the box. Chloe Montano stepped up and knocked in her first goal of the season on a penalty kick, giving the Tigers the early 1-0 advantage. The Tigers mustered three more shots before taking the one-goal lead into halftime.

The Tigers attempted their only shot of the second half in the 54th minute, but cashed in on the chance. Jenna Prince netted a goal in the lower-left corner off an assist from Montano, helping the Tigers double their lead. UCO’s Eden Jones scored in the 64th minute to cut the lead in half, but it was not enough as FHSU hung on for the victory despite getting outshot 24-5.

The Tigers made their two shots on goal count out of their five total shots for the match. Prince and Montano were responsible for two shots each, while Emily Reitz tallied the fifth. The defense had a busy night, but kept 14 UCO shot attempts from being on target. Taryn Schnell and Maja Persa defensively played the entire 90 minutes.

Megan Kneefel (4-2) was rock solid, saving nine of 10 shots on goal. With the victory, Kneefel moved into sole possession of second place in all-time career wins at FHSU. She passed Abbie Flax (2014-2016), now with 19 career victories.

The Tigers look to keep their momentum rolling on Sunday (Oct. 6) at Newman University. The match is at 2 pm in Wichita.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team struggled to find a rhythm Friday evening (Oct. 4) against No. 10 Northwest Missouri State, falling to the Bearcats in three sets (12-25, 11-25, 9-25). The Tigers move to 6-8 overall and 3-3 in MIAA play while NWMSU improves to 12-1 on the year and 5-0 in league action.

Northwest Missouri State captured four of the first five points and never looked back, leading for nearly the entire match. The Tigers held a slight lead in the second set, leading as late as 7-6 before a four-point Bearcat run gave the home team the lead for good.

The Tigers were held to a -.099 attack percentage while the Bearcats countered with a .326 swing rate. NWMSU made things tough for the Tigers at the net, blocking seven attempts on the night.

Seven different Tigers recorded a kill, led by four from Delaney Humm. The sophomore tied with senior Abbie Hayes with a team-best 10 digs on the day. Katie Darnell totaled 11 assists while Taylor White added four.

The Tigers will look to bounce back Saturday (Oct. 5) when they take on No. 13 Central Missouri. First serve is set for 3 p.m. from Warrensburg, Mo.

EMPORIA, Kan. – Ten days after defeating Emporia State inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, the Fort Hays State volleyball team bested the Hornets on their home court Tuesday (Oct. 1), 3-1 (25-22, 17-25, 26-24, 25-22). The Tigers move to 6-7 overall and 3-2 in MIAA play with the win, while ESU dips to 4-9 on the year and 0-5 in league action.

The Tigers used a 9-2 run in the heart of the opening set to open up an 18-12 lead before the Hornets battled back to tie things up. Isabelle Reynolds broke up the Hornet rally with a kill before Morgan Christiansen tacked on another point for the Tigers. After ESU closed within 22-21, freshmen Christiansen and Delaney Humm tallied consecutive kills to give the Tigers a chance at set point. The Hornets fought off the first point before a setting error gave FHSU the 25-22 victory.

The teams traded points early in the second set before the Hornets extended a 17-8 lead thanks to an 8-1 run. Fort Hays State clawed back within four, 19-15, before ESU scored on six of the final eight rallies to level the match, 1-1.

After Emporia State slowly built a 17-13 lead in the third set, the Tigers responded by scoring six of the next eight points to level the frame at 19-19. The home team went on another run, stretching out a 23-20 lead before Fort Hays State scored four-straight to reach set point. The Hornets tied things up at 24 momentarily, but kills from Christiansen and Kylie Brown propelled the Tigers to a 26-24 win.

Emporia State once again started strong in the fourth set, scoring the first four points before leading by as many as six, 13-7. But a Hornet service error triggered a big run for the Tigers, who scored 13 of the next 14 points to build a commanding 20-14 lead. Two ESU errors and three kills from Delaney Humm helped the Tigers close within one before Humm and Tatum Bartels combined for a block to tie the set at 14-14.

Bartels gave FHSU its first lead of the frame with a kill before Katie Darnell was credited with a service ace on a rotation error. Morgan West joined the party with a kill to stretch the lead to 17-14 before Humm tacked on two more kills. Emporia State managed to close within one later in the set, 23-22, before back-to-back kills from Reynolds and Humm ended the match.

Emporia State outhit the Tigers on the day, .191-.170. Both sides were busy at the net on defense, with the Hornets totaling eight blocks and FHSU recording seven.

Humm led the Tigers with 17 kills on 48 swings (17-9-48) while adding 15 digs for her seventh double-double of the year. Reynolds and Christiansen added 11 kills each, with Christiansen leading the team with four blocks (one solo). Katie Darnell tossed up 38 assists, adding 13 digs and two service aces. Libero Abbie Hayes paced the Tigers with 16 digs.

The win gives the Tigers a winning conference record for the first time since the end of the 2016 season.

The Tigers will continue their road trip over the weekend when they head to Missouri for a pair of conference matches. First up is a Friday night meeting with 10th-ranked Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo. First serve is set for 6 p.m.

EDMOND, Okla. – Fort Hays State Women’s Golf finished in a tie for 12th place at the UCO Classic in Edmond, Okla. (Sept. 30-Oct. 1). The Tigers sat in sixth after shooting 321 in the first round, but slipped to 12th after a 344 in the second round. The tournament took place at The Golf Club of Edmond, a par-71 layout.

Kira Mestl held the lead through 18 holes of the tournament, shooting a 73 (+2) on day one. It turned out to be the fifth-lowest round of the tournament after champion Susana Olivares of Central Oklahoma shot 68 on day two and three others shot 72. Unfortunately, Mestl slipped into a tie for 26th with an 86 on day two.

Taylor DeBoer improved three strokes on day two and finished at 161 strokes, carding rounds of 82 and 79. She tied for 35th two strokes back of Mestl. Kate Peterka had rounds of 82 and 85, tying for 55th. Madison Roether shot rounds of 84 and 94, tying for 78th. Riley Hunter also competed for FHSU, shooting rounds of 91 and 101.

Central Oklahoma rallied from two strokes down after day one to win its home tournament by seven strokes over Arkansas Tech. The Bronchos were the only team to shoot sub-300, posting a 295 on day two. Arkansas Tech remained consistent with 304 each day. Fort Hays State tied Arkansas-Monticello for 12th.

The Tigers close out the fall portion of their schedule next week at the Midwest Classic in Warrensburg, Mo. (Oct. 7-8), hosted by Central Missouri.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State moved up one spot in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, checking in at No. 21 on Tuesday (Oct. 1). The Tigers are now 4-3-1 overall on the season, but undefeated in GAC play so far at 3-0-1.

Fort Hays State is coming off a 1-0-1 performance on the road last week. The Tigers tied Ouachita Baptist 2-2 and then handed Harding its first loss in GAC play with an 8-1 blowout win.

Fort Hays State is the only GAC team represented in the Top 25, while Northeastern State and Rogers State are just outside looking in among the teams receiving votes. FHSU defeated Northeastern State and Rogers State earlier this season. Two of Fort Hays State’s losses on the year are to Top 25 teams (No. 3 Maryville and No. 23 Eastern New Mexico).

Fort Hays State plays just one match this week, taking on Newman University at home on Saturday (Oct. 5).

Below is the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll for October 1, 2019:

Rank	School	Prev	W-L-T
1	Adelphi University	1	7-0-0
2	Azusa Pacific University	3	7-0-0
3	Maryville University of St. Louis	6	8-0-0
4	Gannon University	8	5-0-0
5	California State University-Los Angeles	7	7-0-0
6	University Of West Florida	11	6-0-0
7	Francis Marion University	12	4-0-1
8	Mercy College	9	7-0-1
9	Lake Erie College	13	8-0-0
10	Texas A&M International University	RV	5-0-1
11	Florida Tech	25	6-0-0
12	Wingate University	RV	4-0-2
13	Midwestern State University	19	6-1-0
14	West Chester University	17	5-1-1
15	Wilmington University	18	8-0-0
16	Young Harris College	2	5-1-0
17	Lynn University	5	5-0-1
18	California State University-San Bernardino	15	3-1-1
19	West Texas A&M University	4	4-1-0
20	University Of Charleston	24	5-2-0
21	Fort Hays State University	22	4-3-1
22	Bellarmine University	RV	5-0-2
23	Eastern New Mexico University	9	7-1-0
24	Simon Fraser University	20	3-1-0
25	Palm Beach Atlantic University	14	5-1-1

Also receiving votes: Northeastern State University, Tiffin University, Queens University Of Charlotte, California State University Chico, Assumption College, Rogers State University.

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Fort Hays State senior forward Santiago Agudelo earned GAC Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honors for a second straight week, released on Tuesday. He tallied seven points for the past week, helping FHSU to a 1-0-1 record against GAC competition on the road.

Agudelo scored three goals and added an assist over a two-game span for Fort Hays State. He had the go-ahead goal to put FHSU up 2-1 in what eventually was a 2-2 tie at Ouachita Baptist. Two days later, he helped the Tigers move into first place alone in the GAC standings with an 8-1 win over Harding, scoring two goals and adding an assist.

Agudelo joins Northeastern State’s Ben Watson (Defensive Player of the Week) and Justin Hinman (Goalkeeper of the Week) as the conference’s weekly honorees in men’s soccer.

Fort Hays State Tiger coach Chris Brown held his weekly press conference Tuesday after the Tigers picked up the 44-3 win over Missouri Southern Saturday. The Tigers travel to Edmond, Oklahoma Saturday for a matchup with Central Oklahoma.

Senior wide receiver Harley Hazlett and junior linebacker Drew Harvey also addressed the media Tuesday. You can hear their comments below.

Coach Chris Brown

Harley Hazlett

Drew Harvey

HAYS, Kan. – The FHSU women’s soccer team faced adversity Sunday with tough weather conditions in the form of a strong steady wind gusting up to 40 mph at times. Falling down two goals to a solid Emporia State team did not help as ESU held on for a 2-1 win in the MIAA opener for both squads. The Tigers dropped to 4-3 (0-1) and the Hornets improved to 6-2 (1-0).

The Hornets got on the board fast in the first half going into the strong wind. Emporia State’s MacKenzie Dimarco sneaked one by goalkeeper Megan Kneefel, threading the needle low and to the left after a pass from Gaby Crowell. That put the Tigers down 1-0 entering halftime.

The score remained the same until the 72nd minute when ESU’s Tanna Benefiel headed a shot in the net off a corner from Joanie Westcoat. ESU looked comfortable with a 2-0 lead until a late push from the Tigers.

The Tigers closed the gap in the 86th minute to make the game interesting. Kailey Corr fouled Emily Reitz in the box and FHSU was awarded a penalty kick. Darby Hirsch stepped up and knocked in her third goal of the season. The Tigers mounted a couple more attacks, but ultimately could not find the equalizer.

FHSU tallied five shots throughout the match, taken by Cailey Perkins, Zariah Smith, Jenna Prince, and Darby Hirsch (2). Emporia State reached 11 shots overall with seven taken by Mackenzie Dimarco.

Megan Kneefel (3-2) saved five of seven Emporia State shots on goal. Jillian Patton (6-2) saved two of three FHSU shots on goal.

The Tigers travel to Edmond, Okla. looking for their first MIAA win against Central Oklahoma. The match is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4.

HAYS – After a sluggish start offensively, Fort Hays State scored 28 points over a seven minute stretch of the second and third quarters and cruised to a 44-3 win over Missouri Southern State in front of 5,832 on cool damp evening at Lewis Field. The Tigers have won two straight following an 0-2 start. The Lions fall to 1-3 under first year head coach Jeff Sims.

The Tiger defense was solid from start to finish, picking off four Lions passes and had three stops on fourth down. The Lions only points came on a 30-yard Riley Hathorn field goal late in the third quarter. They had seven tackles for loss an four sacks, two from Drew Harvey who led them with 12 tackles. Hayden Kreutzer had two interceptions with Tanner Hoekman and Isaiah Creal-Musgray getting the others.

Five of Fort Hays State’s first seven possessions started inside Lions territory, but they were held to a pair of 41-yard Dante Brown field goals until Manny Ramsey’s 17-yard touchdown catch from Chance Fuller with 5:21 to play in the second quarter.

Harley Hazlett then tip-toed down the Tiger sidelines on a 51-yard screen pass for a touchdown with 4:16 left in the half to push the lead to 20-0.

Te’Corey Tutson’s 93-yard kickoff return to open the third quarter gave the Tigers the ball at the MSSU 3-yard line setting up a 3-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to Hazlett. The two would connect on a 22-yard strike following a Hayden Kreutzer interception to give FHSU a 34-0 lead with 13:25 to play in the third.

Hazlett would finish with eight receptions for a career-high 123 yards and a three touchdowns.

D.J. Hickman, who rushed for 90 yards on 16 second half carries, scored on a 3-yard run with 9:27 left in the third to five the Tigers a 41-0 lead.

Chance Fuller completed 20 of 36 passes for 255 yards and four touchdowns and one interception. Charles Tigner rushed for 87 yards on 17 carries.

FHSU finished with 437 total yards of offense, 182 on the ground, and 255 through the air. The Lions had 344 yards, 64 on the ground and 280 through the air.

Missouri Southern’s Jacob Park threw for 173 yards on 22-of-48 passing with four interceptions. Sean Kelly completed 7-of-16 passes for 107 yards before leaving with an apparent severe leg injury in the second half.

The Tigers travel to Edmond, Okla. to play Central Oklahoma Saturday (Oct. 6) at 1 p.m. The Bronchos dropped to 2-2 following a 59-10 loss at No. 7 Northwest Missouri State.

HAYS, Kan. – An errorless opening set propelled the Fort Hays State volleyball team to a clean sweep of Newman Saturday afternoon (Sept. 28), 25-14, 25-14, 25-19. The Tigers improve to 5-7 overall and 2-2 in MIAA play, while the Jets fall to 0-13 overall and 0-4 in league action.

The Tigers cruised to a 25-14 victory in the opening two sets, never trailing in either frame. The Black and Gold did not record an error in the opening set, totaling 10 kills on 25 swings for a .400 attack percentage. FHSU pulled away in the set thanks to eight attack errors and five service miscues from Newman.

Delaney Humm helped the Tigers dominate again in the second set, recording as many kills (seven) as the entire Jet squad. FHSU jumped out to a quick 8-4 lead, but Newman battled back to level the score at 9-9. A kill from Humm prompted a seven-point run for the Tigers, putting the home team in front for good. The Lincoln, Neb. freshman ended the set with one final kill, handing the Tigers another 25-14 win.

The Tigers scored seven of the first nine points in the third set to take a quick five-point lead, but Newman fought back to take their first lead of the match, 10-9. The teams then traded points until FHSU scored six-straight with Taylor White serving, prompting a Jet timeout. Humm recorded the final two kills for the Tigers off passes from Katie Darnell to complete the sweep.

Humm tallied another double-double, her sixth of the season, after a team-high 14 kills and 10 digs. Isabelle Reynolds added 10 kills with a .360 attack percentage, while Kylie Brown recorded five kills on seven swings (.714 attack percentage). Darnell totaled 37 assists, nine digs and one block assist. Tatum Bartels did not record an error, accumulating seven kills on eight swings while adding an ace and one solo block. Abbie Hayes led the team with 11 digs.

Fort Hays State recorded a season-high .355 attack percentage, its best swing rate against a conference opponent since 2016 (.396 at Southwest Baptist, 11/12/16). Meanwhile, the Tigers held Newman to a .082 swing rate.

The Tigers picked up their second conference win of the season, matching their total from each of the last two seasons.

After going 2-1 over its latest home stretch, the Tigers will hit the road for four straight matches beginning next week. First up is a rematch with Emporia State on Tuesday (Oct. 1), with first serve set for 6 p.m. from Emporia, Kan.

SEARCY, Ark. – Following an offensively dominant performance against Ouachita Baptist on Thursday that resulted in a draw, No. 22 Fort Hays State men’s soccer was back in the scoresheet early on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers defeated Harding 8-1 to snatch their fourth win of the season.

With the victory, FHSU remains undefeated all-time against Harding, moving the record to 7-0.

The 2018 National Semifinalists struck early against the Bisons. In the fourth minute, midfielder Moritz Walther began the scoring on an assist from Agustin Meza – creating the first goal of the season for Walther.

Just seven minutes later, Moises Peralta followed up Walther, with an assist from Alec Bevis.

Nearly midway through the first half, Tigers leading goal scorer Santiago Agudelo added another to the scoreboard, notching his fifth of the season. Sophomore midfielder,Rogelio Lopez was awarded his third assist on the season during the play.

Four minutes later, Fort Hays added another score only this time, it was Lopez finishing a pass from Agudelo. On an ensuing FHSU possession, the black and gold once again found the back of the net for their fourth goal of the game. Lopez, once again a facilitator on the play, found Sergio Villalba, who finished his chance past goalkeeper Carlos Calderon.

Heading into the halftime break, the Tigers commanded a 5-0 lead over the Bisons and would continue to pour in the goals as the second period kicked off.

Villalba, scoring in the 31st minute, notched another goal in the 56th minute for his second goal of the game, the Tigers sixth.

Just a minute later, Harding. Was able to add a tally to their own side of the scoresheet. Fort Hays State defender Miguel Baca committed a foul within the confines of the 18-yard box and was handed a yellow card. The Bison’s Christian Ramos stepped up to take the penalty kick and successfully found the back of the net.

Before long, FHSU piled on their seventh goal of the game when Alonso Rodriguez played a ball through the middle of the field to Agudelo, cutting to the left corner of the 18-yard box. The senior striker cut in on his right foot and displayed a curving finish between two Bison defenders.

The next Tiger point occurred under five minutes later. In the 80th minute, junior Mauricio Etcheverry was substituted into the match for Santiago Agudelo. In just three minutes, Etcheverry made his presence widely known with a cross from near the sideline. Flying through the air, senior Caden Frank eyed the ball and with his outstretched leg, was able to ricochet the ball past the Harding goalkeeper.

The 8-1 victory is the second largest margin in Fort Hays State men’s soccer history – the team missing the all-time record by only one goal.

Freshman goalkeeper Kieran Brown made three saves in his first collegiate start. Bevis added two assists to his stat line.

After an offensively dominant week, Fort Hays State is now above the .500 mark (4-3-1 overall) and remain undefeated in Great American Conference play.

The Tigers will be playing back in the FHSU Soccer Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5 against Newman University.