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FHSU men’s soccer advances to Super Regional with overtime win over Lindenwood

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State got a goal two minutes into overtime to win 1-0 over No. 20 Lindenwood Friday night at the FHSU Soccer Complex to earn a spot in the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Championship.

Michael Cole found the back of the net off a pass from Mauricio Castorino in the 92nd overall minute of play.

Between the pipes Michael Yantz stopped six shots to earn his first win of the NCAA Tournament.

The 16th-ranked Tigers (14-4-1) will face Rockhurst for the second straight year in the round of eight with a 1 p.m. kickoff Sunday at the FHSU Soccer Complex.

FHSU women’s soccer falls in Central Regional finals

ALLENDALE, Mich. – Central Missouri scored early in the second half to advance 1-0 over Fort Hays State and earn a spot in the round of eight at the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Tournament.

Hannah Pyle netted a goal for the Jennies, her 11th of the season, to give her squad the lead in the 52nd minute of the game. In goal Ana Dilkes stopped all six shots that found their way on frame to get her fourth shutout win of the postseason.

No. 3 Central Missouri (21-1) will face off with Grand Valley State for the second straight year in the round of eight at 1 p.m. on Nov. 20 from Allendale, Mich.

The 24th-ranked Tigers (15-5-3) end their season end their season with the most wins in program history.

MIAA

Fort Hays overcomes sluggish start to win 88-73

By Dustin Armbruster

St. Cloud State took advantage of a sluggish Fort Hays State women’s basketball team to take a nine point lead three different times in the first seven minutes of Friday’s game in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Tigers finally found traction in the first quarter to go on a 10-0 run on points from five different players to end first quarter leading 18-17.

The Huskies found their three point shooting stroke over the first two minutes of the second quarter to regain a 25-20 advantage. Like they did in the first quarter, Fort Hays finished the quarter strong with a 12-0 run to take their biggest lead of the first half 42-30. St. Cloud State hit a three to end the half and trim the lead down to 42-33.

Coach Tony Hobson

Fort Hays pushed their lead to ten when Jill Faxon took over in the third quarter scoring nine in a row and pushing the Tiger lead to 21 at 59-38. For Hays outscored the Huskies 26-9.

The Tigers pushed their lead to 25 points with 8:52 remaining, looked to be cruising to a victory. St. Cloud State had other ideas though as they cut the Tiger lead down to six at 76-70. The Huskies went on a 23-4 run over a period of six and a half minutes including five three pointers. Niki Kacperska though broke the run with a three pointer that started a 12-3 run to end the game with an 88-73 win.

Highlights

Fort Hays improves to 3-0 on the season and will play Saturday afternoon against Bemidji State at 2:00. Emma Stroyan was a perfect 9-9 from the field and 2-2 from the free thrown to lead the Tigers with 20. Jill Faxon added 18. St. Cloud State falls to 1-2 they will play Northland College in the final game of the Huskies Classic.

Davis leads Tigers to home win over Central Christian

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Rob Davis scored 35 points, Hadley Gillum added 20 to lead Fort Hays State to a 95-58 win over Central Christian College Tuesday night at Gross Coliseum. Davis, who scored 33 in the Tigers win at Sioux Falls Sunday, knocked in five of the Tigers eight 3-pointers and hit all six of his free throws.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Rob Davis Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Fort Hays Statee (2-1) struggled to score early, but a Brady Werth dunk and Davis 3-pointer fueled a 10-0 first half run to put the Tigers in the lead for good.

Kyler Kinnamon scored nine points and dished out eight assists with one turnovers. JaQuan Smith, who went 1-for-10 from the field, pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds. Brady Werth added 11 boards along with six points.

FHSU volleyball falls to Jennies in MIAA tourney opener

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Fourth seeded Central Missouri overcame deficits in the first two sets to roll back for a 25-23, 25-23, 16-25 and 25-18 win over fifth seeded Fort Hays State in the opening round of the MIAA Volleyball Tournament.

For the 16th-ranked Jennies (23-9) Kylie Hohlen led the way with 16 kills making it a double-double by adding 20 digs. Kasey Hohlen added 13 kills as did Molly Lawrence who also finished with three blocks on the night. Kourtney Thompson had a game high 45 assists and Carly Offerdahl led the way on the return with 32 digs.

For the Tigers (25-9) Crystal Whitten finished with a double-double with 15 kills and a team best 29 digs. Hannah Wagy had a team best 41 assists while Callie Christensen led the way with seven total blocks.

MIAA

FHSU lands 14 on the All-MIAA football team; Sie Doe, Jr. named defensive Player of the Year

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State had 14 players named to the All-MIAA Football Team for 2016 on Tuesday. The Tigers have three first team, two second team, and three third team selections, along with six players that earned honorable mention status. Sie Doe, Jr. was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year following his tremendous play this year at defensive end.

The 14 All-MIAA selections is a new high for FHSU under head coach Chris Brown. Last year, the Tigers had 13 all-conference picks.

First team selections went to senior defensive lineman Sie Doe, Jr., senior defensive back Raheeme Dumas, and junior running back Shaquille Cooper. Second team selections are junior defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd and senior linebacker Alex Schmidtberger. Third team selections include junior running back Kenneth Iheme, senior offensive lineman Mason Dickey, and junior kicker Brandon Brown. Honorable mention nods went to sophomore quarterback Jacob Mezera, redshirt-freshman wide receiver Layne Bieberle, redshirt-freshman tight end Matt Wendelberger, sophomore linebacker Jose Delgado, and senior defensive backs Rashad Dunnigan and DeAndre James.

Doe earns the second All-MIAA distinction of his career with a first team selection this year after honorable mention status last year. His dominating numbers up front on the defensive line earn him the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year award this season. Doe posted an impressive 15 sacks in the regular season, breaking the FHSU single season record by three. Add that to 6.5 sacks last season and he now shares the FHSU career record for sacks with Trevell Smittick, the person he passed for the single-season record. Doe currently ranks third in the nation in sacks, averaging 1.36 per game, and has eight more sacks than Cass Weitl, who ranks second in the conference in total sacks with seven. He also leads Super Region 3 in sacks by 3.5. Doe also leads the MIAA in tackles for loss (18.5) and is tied for 13th in the nation. He is tied with two other players for the national lead in forced fumbles with five. He recorded 76 tackles in the regular season to rank third on the team.

Dumas earned the first All-MIAA selection of his career, providing tremendous coverage for the Tigers at cornerback this year to earn a first-team selection. His six interceptions this year is just one shy of the single-season record at FHSU and it ties for sixth nationally. Add in seven pass break-ups to give him 13 passes defended this year, which ties for sixth best in the conference. He has a total of 32 tackles this year.

Cooper earns All-MIAA First Team honors for the second straight year at running back. Though his rushing yards total was down this season compared to last, currently at 825 for the year, he also provided a big threat as a receiver finishing with 32 receptions for 354 yards. He also added in 126 kick return yards this year to produce 1,305 all-purpose yards. He ranks second in the MIAA in total rushing yards and rushing yards per game (75). Cooper now ranks fifth all-time in all-purpose yards at FHSU with 3,744 in his career.

Shepherd earns the second All-MIAA selection of his career, moving up to second team honors this season after a third-team nod last year. At defensive tackle, he has 53 tackles, three sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, and one forced fumble this year.

Schmidtberger earns the third All-MIAA selection of his career with the second team selection. He was an honorable mention pick in both 2014 and 2015. He currently ranks third in the MIAA in tackles with 131, averaging 11.9 per game. He ranks fourth nationally in total tackles and tackles per game. Schmidtberger ranks third all-time in tackles for the NCAA Division II era at FHSU with 341.

Iheme earns the first All-MIAA selection of his career with a third team selection. He has given the Tigers a solid 1-2 punch at running back this year, producing 485 rushing yards. He has added 22 receptions for 177 yards and 156 kick return yards to produce a total of 816 all-purpose yards this year. Iheme went past the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his career this year, now with 1,148 rushing yards.

Dickey earns the first All-MIAA selection of his career with third team honors on the offensive line. Dickey has been a staple in the Tiger starting lineup over four years, making 44 consecutive starts. He has served as the team’s left tackle this year after starting three years at right guard.

Brown has been a great transfer addition to the team this year at kicker. He has produced 79 points this year, setting a new single-season record for kick scoring points at FHSU by passing the old mark of 77 by Roy Miller in 1992. With 15 field goals, he has also tied Miller for the single-season field goals made record at FHSU. His longest field goal of the season was 49 yards. He has also impressed on kickoffs this year averaging 59.2 yards per attempt, sending 31 of his 60 attempts for touchbacks. Brown has also been utilized for punting this year, averaging 40.4 yards per attempt on 37 tries with a season long of 78 yards to tie the second-longest punt in FHSU history.

Mezera earns the first all-conference honor of his career with the honorable mention nod at quarterback. After staying under the 300-passing yard mark for the first five games of the season, Mezera had a breakout game at Pittsburg State in Week 6 by throwing for 446 yards and five touchdowns, while adding 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground for 508 yards of total offense to break the school record. His 446 passing yards were most in the FHSU’s NCAA Division II history and third most all-time. He went on to throw for over 300 yards in the next two games. He finished the regular season completing 200-of-315 attempts for 2,342 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Bieberle gets an all-conference pick in his first year on the field for FHSU at wide receiver. He has 27 receptions this year for 409 yards, averaging 15.1 yards per catch with a team-best five touchdowns. He had the first 100-yard receiving game of his career at Emporia State with 116 yards.

Wendelberger also picks up all-conference honors in his first year on the field at FHSU. He has 15 catches for 163 yards at tight end and has been key in the blocking game as well.

Delgado receives the first all-conference selection of his career with honorable mention status at linebacker. Delgado ranks fourth in the MIAA in tackles with 101, averaging 10.1 per game. He ranks 27th nationally in tackles per game. He also has 8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery this year.

Dunnigan gets the first all-conference selection of his career with the honorable mention pick at defensive back. Playing opposite of Dumas at the other cornerback position, Dunnigan compiled three interceptions and 46 tackles. He is tied with Dumas for the team lead in passes defended with 13 this year. His 10 pass break-ups ties for fifth best in the MIAA and he is tied for sixth in the conference in passes defended.

James earns the second All-MIAA selection of his career, but first as a defensive back. He was an honorable mention pick at kick returner as a freshman in 2013, but gets the nod this year as a safety. James has 52 tackles and two interceptions this year to go with 220 kick return yards. The senior now has 174 tackles and 1,268 kick return yards in his career. He ranks third all-time in kick return yards at FHSU.

Complete All-MIAA team below

MIAA Offensive Player of the Year – Kyle Zimmerman, QB, Northwest Missouri
MIAA Defensive Player of the Year – Sie Doe Jr., DL, Fort Hays State
MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year – Jaylen Zachery, RS, Central Missouri
MIAA Freshmen of the Year – Brenner Clemons, WR, Pittsburg State
MIAA Coach of the Year – Adam Dorrel, Northwest Missouri

First Team (Offense)
QB – Kyle Zimmerman, Northwest Missouri
RB – Josh Caldwell, Missouri Western**
RB –  Shaquille Cooper, Fort Hays State^
WR – Jaylen Zachery, Central Missouri
WR – Mitchell Foote, Emporia State**^
WR – Levi Copelin, Pittsburg State
TE/FB –  Jordan Grove, Northwest Missouri**^
OL – Chase Sherman, Northwest Missouri**
OL – Travis Anderson, Missouri Western**^
OL – Derrick Puni, Central Missouri
OL – Jarret Statsny, Emporia State
OL – Jamie Theiman, Northwest Missouri
K – Simon Mathiesen, Northwest Missouri^
PR/PR – Jaylen Zachery, Central Missouri**
**=Unanimous selection

^=Repeat First Team Selection

First Team (Defense)
DL – Eddie Vinson, Emporia State
DL – Sie Doe Jr., Fort Hays State
DL – Collin Bevins, Northwest Missouri**^
DL – Cass Weitl, Northwest Missouri
LB – Connor Harris, Lindenwood^
LB – Tyke Kozeal, Nebraska-Kearney
LB – Jacob Vollstedt, Northwest Missouri^
LB –  Cody Heiman, Washburn
DB – Tevin Teamer, Central Missouri
DB – Raheme Dumas, Fort Hays State
DB – Kevin Berg, Northwest Missouri^
DB –  Deron Washington, Pittsburg State
P –  Carter Anchors, Pittsburg State
**=Unanimous selection

^=Repeat First Team Selection

Second Team (Offense)
QB – Garrett Fugate, Central Missouri
RB – Clay McKenzie, Central Oklahoma
RB –  Phil Jackson II, Northwest Missouri
WR – Justin Brown, Emporia State
WR – Gary McKnight, Northeastern State
WR – Shawn Bane Jr., Northwest Missouri
TE/FB – Seth Hebert, Central Missouri
OL – Brandon Waggoner, Central Oklahoma
OL – Max Oeser, Missouri Western
OL – Codey Funk, Pittsburg State
OL – Bo Farrow, Pittsburg State
OL – Michael Miller, Washburn
K – Perry Schmiedeler, Washburn
KR/PR – Austin Panko, Pittsburg State

Second Team (Defense)
DL – Josh Powell, Central Missouri
DL – Nathan Shepherd, Fort Hays State
DL – Heath Wilson, Fort Hays State
DL – Akhmad Abdul-Razzaq, Washburn
LB –  Kole Schankie, Emporia State
LB –  Alex Schmidtberger, Fort Hays State
LB – James Huskey, Missouri Western
LB – Spencer Brown, Pittsburg State
DB – Monteze Latimore, Central Missouri
DB – A.J. West, Emporia State
DB – Donte Watkins, Missouri Western
DB – Anthony Lane, Northwest Missouri
P – Perry Schmiedeler, Washburn

Third Team (Offense)
QB – John Roderique, Pittsburg State
RB – Kenneth Iheme, Fort Hays State
RB – Luke Quinn, Nebraska-Kearney
RB – Cameron Wilcox, Northwest Missouri
WR – Connor Pulley, Central Oklahoma
WR – Dijuan Ussery, Missouri Western
WR – Bryce Chavis, Washburn
TE/FB – Kyle Swartz, Pittsburg State
OL – Chris Gomez, Central Missouri
OL – Sam Noble, Central Oklahoma
OL – Jordan Baldwin, Northeastern State
OL – Mason Dickey, Fort Hays State
OL – Ryan Huff, Northwest Missouri
K – Brandon Brown, Fort Hays State
KR/PR – Kendell Sparks, Lindenwood

Team Reflects Tie in the Voting

Third Team (Defense)
DL – Dalainey Taala, Central Missouri
DL – Deontay Wilson, Central Oklahoma
DL – DeAndre Glover, Emporia State
DL – Jonathan Harris, Lindenwood
LB – Dylan Albertson, Central Missouri
LB – Josh Monteagudo, Emporia State
LB – Kenneth Davis, Northeastern State
LB – Jarrod Bishop, Northwest Missouri
DB – Tre Dickerson, Emporia State
DB – Bakari Triggs, Lindenwood
DB – Edward Richey, Northwest Missouri
DB – Zach Franklin, Washburn
P – Stetson Broce, Missouri Southern

Honorable Mention
QB – T.J. Eckert, Central Oklahoma; Braxton Marstall, Emporia State; Jacob Mezera, Fort Hays State; Dimonic McKinzy, Northeastern State; Derek McGinnis, Washburn.
RB – Gabe Vandiver, Central Missouri; Jake Gandara, Central Oklahoma; Landon Nault, Emporia State; Calen Campbell, Lindenwood; Aaron Daniels, Lindenwood; Michael Rose, Pittsburg State.
WR – Kyle Echols, Central Missouri; Josh Crockett, Central Oklahoma; Layne Bieberle, Fort Hays State; DeSean Warren, Lindenwood; Deantrell Prince, Lindenwood; Scott Lathrop, Missouri Southern; Josiah Bennett, Missouri Southern; Jordan Morrison, Missouri Southern; Patrick Bolton, Missouri Western; Malcolm Moore, Nebraska-Kearney; Blake Holtmeier, Nebraska-Kearney; Austin Panko, Pittsburg State; Dre Washington, Northwest Missouri; George Sehl, Northwest Missouri; Brenner Clemons, Pittsburg State.
TE/FB – Reese Richards, Emporia State; Matthew Wendelberger, Fort Hays State; Blake Vandenberg, Missouri Western; T.J. Schieber, Northwest Missouri.
OL – Layne Fischer, Central Missouri; DeAndre Herron, Emporia State; Estevan Arana, Emporia State; Deshaun Lawson, Lindenwood; Mitche Moore, Missouri Southern; Hayden Eatinger, Missouri Western; Zach Beard, Nebraska-Kearney; Luke Browne, Nebraska-Kearney; Tyler Easter, Northeastern State; Ryan Dodd, Pittsburg State; Bob Marco, Washburn.
DL –  Connor Flagel, Central Missouri; Carson Smith, Central Oklahoma; Donovan Walker, emporia State; Daylon Harper, Missouri Western; Tye Spies, Nebraska-Kearney; Caleb Mather, Northwest Missouri; Simanu’a Thomas, Pittsburg State; Trey Parker, Washburn; Spenser Matthews, Washburn.
LB – Jose Delgado, Fort Hays State; Cody Lindsay, Missouri Western; Darrian Bass, Missouri Western; Tyrell Robison, Missouri Western; La’More Wise, Northeastern State; Darian Morris, Northeastern State; Ethan Fugitt, Pittsburg State; Austin Tillman, Washburn.
DB – Diaron Rhodes, Central Missouri; Jackson Newman, Central Missouri; Rashad Dunningan, Fort Hays State; DeAndre James, Fort Hays State; Wesley Thomas, Lindenwood; Chris Goss, Missouri Southern; Ricky Green, Missouri Southern; Antwan Hadley, Nebraska-Kearney; Steffon Herd, Northeastern State; Devon Siers, Northeastern State; Jack Young, Northwest Missouri; Marcus Jones, Northwest Missouri; Corey Ballentine, Washburn.
K – Seth Hiddink, Central Oklahoma; Austin Morton, Emporia State.
P – Christian Fulham, Central Oklahoma; Justin Marcha, Emporia State

Fort Hays State accepts invitation to C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl

COPPERAS COVE, Texas – Fort Hays State Football has accepted an invitation to play in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl in Copperas Cove, Texas. FHSU will face Eastern New Mexico University of the Lone Star Conference on Saturday, December 3 at Bulldawg Stadium at 6 pm. Both teams finished the year at 7-4 overall.

Fort Hays State will compete in a bowl game for the second consecutive year after being selected to the Mineral Water Bowl last year. This is the first time in school history that the Tigers will play postseason games in back-to-back seasons. The Tigers will also be looking for their first postseason game win in program history and a chance to match the school record for wins in a season for the second straight year.

The Heart of Texas Bowl features two major bowl games each year in December at Bulldawg Stadium in Copperas Cove, Texas. These prestigious bowls match two top junior colleges from the National Junior College Athletic Association in the first game, then pits schools from NCAA Division II in the second game, one from the Lone Star Conference playing another top national team of the bowl committee’s choice. The committee looked to the MIAA this year and made Fort Hays State its choice to meet Eastern New Mexico of the Lone Star Conference. Eastern New Mexico is making an appearance in the game for a second consecutive year.

“We are very excited to except the invitation from the Heart of Texas Bowl,” said FHSU Head Coach Chris Brown. “It is a great opportunity for our kids and a great step in the growth of this Tiger program. I am very proud of these young men with the dedication, commitment, and effort they have put into getting this program to where it is now. I am very happy to get the opportunity to coach them for one more game this year.”

Fort Hays State tied for fourth place in the MIAA at 7-4 with Washburn and Pittsburg State. Eastern New Mexico tied for third in the Lone Star Conference at 6-3 with Texas A&M-Kingsville, yet finished 7-4 overall by going 1-1 in non-conference games.

This will be the fourth playing of the Heart of Texas Bowl between NCAA Division II schools. Below is the history of the Division II game…

2012      McMurry (Texas) 36, Southern Arkansas 35
2014      Texas A&M-Commerce 72, East Central (Okla.) 21
2015      Arkansas Tech 51, Eastern New Mexico 35

Here is the link to the Heart of Texas Bowl website… https://www.heartoftexasbowl.com/

Inman and Lance earn championships at UNC Open

FHSU Sports Information
Fort Hays State wrestling traveled to Greeley, Colo. on Sunday (Nov. 13) to compete in the Northern Colorado Open. Jon Inman (197) and Christian Lance (285) won tournament titles for the second straight week, while Rakim Dean (184) also placed.

Inman the No. 4 ranked wrestler at 197 went 4-0 on the day with four decisions to claim the title. After receiving a bye in the first round he handled New Mexico Highlands’ Christopher Collins in the second round by the score of 11-4. In the quarterfinal round he got the better of Wyoming’s Cody Vigoren with a 5-2 decision to advance to the semifinals. There he had his tightest match of the day against Colorado Mesa’s Austin Gaun with a 9-7 decision. In the finals Inman claimed his second title in as many tournaments with a 5-2 decision over Jacob Seely of Northern Colorado.

Lance went 5-0 on the day to claim his second individual title of the year. He defeated three Division I wrestlers to claim the title. In the first round, Lance won a nail-biter over Wyoming’s Hunter Mullins by a 3-2 decision. In the following round he recorded a first period fall at the 2:30 mark over CSU-Pueblo’s Drew Strong to move into the quarterfinals. There he once again was on the better end of a 3-2 decision, this time over Jack Kuck of Northern Colorado. In the semifinal bout Lance once again defeated a member of the Wyoming team, Sam Eagan with a 7-4 decision to advance to the finals. In the championship bout, Lance once again came out on top of a one-point decision by topping Northwest Kansas Tech’s Odgerek Batkhishig by the score of 6-5.

Dean went 5-1 on his way to a third place finish for the day. He started the day with a pin over Northeastern Junior College’s Dylan Buschow at the 1:50 mark in the first period. His only loss then came in the ensuing round where he fell victim to Northern Colorado’s Dylan Gabel in a 10-3 decision. In the consolation bracket Dean went on to win his next four matches starting with a technical fall over Northwest Kansas Tech’s Kyle Rodriguez by the score of 17-2. From there he would defeat CSU-Pueblo’s John Lewis with another major decision 13-3, and New Mexico Highlands’ Luis Terrazas in a 6-3 decision to advance to the third place match. Dean then was garnished third place honors after Wyoming’s Nate Shaw forfeited due to a medical issue.

The Tigers have one more open tournament next week when they head to the Nebraska-Kearney Open on Saturday (Nov. 19) before kicking off the dual season the following Thursday (Dec. 1) when they take on Lindenwood in Hays.

Davis late heroics lifts Tigers past Sioux Falls

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Rob Davis scored 33 points and hit the game-winning shot with under a second to play and Fort Hays State beat the University of Sioux Falls 80-79 Sunday at the Stewart Center. It’s the second straight year the Tigers (1-1) have beaten the Cougars (0-2) with a  last second shot as they go 1-1 in the season opening NSIC/MIAA Challenge.

Sioux Falls nearly pulled out the win but Zach Wessell 75-foot heave rimmed out as time expired preserving the Tigers victory.

Mark Johnson Postgame Press Conference

Game Highlights

Davis hit seven of the Tigers nine 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds. Hadley Gillum added 17 points and tied the game at 78 after a Kyler Kinnamon steal. JaQuan Smith chipped in with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

The Tigers shot 61-percent in the second half including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc after hitting only 36-percent in the first half in battling to a 31-all tie at the break.

Frankamp scores 15, Wichita State beats Long Beach State

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Connor Frankamp scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and Wichita State cruised to a 92-55 win over Long Beach State on Sunday night.

Landry Shamet scored 12, Zach Brown and Daishon Smith had 11 points apiece and Austin Reaves added 10 for Wichita State.

Long Beach State went scoreless for more than 7 minutes during a 29-2 run by Wichita State (2-0) that made it 72-40 with 8:07 to play. The Shockers score 21 straight and hit six 3-pointers during that span.

Wichita State shot 65.4 percent, including 7 of 11 from beyond the arc, in the second half.

Gabe Levin scored 13 points and was the only player to score more than five points for Long Beach State.

The 49ers (1-1), who made just six of their final 28 shots, shot just 31.3 percent from the field — including 2 of 20 from 3-point range — and made 13 of 22 (59.1 percent) free throws.

FHSU women’s soccer defeats Minnesota State on penalty kicks; advances to regional finals

MANKATO, Minn. – The 24th-ranked Fort Hays State women’s soccer team advanced to the Central Regional Final (round of 16) of the NCAA Tournament after a nail-biting shootout victory over 15th-ranked Minnesota State on Sunday. The game officially goes down as a 2-2 draw, but the shootout determined the advancing team. FHSU took the shootout 4-2 and is now 15-4-3 overall, while Minnesota State ends its season at 16-3-3 overall.

Fort Hays State will now travel to the campus of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan for the Central Regional Final against the team it tied for the MIAA Regular Season Championship, Central Missouri, on Friday (Nov. 18). The Jennies advanced to the regional final with a 2-1 win over MIAA foe Central Oklahoma on Sunday. The winner of that match will take on the winner of the Midwest Regional Final between Grand Valley State and Truman. The Super Regional Final is slated for Sunday.

The Mavericks struck first when Dana Savino found the back of the net in the 65th minute. After earning a corner kick, the Mavericks sent a ball into the box that bounced around for quite some time, then Savino made a run that put her in position to bounce the ball off of her chest across the line.

Less than a minute later Regan Lawler tied the game when she scored her first goal of the season. From midfield, Lawler launched a missile towards the Maverick goal just above the keeper’s reach, tipping off the gloves and into the goal. The shot lit a fire in the Tigers as they played the rest of the second half with a new life and sense of urgency.

Silvano Romero put the Tigers into the lead for the first time just under five minutes later. Dani Harris ripped a shot from 25 yards out that the Mavericks goalkeeper was able to deflect up to the crossbar but she fell to the ground doing so. Romero followed the shot and buried the rebound in the wide open net.

Later in the half, two players collided causing a stoppage in play. This stoppage may have hurt the Tigers momentum as the Mavericks were able to gather themselves during the stoppage of play. Just moments later, Savino struck once more to even the score.

At the end of 90 minutes, neither team was able to get the go-ahead goal, and the fans were treated to free soccer. In the first 10-minute overtime, the Mavericks threw everything they could at the Tigers but came up empty. The second 10-minute overtime was much of the same as the Tigers showed their “bend, don’t break” mentality, but held on forcing the draw and the shootout.

In the shootout the Tigers went first with Silvana Romero at the line, but unfortunately she missed. After the first Maverick shooter found the back of the net the Tigers found themselves trailing 1-0.

Next up for the Tigers was Dani Harris who evened the score at 1-1. Then Tiger goalkeeper Abbie Flax changed the complexion of the shootout by diving and getting her fingertips on the second MSU shot, deflecting the ball just outside the post.

Hannah Smith put the Tigers in the lead for the first time as she completely fooled the Mavericks keeper. But MSU responded to make it a 2-2 tie after three shootout rounds.

Darby Hirsch gave FHSU the edge once more as she found the net on her try. With the fourth Maverick shooter at the line, Abbie Flax once again made an outstanding diving save setting the Tigers up for the shootout-winning opportunity.

For the second time in four matches, Thayla Dwyer lifted the Tigers to a shootout victory and the round of 16 in the tournament. She was calm and collected as she approached the ball and buried it easily to send the Tigers to the Central Regional Final. Dwyer had the shootout winner in a first-round tie with Missouri Western in the MIAA Tournament.

In addition to the two shootout saves, Flax made four big saves throughout the course of the match and now sits at 12-4-3 this season.

Game time of the match with Central Missouri in Allendale, Mich. on Friday (Nov. 18) will be announced when made available by Grand Valley State.

FHSU Sports Information

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