Fort Hays State scored two early goals and then held off Upper Iowa late to claim a 2-1 victory at FHSU Soccer Stadium in conference play on Friday evening (Oct. 18). The 18th-ranked Tigers moved to 9-2-1 overall and 4-1-1 in the MIAA, while the Peacocks drop out of the second place tie with FHSU, now at 7-5-1 overall and 3-2-1 in the MIAA.

The FHSU offense was clicking early, netting a couple of early opportunities to take a 2-0 lead by the 17th minute. Michael Cole got the Tigers on the board nearly six minutes into the match beating the keeper to the right after a pair of nice passes from Ricardo Yeverino and Diego Cabral, who were awarded assists. Just over 10 minutes later, Yeverino scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season using a nice spin move in the box after a pass from Daniel Peralta.

The Tigers had total control of the match at halftime, but that control started to slip in the second half when Upper Iowa mustered better offensive chances. The Peacocks scored a goal in the 59th minute on a ball flicked up into the air by Simone Lupi that just snuck over the head of keeper Kent Freund.

The Tigers held off the late charges by the Peacocks to remain in second place alone in the MIAA standings. Freund moved to 3-1-0 in goal this season with the win.

Fort Hays State hosts Northeastern State next week at FHSU Soccer Stadium on Thursday in a showdown of nationally ranked programs. The teams tied in their first conference match of the year, 2-2 in Tahlequah.

— FHSU Sports Information —

Fort Hays State University’s comeback fell short on Friday, as the Tigers dropped a 3-1 (25-23, 26-24, 21-25, 29-27) contest to Lindenwood on the road.

FHSU (6-12, 1-7 MIAA) dropped the first two sets, but after taking set three, couldn’t hold its fourth set lead over LU (6-13, 3-3 MIAA).

Sara Hewson and Madison Schwartz each finished with 13 kills for the night, while Jenna Ulrich had seven blocks and 10 kills. Taylor Mares added 11 kills.

Makenzie Weinman dug out 19 attacks, leading a team that had 77 total digs for the night.

Libby Ary (28 assists) and Raegan Vanderplas  (24 assists) split time at setter for the Tigers.

Down 7-16 in the first set, FHSU rallied with a 7-1 run to put the score at 14-17.  The Tigers kept the deficit around three until 24-21, when a quick 2-0 run had FHSU one point from forcing a win-by-two situation.  Lindenwood, though, would take the set, 25-23.

Hewson and Flagor each had four kills in the set, while Vanderplas seven assists and five digs led the team.  Hewson and Samantha Ledy had service aces in the opening set.

After leading 6-4 in the second stanza, a substitution infraction on FHSU reset the score to a 5-4 Lindenwood advantage, which the Lions would hold until late in the set.  Down 19-16, FHSU went on a 4-1 run to tie the match, 20-all.  The teams would tie on two other occasions before 24-24, when a two-point run for LU closed out the set, 26-24.

Needing to win the third stanza to extend the match, FHSU would fall behind, 9-5, in the opening minutes.  The Tigers, however, used a 10-3 run (including six unanswered at the close of the run) to take and stretch the lead to 15-11.

After allowing the Lions back within two (15-13), FHSU rattled off a burst of four unanswered points, giving the team a 19-13 advantage.  LU would again rally, this time to 21-19.  Still, the Tigers hung tough and took the third set, 25-21.

Flagor and Hewson again led the way in the third set, as each had five kills and pushed their match totals to 10. Libby Ary and Vanderplas would split time at the setter role in the set, throwing up seven and eight assists, respectively.  Ulrich’s four blocks (one solo) in the set were a team best as well.

After fighting off elimination in the third set, the Tigers roared out to a 9-3 lead in the fourth.  After FHSU increased its lead to 10 (16-6), LU went on a 6-1 run that forced a Tiger timeout and brought the Lions within striking distance.  FHSU couldn’t break the LU attack, as the Lions tied the set at 22-22, and set up a set point, 24-23.  FHSU, though, wouldn’t go away, using kills by Schwartz and Ledy to gain a 25-24 advantage in the win-by-two scenario.  Both teams traded points until two straight kills gave LU the match.

The Tigers are in action tomorrow in a doubleheader against Lindenwood-Belleville, beginning at 11 a.m., in Belleville, Ill.

— FHSU Sports Information —

Fort Hays State University earned a draw, 1-1, with Missouri Western on Friday in St. Joseph, Mo.

FHSU (5-7-3, 1-4-3 MIAA) took 20 shots in the game, while MWSU (2-10-2, 0-6-1 MIAA) fired 13.

Missouri Western would take a 1-0 lead early in the game.  Ashley Juravich found the net from 15 yards out, unassisted on the play.

FHSU answered back soon after, though, as Amanda Talbott netted her fourth goal of the season at 13:18.  The Escondido, Calif., native took a cross from 10 yards out from Hailey Davey and scored.  Davey’s assist was her second this season.

At the half, FHSU had launched seven shots (five on goal); out-doing MWSU’s four shots (three on goal).

Neither team would score in the second half, forcing overtime in the conference match.

FHSU out-shot MWSU, 4-0 in the first overtime period, though Davey’s shot in the 93rd minute was the only shot on goal.

In the second overtime, FHSU again fired four shots, and though three were on goal, the Tigers couldn’t break through the stingy play of Griffons’ goalie Sarah Lyle.

Talbott’s six shots led the team, followed by Dani Harris (four) and Jordan Hester (three).

Kelsey Grey played all 110 minutes in the net and saved eight shots.

The Tigers travel to Maryville, Mo., on Sunday for an 11 a.m. conference matchup with Northwest Missouri State.

— FHSU Sports Information —

Fort Hays State University won its third match in a row with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-23) victory over Stephens College on Thursday in Columbia, Mo.

The Tigers improve to 6-11 (1-6 MIAA) while the SC drops to 3-15 (0-4 AMC).

Jenna Ulrich’s 11 kills and five blocks were team-highs, as Mallory Flagor and Madison Schwartz added nine kills. Raegan Vanderplas had 18 assists and six digs in the match. Chelsea Payne led the team with nine digs, while Makenzie Weinman and Schwartz had eight.

FHSU jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set and never looked back.  The team lead by as many as 10 and clinched the set, 25-19.

Libby Ary led the team with 11 assists in the first frame, followed by Kelsey Broadwell’s nine. Flagor and Taylor Mares each had five kills as FHSU took a 1-0 lead in the match.

Down three in the second set (11-8), FHSU rattled off a quick three-point rally to tie it up.  Down 13-14, FHSU pulled away with eight-unanswered points to lead, 21-14.  The Tigers won the set, 25-17.

Schwartz led the way in the second set with six kills, while Vanderplas and Ary had four and five assists, respectively.  Ulrich added three block assists in the effort.

Tied 5-5 in the final stanza, a kill by Rachel Szczepanski sparked a 7-3 spurt for the Tigers to give them a 13-8 lead.  Ulrich had a kill and a solo block during that span.  SC would recover with a 7-2 run to regain the lead, 19-18.  Out of a timeout, FHSU regained control, and took the set, 25-23, on Tara Hoekman’s third kill of the night.

The Tigers travel to St. Charles, Mo., on Friday for a MIAA matchup with Lindenwood at 7 p.m.  The Tigers will be looking for their 900th win in program history while head coach Kurt Kohler chases career win No. 150.

— FHSU Sports Information —

After being named the MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday, senior punter Cameron Owens has been recognized as a National Player of the Week by three organizations. He has been dubbed the National Special Teams Player of the Week by D2Football.com and USA College Football, while also being named the National Punter of the Week by Beyond College Sports Network.

Owens averaged 51.2 yards on his four punts against Lindenwood. Three of the four resulted in drives starting inside the Lindenwood 20-yardline. His longest punt of the day was 65 yards, resulting in the ball being downed at the Lindenwood 19. The average field start for Lindenwood on Owens’ punts was the Lindenwood 17. Owens also averaged 56.8 yards on six kickoffs in the game. All four of his punts were at least 43 yards. Lindenwood scored on only one drive that started after a punt by Owens.

Owens currently leads the MIAA in punting average at 43.3 yards per attempt. He is ranked 11th nationally in punting average.

— FHSU Sports Information —

The Fort Hays State men’s golf team finished 16th at the Drury Inn Central Region Invitational in St. Joseph, Mo., hosted by Missouri Western (Oct. 14-15). Fort Hays State could not get anything going in the three-round event as its team scores progressively went higher over the three rounds.

Fort Hays State shot 307-311-321 for a 939 total as a team. The Tigers are third in the MIAA standings as a team for MIAA designated events, but finished seventh among the MIAA teams competing at this non-MIAA designated event, so it will not hurt them in the standings as a team or individually.

Trey Herman, who was tied for eighth after two rounds at just two-over par, had an uncharacteristic final round of 83 (12-over par), which slid him all the way to a tie for 27th in the final individual standings. Herman was the top finisher for the Tigers even though his final round did not figure into the team total for round three.

Nick VonLintel was the next highest finisher for FHSU in a tie for 64th individually. He shot rounds of 78-76-82 for a 236 total. Jeff Heptig finished in a tie for 74th with a 239 after rounds of 77-80-82. Grand Storey tied for 79th with a 241, carding rounds of 82-81-78. Mark Cunningham also competed, tying for 85th with rounds of 83-82-79 for a 244 total.

This completes the fall portion of the 2013-14 schedule for the Tigers, who will resume action in the spring.

— FHSU Sports Information —

The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team jumped six spots to No. 18 in the latest NSCAA Division II National Poll, released on October 15. The Tigers picked up wins over Eastern New Mexico and Southwest Baptist last week to push their record to 8-2-1 (3-1-1 MIAA).

The Tigers are now home for four straight matches, beginning Oct. 18 against Upper Iowa at 7 p.m.  FHSU will then host Northeastern State on Oct. 24 in a rematch of a 2-2 tie earlier this season.  The home stand closes out with matches against Harding and West Texas A&M.

FHSU is one of three MIAA schools in the national rankings, which includes Lindenwood at No. 7 and Northeastern State at No. 24. The Tigers tied Northeastern State earlier this fall on the road and play the RiverHawks again this season at home on October 24. The Tigers also have two non-conference matches ahead against West Texas A&M, which is No. 15 in the latest poll.

— FHSU Sports Information —

Below is the national poll for October 15, 2013…

Also receiving votes: Clayton State, Mercyhurst, Rockhurst, Millersville, Ohio Dominican, Limestone, Metro State

Fort Hays State University grabbed a 2-1 conference win over Southwest Baptist on Monday afternoon.  The game was a make-up of an earlier scheduled match that was rained out.

The Tigers are now 8-2-1 overall and 3-1-1 in the MIAA, putting the squad in second place halfway through the conference schedule.  SBU, on the other hand, drops to 0-13 (0-4 MIAA).

FHSU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead just 2:39 into the game.  Ricardo Yeverino fired a pass in between the legs of an SBU defender, finding Diego Cabral on the left side of the net for a score.

SBU, though, would fire back near the end of the half, tying it as Brad Tippin took a cross from Kaleb Romero in the middle of the box and score.

In the 64th minute, FHSU would take the lead for good on Yeverino’s goal. David Lucio assisted on the play.

Cabral has now scored in four straight contests, while Yeverino has goals in the last three.  The two are tied for a team-lead of seven.  Yeverino’s assist was his third of the season, while Lucio brought his assist total to four.

The Tigers are now home for four straight matches, beginning Oct. 18 against Upper Iowa at 7 p.m.  FHSU will then host Northeastern State on Oct. 24 in a rematch of a 2-2 tie earlier this season.  The home stand closes out with matches against Harding and West Texas A&M.

— FHSU Sports Information —

Fort Hays State senior punter Cameron Owens was named the MIAA Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week on Monday, October 14 for his efforts in the 31-17 win at Lindenwood on Saturday (Oct. 12). He averaged 51.2 yards per punt in the game, playing a key role in the Tiger victory.

Owens averaged 51.2 yards on his four punts against Lindenwood. Three of the four resulted in drives starting inside the Lindenwood 20-yardline. His longest punt of the day was 65 yards, resulting in the ball being downed at the Lindenwood 19. The average field start for Lindenwood on Owens’ punts was the Lindenwood 17. Owens also averaged 56.8 yards on six kickoffs in the game. All four of his punts were at least 43 yards. Lindenwood scored on only one drive that started after a punt by Owens.

Owens joins John Brown, wide receiver from Pittsburg State (Offensive) and Nate Dreiling, linebacker from Pittsburg State (Defensive) as the three football Athletes of the Week.

— FHSU Sports Information —

The Fort Hays State University women’s soccer team fell short in a 1-0 loss to Northeastern State on Sunday in Hays, Kan.

The Tigers (5-7-2, 1-4-2 MIAA) mustered just two shots in the opening period, and though they finished with eight attempts, couldn’t slow down an NSU (10-2, 4-2 MIAA) offense that launched 14 total shots.

Amanda Talbott and and Ceynada Guzman each had two shots for FHSU.  Both of Talbott’s attempts were on goal, while Guzman had one shot on goal. Hannah Jurgens and Sabrina Van Horn also had shots on goal for the Tigers.

Nicole Barnaba played the entire game in the net, allowing one goal while saving six attempts.

The RiverHawks broke a 0-0 stalemate near the midway point of the first half, as Jennifer Clark retrieved a long pass from Lindsey Latta and chipped a shot over Barnaba’s head.

FHSU will hit the road next weekend for matches at Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri State on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

— FHSU Sports Informatoin —