HAYS, Kan. – For the fifth-straight season the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team has advanced to the MIAA Tournament semifinals. The Tigers posted a 3-0 first round win at home over Missouri Western to stay alive in the conference tournament. Fort Hays State improves to 11-6-2 overall after finishing MIAA play with an 8-3 record.

FHSU took the regular season matchup with the Griffons in shutout fashion following a 1-0 win on their home turf. The post-season meeting would see similar results as the Tigers earned their seventh shutout of the season at 3-0.

In the 21st minute, senior Vianei Sanchez received a touch pass at the top of the box from the foot of Chloe Montano from 22-yards out to net the first Tiger goal of the game. FHSU boasted the 1-0 lead through the remainder of the first half and into the locker room. Fort Hays State tripled Missouri Western’s first half shot attempts by a 9-3 margin.

The Tigers looked to better their previous score against the Griffons as they maintained an offensive surge heading into the second half. Less than three minutes after halftime, Darby Hirsch earned her fifth goal of the season following a 30-yard solo blast, sending the ball over the Griffon keeper’s left shoulder. That goal expanded the Tiger lead to 2-0.

With the two-goal lead remaining put for a majority of the second half, Fort Hays State decided to seal the win with yet another goal in the 88th minute to ensure their advancement. Freshman Cailey Perkins captured her eighth goal of the year in front of the net following passes from Nikita Woods and Sanchez. That goal added to the Tiger lead and would hold strong until the time ran out, giving Fort Hays State a 3-0 first round win.

Things got heated at certain points in the contest as three yellow cards were handed out. In the 60th minute, a double yellow was awarded to Woods and Anika Nobs of the Griffons. The final card was passed out to Olympia Katsouridis for FHSU with less than two minutes remaining in the match.

Fort Hays State more than doubled Missouri Western’s shot attempts in the game, earning an 18-7 advantage. Perkins, Woods and Montano led all players with four shots each, followed closely by Sanchez with three of her own.

Megan Kneefel captures the win in net for the Tigers and improves her season record to 9-5-2. Alongside three saves on the night, Kneefel now owns 75 this year. Anna Mayer claims the loss for the Griffons after collecting six saves, and drops her season record to 11-5.

This win sets up a meeting with No. 1 seeded Central Oklahoma who took care of business in their first round matchup against No. 8 Washburn, 4-1. The semifinal matchup will be played in Edmond, Okla. on Friday (Nov. 2) with a time to be decided later.

Fort Hays State moved up one more spot in the D2Football.com Top 25 Media Poll on Tuesday (Oct. 30). The Tigers are No. 22 this week after holding the No. 23 ranking last week. The Tigers climbed back into the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll after their win over nationally ranked Pittsburg State in Hays and have slowly moved up the last two weeks.

Northwest Missouri State remains No. 5 in the poll for a third straight week, though it holds the No. 10 ranking in the official AFCA Poll. Pittsburg State remains at No. 25 for a second straight week in the D2Football.com Poll. Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State are both among the top teams receiving votes in the AFCA Poll. Fort Hays State travels to Northwest Missouri State this weekend, looking to keep their hopes alive for a second-straight MIAA title with a win.

Nine of the 10 teams referenced in the first release of the NCAA Super Region 3 rankings are in the D2Football.com Top 25. Super Region 3 teams make up nearly 40 percent of the Top 25.

Below is the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll for October 30, 2018.

Team Record Previous
1 Minnesota State 9-0 1
2 Ferris State 9-0 2
3 West Georgia 9-0 3
4 Ouachita Baptist 9-0 4
5 Northwest Missouri 8-1 5
6 Minnesota Duluth 9-0 6
7 Valdosta State 8-0 7
8 Grand Valley State 8-1 8
9 Colorado Mines 9-0 9
10 Tarleton State 8-0 10
11 CSU-Pueblo 8-1 12
12 West Chester 8-0 13
13 Indianapolis 7-1 14
14 Notre Dame 9-0 16
15 Tiffin 9-0 17
16 LIU-Post 8-0 18
17 Midwestern State 6-2 11
18 Central Washington 7-2 19
19 Texas A&M-Commerce 7-2 20
20 Southern Arkansas 8-1 21
21 Harding 7-2 22
22 Fort Hays State 7-2 23
23 Lenoir-Rhyne 8-1 24
24 Kutztown 7-1 15
25 Pittsburg State 7-2 25

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team stayed put in the latest release of the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Poll. The Tigers sit at No. 10 in the nation for the second week in a row, released Tuesday (Oct. 30). The Tigers extended their winning streak to set the program record with their 11th-consecutive victory.

Fort Hays State wrapped up the first perfect season in MIAA play this past week with victories over Upper Iowa (Oct. 26) and Lindenwood (Oct. 28). The Tigers defeated the Peacocks on Friday by a score of 3-1 in Fayette, Iowa. After Upper Iowa put out ahead in the fifth minute of the contest, Santiago Agudelo (twice) and Alonso Rodriguez fueled the Tigers to move to 11-2-1 all-time against the Peacocks.

In the Sunday matinee with Lindenwood, FHSU pulled away late and tacked on an insurance goal from Santiago Agudelo in the 85^th minute to defeat the Lions 3-1 and finish 8-0 in conference play in 2018. Agudelo finished the week with four goals and one assist, totaling nine points.

The Black and Gold complete their regular season play by hosting the University of Mary this weekend. The Tigers and Marauders are slated to battle on Saturday (Nov. 2). Kickoff for the Senior Day match is set to commence at 6 p.m.

Below is the United Soccer Coaches Men’s Division II Poll for October 30, 2018.

Rank	School	Prev.	W-L-T
1	Simon Fraser	1	16-0-0
2	Young Harris College	2	15-0-0
3	Palm Beach Atlantic	3	14-1-0
4	Univ. of Charleston	4	15-0-2
5	Colorado School of Mines	5	16-1-1
6	Midwestern State	6	15-1-1
7	Lander University	7	13-1-2
8	Azusa Pacific	8	15-1-0
9	Mercy College	12	11-2-1
10	Fort Hays State	10	14-2-1
11	Saginaw Valley State	16	9-1-6
12	Spring Hill College	RV	15-1-0
13	West Chester	14	11-2-4
14	West Texas A&M	15	13-2-2
15	Le Moyne College	RV	13-2-1
16	Univ. of Southern Indiana	11	13-3-1
17	Barry University	13	10-3-1
18	Northeastern State	20	13-2-1
19	Limestone College	22	11-3-1
20	UC-San Diego	17	13-3-2
21	Notre Dame College	21	14-3-0
22	Tiffin University	NR	13-4-0
23	Lynn University	RV	10-3-1
24	Wilmington University	NR	12-1-4
25	CSU-Los Angeles	24	12-2-3

Records shown are through games of Oct. 28, 2018.

Also receiving votes: Westminster College, Ohio Valley University, Nova Southeastern University.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State men’s soccer junior forward Santiago Agudelo has been named MIAA Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week, announced Tuesday (Oct. 30) by the league office. This is the fifth time Agudelo have achieved the honor this season.

Agudelo produced nine points for the week in a pair of conference wins, helping Fort Hays State complete the first-ever perfect MIAA Men’s Soccer regular season at 8-0. In a 3-1 win over Upper Iowa, he had the game-tying goal in the 31st minute before adding an insurance goal in the 85th minute to secure the win. He had a hand in all three goals at Lindenwood, assisting on the first goal of the match for FHSU before adding the team’s second goal in the 66th minute and then an insurance goal in the 79th minute to push FHSU back out to a two-goal lead. Agudelo leads the nation (all NCAA levels and NAIA) in goals scored with 26.

The Black and Gold complete their regular season play by hosting the University of Mary this weekend. The Tigers and Marauders are slated to battle on Saturday (Nov. 2). Kickoff for the Senior Day match is set to commence at 6 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State remains No. 7 in the second release of the NCAA Super Region 3 Rankings, released on Monday (Oct. 29). The top seven of the rankings remain unchanged, while there was slight movement in the No. 8-10 positions.

Fort Hays State faces its biggest test of the season this week in a game with big implications on the region rankings. The Tigers face the fourth-ranked team in the super region, Northwest Missouri State, in Maryville, Mo. A win would likely push the Tigers higher in the rankings, but still give them a chance to win their second straight MIAA title. The Tigers defeated the Bearcats last year in Maryville to win the MIAA title by a score of 13-12.

Northwest Missouri State continues to lead the MIAA standings at 8-1, but Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State each sit just one game back. Northwest Missouri State faces Central Missouri following its game with FHSU this week, while Pittsburg State has Washburn and Missouri Southern remaining over the final two weeks. Fort Hays State plays Northeastern State in the final week of the season. The Tigers are looking to pull the Bearcats back into a tie for first with a week to play.

Pittsburg State moved up one spot this week to No. 8 in the rankings, while Harding slid down to No. 9. Missouri S&T jumps in this week at No. 10, replacing Saginaw Valley State.

The game this week at Northwest Missouri State will be available to view on several local television channels, while also available on several digital platforms. Look for a release on fhsuathletics.com soon for the television providers and channels carrying the game.

Below are the Super Region 3 Rankings for October 29, 2018.

Rank	Team	In-Region Record	Division II Record
1	Ferris State (Mich.)	8-0	9-0
2	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	9-0	9-0
3	Grand Valley State (Mich.)	6-1	8-1
4	Northwest Missouri State	8-1	8-1
5	Indianapolis	7-1	7-1
6	Southern Arkansas	8-1	8-1
7	Fort Hays State (Kan.)	7-2	7-2
8	Pittsburg State (Kan.)	7-2	7-2
9	Harding (Ark.)	7-2	7-2
10	Missouri S&T	5-1	7-1

FAYETTE, Iowa – The Fort Hays State wrestling team has been ranked 17th in the 2018-19 NCAA DII Wrestling Coaches Association Preseason Top 25, released Monday (Oct. 29) by the organization. The poll consists of top 12 rankings of all ten weight classes, with each sport earning a set number of points for the team.

The Tigers have two wrestlers ranked in the preseason poll, totaling 22 points to help FHSU rank 17th in the country. Junior Brandon Ball enters the year ranked fourth at 141 pounds after earning All-American honors and finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships in 2016 and qualifying for the NCAA Championships before falling in the round of 16 last year. Sophomore Efe Osaghae sits in fifth in the initial rankings at 157 pounds. Osaghae earned a trip to the NCAA Championships in 2017, while finishing eighth and earning All-America Honors. Ball leads the MIAA in his weight class, as Osaghae sits in third in the conference at 157 pounds.

Fort Hays State is third among MIAA programs in the preseason poll, with Nebraska-Kearney opening the year ranked No. 2 and Lindenwood sits at No. 12. A year after winning the NCAA Championships, St. Cloud State opens the year as the favorite to win the national title again, earning 92 team points in the poll.

Tiger fans get their first look at the 2018-19 squad at the Black and Gold Scrimmage (Nov. 1) at 7 p.m. The regular season begins with the Bethany Swede Open (Nov. 10).

Poll Methodology: This is a tournament power index ranking. TPI point total are broken down by the following individual rankings: 1^st=20pts, 2^nd=16pts, 3^rd=13pts, 4^th=12pts, 5^th=10pts, 6^th=9pts, 7^th=7pts, 8^th=6pts, 9^th=4pts, 10^th=3pts, 11^th=2pts, 12^th=1pt. The TPI point totals will be lower than the final actual NCAA tournament points because it does not include bonus points. The preseason ranking does not include true freshmen.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Taylor Rolfs hit a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime then hit another early in the extra period to put Fort Hays State up one but Kansas outscored the Tigers 9-1 the rest of the way for a 90-83 exhibition win Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.

The 83 points is the most the Jayhawks have given up in an exhibition game and is the most the Tigers have ever scored against KU in eitheir their 14 regular season or 10 exhibition matchups.

FHSU Tigers Post Game Interview

Game Highlights

 

Lanie Page hit 4-of-8 from 3-point range and led the Tigers with 21 points. Her three early in the fourth quarter sparked an 11-2 run after the Jayhawks had built a nine-point lead.

Rolfs, who hit 4-of-9 from beyond the arc and finished with 14 points, capped the run with three that rimmed in to tie the game at 63-all.

The Tigers shot 41-percent for the game and hit 11 of 32 from 3-point range but finished 14-of-21 from the free throw line after going 8-for-8 in the first half.

The Jayhawks were led by Austin Richardson and freshman Brooklyn Mitchell who both scored 17 points.

The Tigers had 18 turnovers but forced KU into 19, outscoring them 22-14 off turnovers.

FHSU is in Manhattan Thursday to close out their slate against Kansas State.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The No. 10 ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team defeated Lindenwood on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 28), 3-1, to cap off a perfect conference season (8-0) for the Tigers. FHSU improves to 14-2-1 overall and 8-0 in conference play, while the Lions dipped to 8-5-2 overall and 2-3-1 in MIAA play.

FHSU and LWU exchanged shots throughout the first half, until Rogelio Lopez broke the scoreless tie in the 34th minute. Santiago Agudelo fed Lopez the ball who found the back of the net from 11 yards out to put the Tigers up 1-0.

The 1-0 score would be had as the teams headed to the locker rooms for intermission.

In the second half, Santiago Agudelo added his 25th score of the season in the 66th minute, receiving a through ball from Abdoulaye Cisse and crossing the goal line putting FHSU ahead 2-0. Agudelo shot the ball from seven yards out and beat the keeper.

Just a few ticks over five minutes after this lead for the Tigers, the Lions wanted to join the fun and struck the goal threshold to cut into the FHSU lead. Gaspar Alvarez and Jose de Gregorio fed the ball ahead to Johannes Brendle for his fourth score of the year. At the 70:53 mark, FHSU held a slim 2-1 advantage over Lindenwood.

After each team fired off another shot, Santiago Agudelo added an insurance goal for the black & gold in the 79th minute. Moritz Walther found Agudelo after intercepting a pass between two Lions defenders and then Agudelo capitalized on his team-leading 26th goal to put the Tigers up 3-1 for good.

Fernando Pina earned the victory in goal for FHSU to improve to 8-0-1 for the season. Pina faced eight shots throughout the match and recorded four saves. Agudelo led all Tigers with two goals, six shots and four shots on frame in 90 minutes of play. Cisse produced three shots, with two coming on goal.

The Tigers are back in action next weekend as they host the University of Mary (Nov. 3) for a Senior Day tilt set to commence at 6 p.m. inside FHSU Soccer Stadium.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State locked up a first-round home match in the MIAA Tournament on Sunday (Oct. 28) with a 1-0 win over Washburn. The Tigers closed out the regular season at 10-6-2 overall, 8-3 in the MIAA, while Washburn moved to 7-9-2 overall and 3-6-2 in the MIAA.

A header goal by Olympia Katsouridis in the 83rd minute off a nice crossing pass from Cailey Perkins was all the Tigers needed for the victory. Nikita Woods also earned a helper on the play by passing ahead to Perkins before she sent in the crossing pass.

Shots were tough to come by throughout the afternoon with FHSU holding just an 8-6 advantage. The Tigers outshot the Ichabods by just one in each half, 3-2 in the first half and 5-4 in the second. Katsouridis and Perkins led the Tigers in shots with two each.

Deonna Wellbrock moved to 2-1 on the season in goal by earning a three-save shutout. Bailee Russell took the loss for Washburn, moving to 1-5-1 on the year.

The official MIAA Women’s Soccer Tournament bracket will come out soon, but the Tigers finished conference regular season play in a third-place tie with Emporia State. The Tigers will host an opening round game on Wednesday evening (Oct. 31) in Hays. Opponent and game time will be announced when the MIAA releases the official tournament bracket.

HAYS, Kan. – Chance Fuller completed 13 of 18 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown to lead Fort Hays State to a 27-14 win over Lindenwood in front of 3,527 Saturday afternoon at Lewis Field. The win improves to Tiger to 7-2 and is the 56th in eight years for head coach Chris Brown, the most by any coach in FHSU history.

Fuller played most of the second half after Jacob Mezera was sacked on the Tigers first offensive possession of the third quarter and didn’t return. Fuller’s 46-yard touchdown pass to running back D.J. Hickman with 2:05 to play in the third quarter closed out the scoring.

Chris Brown Postgame Press Conference

Chance Fuller Postgame Interview

Connor Shedeed Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Dandre Reed returned the opening kickoff 49 yards to the Lindenwood 43. Four plays later Harley Hazlett hauled in a 28-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Mezera to give FHSU a 7-0 lead.

Fuller and Layne Bieberle connected passes of 20 and 36 yards to set up a 28-yard Dante Brown field goal to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead with 1:47 left in the opening quarter.

Fuller later found Andrew Jay on a 56-yard strike which set up a one-yard Charles Tigner touchdown run to push the lead to 17-7 with just three minutes left in the first half.

Following a three-and-out by Lindenwood, the Tigers drove 33 yards in seven plays and used a 34-yard Brown field goal for a 20-7 halftime lead.

The Lions (3-6) scored on their first possession of the third quarter but would go three and out and miss on a field goal on their next four possessions.

The Tigers sacked Lindenwood quarterback Cade Brister fourird down times, three of them on third down in the second half.

Layne Bieberle hauled in a six catches for 122 yards, his seventh career 100-yard game tying him with O.J. Murdock for the third most in FHSU history.

Harley Hazlett had nine catches for 93 yards. Tigner led the running attack with 36 yards on 14 carries.

Connor Shedeed and Kolt Trachsel both had 11 tackles with Trachsel registering two sacks.

The Tigers remain tied with Pittsburg State in second place in the MIAA, one game behind Northwest Missouri State. FHSU plays the Bearcats in Maryville Saturday.

FAYETTE, Iowa – The No. 10 ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team defeated Upper Iowa on Friday (Oct. 26), 3-1. The Tigers improved to 13-2-1 overall and 7-0 in MIAA play, while the Peacocks dipped to 4-7-2 on the season and 2-4 in conference play.

The Tigers trailed for the just the fourth time at any point throughout the 2018 season as the Peacocks grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute of the match after Italo Martins Soares found a hole in behind the Tiger defense and connected on his team-leading fifth score of the year.

Santiago Agudelo continued his stellar junior campaign with the equalizer in the 31st minute, plating his 23rd goal of the season with some help from the foot of Moises Peralta. Peralta picked up his third assist of the season in the process. The rest of the first period was stagnant as neither team could capitalize on their scoring opportunities.

In the 52nd minute, Abdoulaye Cisse fed the ball ahead to Alonso Rodriguez, who then knocked in his third goal of the season on a header near the right post that snuck past the Peacock goalkeeper.

The Tigers cashed in on an insurance goal in the late ticks of the contest as Agudelo recorded his 24th score and seventh multi-goal contest of the year from about ten yards out, blowing the ball past the Upper Iowa keeper.

Fernando Pina earned the victory in goal for Fort Hays State, improving his overall record to 6-0-1. Pina allowed his sixth goal of the season, his first goal allowed since a 2-1 victory over Lindenwood (Oct. 7). Santiago Agudelo led the way with eight shots in the match. Agudelo and Rodriguez each had four shots on frame.

The Tigers are back in action Sunday (Oct. 28) as they take on Lindenwood in the final regular season conference match for FHSU. The Tigers and Lions are slated to battle each other starting at 1:30 p.m. from St. Charles, Mo.