HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team struggled to keep pace with second-ranked Nebraska-Kearney Tuesday (Nov. 5), falling 12-25, 12-25, 17-25. The Tigers move to 6-19 overall and 3-14 in the MIAA, while the Lopers’ perfect season continues at 27-0 and 17-0 in league action.

Isabelle Reynolds paced the Tigers with 12 kills, tallying a .333 attack percentage after recording just three errors on 27 swings. Madison Miller and Taylor White led the way with 12 digs each, with White adding eight assists and one service ace. Katie Darnell tossed up a team-high 12 assists. Jordan Eshbaugh and Emily Ellis teamed up for a pair of blocks to lead the team.

Nebraska-Kearney recorded a .385 attack percentage in the win, including just five attack errors. The Tigers posted a .061 swing rate on the night.

After the Lopers pulled away in each of the first two sets, UNK appeared to be headed in the same direction in the third set, up 18-8. The Tigers called a timeout to regroup before scoring nine of the next 12 points to close within four, 21-17. Reynolds opened the run with a kill before Jordan Eshbaugh and Ellis teamed up for a block. Another Reynolds kill and another block from Jordan Eshbaugh and Ellis made the score 18-12, prompting a UNK timeout. The teams traded the next several rallies before Delaney Humm dropped in two of her nine kills on consecutive rallies, helping the Tigers narrow the gap to four. UNK battled back to take the next four points, securing the three-set victory.

The Tigers will hit the road for the final time in the regular season later this week when they travel to St. Joseph, Mo. to play Missouri Western. First serve is set for 5 p.m. on Thursday (Nov. 7).

HAYS, Kan. – Playing as a rescheduled game from October 18th, the Tigers were unable to hold off the Jennies’ high-powered offense for the full 90 minutes. UCM forced overtime and escaped Hays with a 2-1 victory. Fort Hays State ends the regular season at 10-5-2 (6-3-2 MIAA) and will have the No. 5 seed for the upcoming MIAA Tournament. Central Missouri ended its 2019 regular season at 16-1-1 (10-0-1), claiming the MIAA regular season championship.

The Tiger offense was ready to go from opening kick. They had five shots against UCM’s Lindsey Johnson in the first 20 minutes of play. Fort Hays was able to capitalize on a mistake from Johnson in the 25th minute. Cailey Perkins waited at the top of the box off a goal kick, where Johnson accidentally fed her the ball. Perkins fired one past Johnson for her sixth goal of the season and gave FHSU the early 1-0 lead. In the 75th minute, it looked as though Central Missouri had tied the game off a header from Kassie Newsom. However, she was ruled offsides, and Fort Hays caught a break.

Despite FHSU’s best efforts to hold UCM scoreless for a full 90 minutes, UCM was able to tie the game up on a goal from Makayla Toth in the 83rd minute. Following a frenzy in the box that positioned Megan Kneefel away from the goal, Toth was on the receiving end of two blocked shots and she was able to net her 16th of the 2019 campaign.

In overtime, the Jennies were able to put their first shot in the back of the net just seven minutes into a golden goal situation. After working the ball around the field, off another blocked pass Kelsey Mueller found an opening and struck the ball past Megan Kneefel to seal the victory for the Jennies.

The Tigers outshot the Jennies in the first half, 8-3, but were able to only muster two more shots for the rest of the match. Chloe Montano led the team with three shots, and two on goal. Darby Hirsch and Jenna Prince followed Montano with two shots each and one on goal for Hirsch. Perkins scored the lone goal for the Tigers, and it stood as her only shot of the match.

Facing twelve shots, Megan Kneefel (9-4-2) stopped two of the four shots on goal from UCM.

The Tigers turn their focus towards the postseason, as they prepare to battle No. 4 seed Central Oklahoma in Edmond on Friday in the MIAA conference tournament. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Fort Hays traveled to Edmond on Oct. 4 earlier this season and escaped with a 2-1 victory.

Fort Hays State Tiger coach Chris Brown held his weekly press conference Tuesday after the Tigers put together a record-setting performance against the Lincoln Blue Tigers, earning a 66-6 win.

Saturday the Tigers host the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats in one of their biggest games of the season.

Senior offensive lineman Nathan Hale and senior linebacker Kolt Trachsel also addressed the media. You can see their comments below.

Chris Brown

Nathan Hale

Kolt Trachsel

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer is receiving votes in the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25 Poll. FHSU was No. 20 in last week’s poll, but a 1-0 loss to Newman moved the Tigers out of the top 25.

Rogers State is the only Great American Conference team inside the top 25 of this week’s poll, holding a ranking of No. 22 even though it has lost twice to FHSU this season. Northeastern State joins FHSU as GAC representatives in the receiving votes list of the poll.

Fort Hays State is looking to wrap up the No. 1 seed for the Great American Conference Tournament this week when it takes on Southern Nazarene at home on Thursday and Oklahoma Baptist on the road on Saturday.Below is the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll for November 5, 2019.

Rank	School	Prev	W-L-T
1	Azusa Pacific University	1	14-0-0
2	Lynn University	3	12-0-1
3	California State University-Los Angeles	4	13-0-1
4	Lake Erie College	5	17-1-0
5	Gannon University	6	14-1-0
6	Adelphi University	2	14-1-1
7	Palm Beach Atlantic University	9	11-2-2
8	Wilmington University	8	16-1-1
9	Young Harris College	15	10-3-0
10	University Of Charleston	11	14-2-1
11	St. Mary’s University (Texas)	10	12-2-2
12	Bellarmine University	12	13-0-4
13	California State University-San Bernardino	14	10-2-3
14	Colorado School Of Mines	18	12-3-3
15	Wingate University	19	9-2-3
16	University Of West Florida	21	11-1-2
17	Maryville University of St. Louis	24	14-2-2
18	Franklin Pierce University	22	11-3-1
19	Western Washington University	23	10-3-1
20	Texas A&M International University	NR	11-4-1
21	Lander University	25	10-3-2
22	Rogers State University	NR	11-4-1
23	Florida Tech	16	10-2-1
24	McKendree University	17	13-2-2
25	Midwestern State University	13	11-4-0

Also receiving votes: West Chester University, Fort Hays State University, Mercy College, Cal Poly Pomona, Francis Marion University, Mississippi College, Northeastern State University, Millersville University.

In the latest release of the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll, Fort Hays State moved up one spot to No. 24. The Tigers have been back inside the top 25 of the poll two straight weeks now. An 0-2 start to the 2019 season dropped the Tigers from the top 25 of both the D2Football.com and AFCA Polls. FHSU continues to receive votes in the AFCA Top 25 Poll for a second straight week.

The D2Football.com Poll now has four MIAA squads inside the Top 25. Central Missouri (No. 11) and Northwest Missouri State (No. 14) have each been in the poll for nearly the entire season, but FHSU (No. 24) jumped back in last week and Missouri Western jumps in this week at No. 25. Though FHSU is one spot ahead of Missouri Western in the D2Football.com national rankings, MWSU is in front of the NCAA Super Region rankings by virtue of its head-to-head win over FHSU earlier this year.

In the AFCA Poll, Central Missouri is No. 10 and Northwest Missouri State is No. 12. Missouri Western is second-highest among teams receiving votes, while FHSU is fourth-highest among the receiving votes list.

Below are the D2Football.com and AFCA Top 25 Polls for Monday, November 4.

D2Football.com Top 25 – November 4, 2019

Rank	Team	Record	Last Week
1	Valdosta State	8-0	1
2	Ferris State	9-0	2
3	Minnesota State	9-0	3
4	Ouachita Baptist	9-0	4
5	Tarleton State	9-0	5
6	Notre Dame	9-0	6
7	Lenoir-Rhyne	9-0	8
8	Colorado School of Mines	9-0	9
9	Slippery Rock	9-0	10
10	CSU-Pueblo	8-1	11
11	Central Missouri	9-0	13
12	Harding	8-1	14
13	Grand Valley State	8-1	15
14	Northwest Missouri State	8-1	16
15	Bowie State	9-0	17
16	Indianapolis	7-1	7
17	Kutztown	9-0	18
18	Angelo State	8-1	19
19	West Florida	7-1	20
20	Indiana (Pa.)	8-1	21
21	Wingate	8-1	12
22	Henderson State	8-1	23
23	Texas A&M-Commerce	7-2	24
24	Fort Hays State	7-2	25
25	Missouri Western	7-2	NR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFCA Top 25 Poll – November 4, 2019

Rank	School (1st votes)	Record	Pts.	Prev.	Week 9	Next Game
1.	Valdosta St. (Ga.) (29)	8-0	773	1	Idle	Nov. 9 vs. No. 20 West Florida
2.	Ferris St. (Mich.) (1)	9-0	741	2	D. Michigan Tech, 52-0	Nov. 9 vs. No. 14 Grand Valley St. (Mich.)
3.	Tarleton St. (Texas) (1)	9-0	689	4	D. Midwestern St. (Texas), 66-7	Nov. 9 at William Jewell (Mo.)
4.	Minnesota St.	9-0	683	3	D. Wayne St. (Neb.), 62-7	Nov. 9 at Sioux Falls (S.D.)
5.	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	9-0	642	5	D. Southern Arkansas, 38-21	Nov. 9 vs. Arkansas-Monticello
6.	Notre Dame (Ohio)	9-0	598	6	D. Frostburg St. (Md.), 35-13	Nov. 9 vs. Glenville St. (W.Va.)
7.	Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)	9-0	581	7	D. No. 12 Wingate (N.C.), 20-13	Nov. 9 vs. North Carolina-Pembroke
8.	Colorado School of Mines	9-0	562	9	D. South Dakota Mines, 49-28	Nov. 9 vs. Dixie St. (Utah)
9.	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	9-0	522	10	D. California (Pa.), 31-28	Nov. 9 at Gannon (Pa.)
10.	Central Missouri	9-0	495	11	D. Nebraska-Kearney, 47-40	Nov. 9 vs. Lincoln (Mo.)
11.	Colorado St.-Pueblo	8-1	434	13	D. Fort Lewis (Colo.), 21-13	Nov. 9 vs. Black Hills St. (S.D.)
12.	Northwest Missouri St.	8-1	407	14	D. Northeastern St. (Okla.), 79-0	Nov. 9 at Fort Hays St. (Kan.)
13.	Bowie St. (Md.)	9-0	372	15	D. Lincoln (Pa.), 65-20	Nov. 9 at Elizabeth City St. (N.C.)
14.	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	8-1	355	16	D. William Jewell (Mo.), 63-10	Nov. 9 at No. 2 Ferris St. (Mich.)
15.	Kutztown (Pa.)	9-0	342	17	D. No. 22 West Chester (Pa.), 30-17	Nov. 9 vs. Millersville (Pa.)
16.	Harding (Ark.)	8-1	319	18	D. East Central (Okla.), 56-20	Nov. 9 at Southeastern Oklahoma St.
17.	Indianapolis (Ind.)	7-1	264	8	Lost to Lindenwood (Mo.), 34-27	Nov. 9 vs. No. 23 Truman St. (Mo.)
18.	Wingate (N.C.)	8-1	263	12	Lost to No. 7 Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), 20-13	Nov. 9 vs. Newberry (S.C.)
19.	Indiana (Pa.)	8-1	228	19	D. Seton Hill (Pa.), 50-23	Nov. 9 vs. Edinboro (Pa.)
20.	West Florida	7-1	217	20	D. North Greenville (S.C.), 17-14	Nov. 9 at No. 1 Valdosta St. (Ga.)
21.	Angelo St. (Texas)	8-1	188	21	D. Adams St. (Colo.), 41-21	Nov. 9 at Eastern New Mexico
22.	Henderson St. (Ark.)	8-1	136	23	D. Arkansas-Monticello, 27-20	Nov. 9 vs. Southern Arkansas
23.	Truman St. (Mo.)	8-1	82	25	D. McKendree (Ill.), 45-17	Nov. 9 at No. 17 Indianapolis (Ind.)
24.	Texas A&M-Commerce	6-2	74	24	D. West Texas A&M, 34-20	Nov. 9 vs. Texas-Permian Basin
25.	Tiffin (Ohio)	7-1	28	NR	Idle	Nov. 9 vs. Hillsdale (Mich.)

Others Receiving Votes: West Chester (Pa.), 25; Missouri Western St., 19; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 11; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 10; Virginia Union, 7; Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 4; Dixie St. (Utah), 2; Assumption (Mass.), 1; Shepherd (W.Va.), 1.

 

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA released its second set of Division II Super Region Rankings for football on Monday (Nov. 4). With a record of 7-2, Fort Hays State holds a ranking of 10th in Super Region 3 entering Week 10 of the regular season.

Two weeks remain in the regular season as Fort Hays State continues its quest for a third-straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. At the end of the regular season, the top seven teams in the Super Region are selected to compete in the playoffs.

Fort Hays State held the No. 9 ranking in the first edition of the Super Region rankings, but slipped to No. 10 this week. Henderson State traded spots in the rankings FHSU, moving up from No. 10 with just one loss on the season. Indianapolis took its first loss of the season and slipped from No. 3 to No. 5. Grand Valley State traded spots with Northwest Missouri State in the No. 6 and No. 7 rankings.

Indianapolis was the only team in the Top 10 of the Super Region that lost last week. Northwest Missouri State and Fort Hays State each slid down a spot despite each posting blowout wins. Missouri Western is at No. 8 in the rankings with an identical record to FHSU each at 7-2, but Missouri Western has the head-to-head victory over FHSU. The Griffons only losses this year are to Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri State.

Plenty can happen in a couple of weeks. Henderson State still has to play Ouachita Baptist in the final week of the season. Nebraska-Kearney travels to Missouri Western and Grand Valley State plays Ferris State this Saturday.

Saturday’s game between Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri State in Hays will have a big effect on the Super Region rankings going forward. The Tigers are looking for a third straight win over the Bearcats, something a team has not done against the Bearcats since 2004 and 2005 when Pittsburg State won three consecutive (2004 regular season and playoffs, and 2005 regular season). Pittsburg State was also the last to defeat Northwest Missouri.

 

Below are the Super Region 3 rankings for November 4, 2019.

Rank	Team	In-Region Record	Overall DII Record
1.	Ferris State (Mich.)	8-0	9-0
2.	Central Missouri	9-0	9-0
3.	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	9-0	9-0
4.	Harding (Ark.)	8-1	8-1
5.	Indianapolis	7-1	7-1
6.	Grand Valley State (Mich.)	6-1	8-1
7.	Northwest Missouri State	8-1	8-1
8.	Missouri Western	7-2	7-2
9.	Henderson State (Ark.)	8-1	8-1
10.	Fort Hays State (Kan.)	7-2	7-2

TOPEKA, Kan. – Facing a 1-0 deficit for nearly 70 minutes, Fort Hays State scored two goals in the final 14 minutes of play to steal a conference match at Washburn in Topeka on Sunday (Nov. 3) by a score of 2-1. With the victory, The Tigers improved their record to 10-4-2 (6-2-2 MIAA). The Ichabods now stand at 7-9-1 (3-7-1 MIAA).

Washburn came out of the gates in a hurry. Just seven minutes into the game, Josie Rimmer netted her fifth goal of the year off an assist from Oliva Grasso. The Tigers continued to attack, putting four of six shots on goal, however, they were unable to break through against goalkeeper Raegan Wells in the first 45 minutes.

The second half started out similar to the first. The Tigers continued to test Wells, but she was unwilling to give in. Cailey Perkins changed that in the 76th minute. After the Tigers worked the ball around the field, Perkins found herself outside the box with an opening, and fired a bullet into the upper-left corner for her fifth goal of the year. Feeding off the momentum, Fort Hays continued its attack finding the go-ahead goal just 12 minutes later. Looking for more late game heroics in the 88th minute, senior Darby Hirsch lined up for a free kick a little left of center outside the top of the box. From about 20 yards out, Hirsch was able to sneak a ball under leaping defenders past Raegan Wells into the lower right corner of the net, lifting the Tigers to a 2-1 victory.

Not to be overlooked, Megan Kneefel (9-3-2) became the all-time leader in saves in FHSU Women’s Soccer history in the 28th minute. Her all-time saves number now stands at 198. With today’s victory, Kneefel also picked up her 24th career win, putting her in a tie for first place. Kneefel rebounded nicely after giving up the early goal by saving nine shots on the day and shutting down numerous chances for the Ichabods to increase their lead.

Offensively, Fort Hays State put up 17 shots with 11 on goal. Midfielder Chloe Montano led the way with eight shots and four on goal. Hirsch was the next closest with two shots and one on goal.

The Tigers wrap up their 2019 regular season with a rescheduled game against Central Missouri that was postponed in mid-October. The Tigers and Jennies are scheduled to kickoff at 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon at FHSU Soccer Stadium.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A record setting day for the Fort Hays State football team as they cruised to a seventh-straight win with a 66-6 rout of Lincoln Saturday at Dwight T. Reed Stadium. It’s the most points scored by the Tigers in the NCAA era, breaking the mark of 63 set against South Dakota School of Mines in 2013. FHSU moved to 7-2, while Lincoln dropped to 1-8.

The Tigers scored on their first five possessions of the first half, building a 31-0 lead by the 7:35 mark of the second quarter. They added two more touchdowns before halftime for a 45-0 heading into the locker room.

Dante Brown opened the first-half scoring with a 26-yard field goal. The lead grew to 10-0 on a Chance Fuller 9-yard touchdown pass to Layne Bieberle. Harley Hazlett helped push the lead to 17-0, rounding out the scoring in the first quarter with a 2-yard rush into the endzone.

The Tigers tacked on 28 points in the second quarter. Fuller found Manny Ramsey for three consecutive touchdowns on passes of 8, 24, and 23 yards. Fuller added his fourth touchdown pass of the quarter and fifth of the game with a 30-yard catch and run to Dandre Reed. Fuller tied his game-high for passing touchdowns this season, which is also the FHSU record shared with several other quarterbacks.

Fort Hays State did all of its scoring damage in the second half on the ground. Te’Corey Tutson and Charles Tigner picked up touchdowns in the third quarter, Tutson from six yards out and Tigner from 18 yards out. Voshon Waiters provided the record-breaking points for FHSU in the fourth quarter on a two-yard dive.

The Tiger defense held the Blue Tigers scoreless until late in the fourth quarter when Hosea Franklin broke loose for an 82-yard touchdown run with 5:24 remaining in the game. That helped Lincoln finish with 230 yards of total offense, but it was still a season low by an FHSU opponent. FHSU held Lincoln to 31 yards in each of the first two quarters and 44 in the third. The Blue Tigers picked up the majority of their yards (124) in the fourth when the game was well at hand. FHSU held Lincoln to 10 first downs in the game, including just two in the first half.

FHSU on the other hand moved the chains all throughout the day, finishing with a season-high 34 first downs. That is also a new school record, going past the mark of 32 set earlier this season against Washburn and in 1986 against Black Hills State. With the movement offensively, FHSU racked up 593 total yards.
Fuller completed 75 percent of his passes in the game (24-of-32) before yielding to Voshon Waiters in the third quarter. Fuller finished with 296 passing yards, while Waiters also had a nice day of completing 6-of-8 passes for 108 yards. The pair combined for 404 passing yards.

Reed produced his first 100-yard receiving game as a Tiger with 169 on 10 catches. He also had a nice 38-yard kickoff return to open the game to spark the Tiger offense. He finished with 213 all-purpose yards, even adding a six-yard rush. Tutson was the top rusher for FHSU with 64 yards on nine carries. Seven different Tigers carried the ball, helping the team produce 189 rushing yards.

With six catches, Harley Hazlett broke the FHSU career record for receptions, now with 173. It passed the mark of 168 set by Eric Busenbark.

Defensively, Drew Harvey, Isaiah Creal-Musgray, and Kolt Trachsel tied for a team-high five tackles each.

Fort Hays State now preps for a battle with Northwest Missouri State next week in Hays. Game time is set for 2 pm at Lewis Field Stadium on Saturday, November 9. The game will have big NCAA playoff implications with the Tigers entering at 7-2 and the Bearcats at 8-1.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team took No. 14 Northwest Missouri State to the brink before falling in five sets Saturday (Nov. 2), 19-25, 25-21, 25-18, 23-25, 13-15. The Tigers move to 6-18 overall and 3-13 in MIAA play, while the Bearcats are now 18-6 on the year and 11-5 in league action.

Fort Hays State tallied more total points than the Bearcats on the night, 105-104. Northwest pulled away late in the opening set, but the Tigers controlled much of the next two frames to go in front, 2-1. The Tigers led as late as 23-22 in the fourth set, but Northwest captured the next three points to force a decisive fifth set. FHSU scored the first four points and later led 10-7 before the Bearcats rallied to steal the set and the match.

The Tigers outhit Northwest Missouri State in the match, posting a .217 attack percentage to the Bearcats’ .207. Three Tigers reached double figures in kills, including 20 from Delaney Humm, 15 from Isabelle Reynolds and 11 from Tatum Bartels. Humm added 13 digs for her 11th double-double of the season while adding four blocks and two aces. Bartels matched Humm with a team-best four blocks and two service aces. Katie Darnell tossed up 42 aces alongside 12 digs, three kills and one block. Abbie Hayes led the team with 18 digs, with Taylor White adding 14 digs and a pair of service aces.

Northwest scored seven of the first 10 points in the match before the Tigers battled back to take a 9-8 lead thanks to a 6-1 run. After the teams traded points for the next several rallies, the Bearcats closed the set on a 12-6 run to turn a 13-13 tie into a first-set victory.

The start of the second set was a near mirror image of the opening frame, with FHSU jumping in front 7-3 before the Bearcats clawed back to go in front 9-8. The Tigers responded by scoring the next five points, forcing a Northwest timeout. The Bearcats later closed within three, 16-13, before four-straight points gave the Tigers a seven-point lead, 20-13. Reynolds gave the Tigers a chance at set point with a kill before Humm leveled the match at one with a kill on the final rally.

The Fort Hays State offense hit its stride in the third set, recording a .429 attack percentage (17-2-35). The teams traded points for the first half of the frame before the Tigers scored five consecutive points to break a 12-12 tie. Northwest broke up the run with a kill before FHSU tallied four more points to go in front 21-13. Reynolds tallied kills on four of the last five points for the Tigers, handing FHSU a 2-1 lead in the match.

The teams traded short runs for much of the fourth set before Northwest went in front 19-15. After a lengthy delay for the officials to discuss the number of substitutions remaining, the Tigers went on a 7-2 run to take a 22-21 lead. White dropped in a pair of service aces during the run, including the go-ahead point for the Tigers. Humm handed the Tigers a 23-22 lead with a kill, but Northwest captured the final three points to force a deciding fifth set.

Bartels recorded a pair of kills before teaming up with Darnell for a block to help the Tigers score the first four points of the final frame. The Bearcats closed within two, 8-6, before Morgan Christiansen and Humm combined for a block to push the lead back to three. Humm added a kill two points later to make the lead 10-7 before the Bearcats closed the match on an 8-3 run to secure the win.

The Tigers wrap up a quick three-match homestand Tuesday (Nov. 5) when No.2 Nebraska-Kearney makes the short drive to Hays. First serve is set for 6 p.m.

WICHITA, Kan. – No. 20 Fort Hays State men’s soccer suffered a 1-0 defeat at conference foe, Newman, on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 2).

This loss marks the fifth loss of the season for the Black and Gold, who are now 10-5-1 (9-2-1 GAC) on their 2019 campaign while Newman improves to just above .500 with a record of 7-6-1 and 6-5-1 in conference play.

The Tigers out shot the Jets in the first half, registering four shots, to just one total from Newman. Of their four shots FHSU tested Newman goalkeeper, Jean Claude Consol, twice.

With seven minutes remaining in the first half, a foul on Newman’s Enzo Nalis sparked a confrontation which resulted in a pair of red cards handed out – one to Nalis and the second to FHSU’s Alonso Rodriguez.

Now playing 10-on-10 for the remainder of the contest, the Tigers continued to fire their shots, totaling nine by the final whistle. While the match remained at a stalemate, the Jets Ignacio Lemech broke the draw in the in the 68th minute.

Following a clearance and a header from Newman, FHSU controlled the ball. However, an uncontrolled pass allowed Lemech to regain possession. Using his pace, defender Alec Bevis, who was in pursuit, could not catch up to the Jets’ forward. Lemech dribbled the ball around a diving Cullen Fisch and slotted the ball in the back of the net. The Tigers were only able to register three more shots following the goal.

Moritz Walther and Arsenio Chamorro led the pack in shots taken on the day with two each. Fisch added two saves on four total shots by Newman to his statline.

Fort Hays State is now 1-1 against Newman on the season. moving the series to an all-time record of 4-1 in favor of the Black and Gold.

Closing out their season, FHSU will host Southern Nazarene on Thursday, Nov. 7, before playing their final match of the regular season at Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday, Nov. 9. One more victory for the Tigers would lock their spot as regular season champions in the Great American Conference.

RV/#25 Fort Hays State (6-2, 6-2 MIAA) at
Lincoln (1-7, 1-7 MIAA)
Saturday, November 2, 2019 – 1 pm
Dwight T. Reed Stadium – Jefferson City, Mo.
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Fort Hays State Football hits the road this weekend for a road contest at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. FHSU enters the game 6-2, while Lincoln is 1-7. The Tigers are looking for their seventh straight win after an 0-2 start to the year, and their seventh straight win in the series history with the Blue Tigers.

The Tigers look to stay alive in the conference championship race and NCAA Playoff picture. FHSU is two games back of MIAA-leading Central Missouri and just one back of second-place Northwest Missouri State. If the Tigers are going to make the NCAA Playoffs for a third straight year, winning their final three regular season games is most likely the only option. FHSU enters this week ranked No. 9 in the Super Region 3 rankings. The top seven in the super region will make the NCAA Playoffs and the Tigers have seven teams with one loss or less in front of them, as well as a two-loss Missouri Western team that they lost to early in the season.

Fort Hays State and Lincoln are meeting for the first time since the 2013 season, the last year Lincoln was a member of the MIAA before coming back into the conference this season with the departure of Lindenwood. The Blue Tigers played as members of the GLVC from 2014-2018 while absent from the MIAA in football. FHSU won that 2013 meeting 45-35. FHSU has traditionally seen close battles with Lincoln. The previous three meetings between FHSU and Lincoln in MIAA play were decided by 10 points or less, all going to FHSU in the win column.

Offensively, the Tigers have scored at least 30 points in six of eight games this season. FHSU is coming off a 37-31 win over Nebraska-Kearney at home last week. The Tigers are averaging 37 points in four road games so far this year, scoring at least 30 in all four.

Lincoln began the season 0-6 before claiming its first win of the year over a winless Northeastern State squad in Week 7 by a score of 27-9. The Blue Tigers have allowed at least 38 points in all seven of their losses this year. Lincoln is coming off a 56-9 loss at Northwest Missouri State last week. Running back Hosea Franklin accounts for over 50 percent of Lincoln’s total offense. He is the only player in the MIAA with over 1,000 rushing yards this season with 1,048 through eight games. He averages 131 yards per game on the ground.

Chance Fuller is the triggerman for the Tiger offense. FHSU ranks 10th in the nation in passing offense, averaging 314.3 yards per game through the air. Individually Fuller averages 306.5 passing yards per game, which ranks ninth in NCAA Division II. He has 2,452 passing yards with 25 touchdowns so far this year. Harley Hazlett, Manny Ramsey, and Layne Bieberle have been a triple threat of targets for Fuller. Hazlett leads the team in receiving yards with 673, followed by Ramsey with 596 and Bieberle with 589. Charles Tigner leads the Tiger ground game with 643 rushing yards, going over 100 yards in a game three times this season.

Defensively, Drew Harvey leads the Tigers in tackles with 69, followed by Tanner Hoekman with 67 and Jordan Starks with 64. The aforementioned trio has six of the team’s 10 interceptions this season. Sheldon Schmidt continues to lead the team in sacks with three.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team kept pace with a talented K-State squad for much of the night before falling 78-60 in exhibition play Friday at Bramlage Coliseum. After trailing by as many as 17 early in the third quarter, the Tigers closed within three early in the fourth before the Wildcats pulled away down the stretch.

The Tigers were well balanced on offense, with 11 of the 12 Tigers that played scoring at least one point. Belle Barbieri and Jaden Hobbs led the team with 10 points each. Allison McFarren (nine points), Taylor Rolfs (seven), Kacey Kennett (six) and Whitney Randall (five) also scored at least five points on the night.

K-State’s size advantage was evident on the stat sheet, with the Wildcats outrebounding FHSU 53-27 and outscoring the Tigers in the paint 36-22.

In addition to leading the team in scoring, Barbieri also paced the team with five rebounds and four assists. McFarren was the only Tiger to knock down multiple shots from behind the arc, drilling 3-of-6 of her 3-point attempts.

Kennett knocked down a pair of jumpers in a span of 22 seconds thanks to a steal from Rolfs to give the Tigers a 6-4 lead less than two minutes into the game, FHSU’s only lead of the night.

After trailing by as many as five, a layup from Rolfs early in the second quarter helped the Tigers close within one, 18-17. K-State started to pull away over the heart of the second quarter, using a 17-5 run to go in front by 13, 37-24. McFarren ended an 8-0 Wildcat run with a 3-pointer before Rolfs made another steal and knocked down a triple of her own, trimming the deficit to seven in just 11 seconds.

After leading by 10 at halftime, 41-31, K-State scored the first seven points of the second half to pad the lead to 17. The Black and Gold responded with a 16-4 run over the final 7:32 of the third quarter, closing within five with 10 minutes to play. While the rest of the team took advantage of trips to the charity stripe, hitting 6-of-8 free throws, both Hobbs and Madison Mittie knocked down 3-pointers to give the Tigers some life.

Hobbs scored on a layup after a dish from Barbieri on the first possession of the final quarter to close within one possession, 52-49, before the home team finished things off thanks to a 26-11 run. K-State hit 10-of-18 from the floor during the final stretch to secure the victory.

After knocking down 40 percent (12-of-30) from the floor in the opening half, the Tigers finished the game with a shooting percentage of 33.9 percent (21-of-62). FHSU hit 6-of-17 from deep, good for 35.3 percent. The Tigers created 21 Wildcat turnovers while turning the ball over just 15 times. Both teams were credited with nine steals.

The Tigers open the season next weekend in St. Joseph, Mo. against two of the top teams from the NSIC, both of whom won 20 or more games last year. The regular season opens against Minnesota Duluth, who reached the NCAA DII Tournament last year, on Friday (Nov. 8) at 1:30 p.m. FHSU wraps up the opening weekend against Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. Both games will be played inside the St. Joseph Civic Arena.