KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Junior kicker/punter Dante Brown earned MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors on Monday (Sept. 24) for his efforts in the 55-20 win over Missouri Southern last weekend. It is the second time he has earned the honor this year, also getting the nod after his performance against Central Missouri in the first week of the season.

Brown finished with 13 kicking points in the 55-20 win for Fort Hays State over Missouri Southern. He was a perfect 2-of-2 on field goal attempts, connecting from 48 and 43 yards, and went 7-of-7 on PAT tries. He was also effective on his three punts in the game, averaging 52 yards per punt with a game-long of 65 yards. He is now 7-of-8 on field goal attempts this season, connecting four times from 40 or more yards and his only miss was from outside 40 yards. He is averaging 42.7 yards per punt for the season.

Brown joins Central Oklahoma quarterback Chandler Garrett (Offensive Athlete of the Week) and Pittsburg State defensive lineman Cole Morris (Defensive Athlete of the Week) as the weekly honorees from the conference office.

EMPORIA, Kan. – Starting conference play with a clean slate, the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team hoped to begin their MIAA season on a high note. However, a second half offensive surge was not enough as Emporia State captured the 3-2 win over Fort Hays State in a Sunday tilt. With the loss, the Tigers drop to 2-4-2 overall and 0-1 in MIAA play. The Hornets add to their wins to boast 6-1-1 record and 1-0 conference mark.

The Hornets got on the board first as Daniela Cardona earned her first goal of the season following a solo shot from 30-yards out on the right side. Emporia State would take the 1-0 lead into halftime over the Tigers.

The second half saw offensive breakthroughs for both squads as four goals were tallied between the two teams. Quickly into the first two minutes of the second half, Vianei Sanchez netted her third goal of her senior campaign at the 46:15 mark. Sanchez completed a header from a corner kick by Jordan Thompson to tie up the match at 1-1. The Tigers would not settle down as Nikita Woods managed her first goal in an FHSU uniform following a touch shot eight yards out off the foot of Shayla Podlena just 37 seconds later. This 2-1 lead would be Fort Hays State’s only lead of the match.

After calming down the Fort Hays State offense, Emporia State regained the momentum after a Tanna Benefiel goal off a header from a free kick. Ashlyn Lakin would record the assist for the equalizing goal. The Hornets would sting one last time in the match to reclaim the lead following another assist from Lakin, this time connecting with Rachel Marshall on a header from 10 yards out. This would turn out to be the game-winning goal as Emporia State captured the 3-2 victory.

Emporia State out-shot Fort Hays State 21-5 and 6-4 in shots on goal. Five different Tigers attempted a shot in the match. Three yellow cards were handed out in the match with Jordan Thompson collecting one in the final minutes of play for the Tigers and the other two going to the Hornets.

Megan Kneefel was once again the anchor in goal, this time collecting three saves in her 90 minutes of play. Kneefel has recorded 36 saves on the season and mimics her team’s record. The winning goalie for the Hornets was Jillian Patton who notched two saves in the contest.

Fort Hays State is back home for two matches this upcoming weekend, starting with a 7 p.m. Friday (Sept. 28) battle against Central Oklahoma. Sunday’s (Sept. 30) match against Northeastern State is slated for 1 p.m. inside FHSU Soccer Stadium.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The 21st-ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team upset eighth-ranked Northeastern State 4-1 on Sunday (Sept. 23). The Tigers improved to 5-2-1 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA, while the RiverHawks dip to 6-1 on the season and 1-1 in conference play.

In a rematch of the 2017 Central Region Championship where Northeastern State defeated Fort Hays State 2-1 in Philippi, W.V., the Tigers got the best of the RiverHawks this time around as they used four second half goals and Tiger goalkeeper Fernando Pina picked up ten saves, holding the RiverHawk offense to one goal in the match.

The first half was a defensive battle between the conference rivals as neither team was able to capitalize. The Tigers outshot the RiverHawks 11-3 heading into intermission.

Luis Torres started the offense for the Tigers with his third goal of the season in the 54th minute, with an assist to Raul Fierro for setting him up and giving the Tigers the 1-0 lead. Santiago Agudelo connected on his team-leading seventh goal in the 68th minute of the contest to increase the Tiger lead to 2-0 over the RiverHawks.

In the 71st minute, midfielder Rogelio Lopez picked up a pass from Moises Peralta and found the back of the net to stretch the lead to 3-0. RiverHawk striker Joe Garcia was able to get Northeastern State on the board in the 75th minute after scoring on a rebound from a penalty kick save from Pina. The Tigers weren’t done just yet, as Lopez picked up his second goal of the contest in the 79th minute, with the help on a Nathan De La Hoya assist.

Fernando Pina picked up the win in goal for the Tigers, moving to 2-0 overall on the season. Pina’s ten saves move him into second in program history for saves in a single match. Santiago Agudelo led the offense with five shots in the match.

The Tigers are back in action next weekend when they continue their road trip in Shawnee, Okla. to battle the Oklahoma Baptist Bison Thursday (Sept. 27). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

JOPLIN, Mo. – Fort Hays State racked up 653 yards of offense and scored their second most points in an MIAA game as they roll past Missouri Southern 55-20 Saturday night at Fred G. Hughes Stadium. The Tigers (3-1) scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions in building a 21-3 first quarter lead and led 35-6 at halftime and were up 52-6 late in the third quarter.

It’s FHSU’s sixth straight win over the Lions and fourth straight in Joplin. MSSU (0-4) has 17 straight games dating back to 2016 and drops their first game under interim coach Joe Bettasso.

Chris Brown Postgame Press Conference

Jacob Mezera Postgame Interview

Tevin Evans Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Jacob Mezera completed 15 of 23 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns to move into second place on the Tigers career touchdown pass list with 51. Mezera hit Manny Ramsey on a 15-yard strike to put them up 14-0. He also connected with tight Jacoby Williams on an 11-yard score and twice with tight end Matt Wendelberger from 21 and nine yards.

Wendelberger tied a career-high with seven receptions for a career-best 145 yards.

Charles Tigner scored on a 55-yard run on the Tigers second play of the game and finished with 116 yards, the second 100-yard game in his career.

Backup quarterback Chance Fuller played much of the second half and completed 10 of 18 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. The Texas redshirt freshman hit Manny Ramsey on a 47-yard strike then hit Andrew Jay on a 13-yard TD pass to push their lead to 42-6 early in the third.

Tevin Evans made his first start and led the defense with 14 tackles. Tanner Hoekman, Connor Shedeed and Hayden Kreutzer.

TOPEKA, Kan. – Hoping to avoid a fourth-straight overtime match, the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team took on Washburn in Topeka Friday for their final non-conference contest of the season. While extra time was not needed, the Tigers were unable to get ahead of the Ichabods as they fell 3-1. With the loss, Fort Hays State drops to 2-3-2 this season, while Washburn ends their non-MIAA schedule at 4-3 overall.

Through the first 45 minutes, neither the Tigers nor the Ichabods gained advantage over the other. Play remained even in the first half with both teams recording four shots, but none found the back of the net.

The second half was more offensively driven for both teams with the Tigers and Ichabods once again equalizing shot attempts with eight apiece. However, three Washburn attempts resulted goals. Mackenzie Heiman got the Ichabods on the board first as she earned her second goal of the season in the 59th minute. Less than one minute later Ellie Karloff put Washburn up 2-0 with her first goal of 2018 in the 60th minute. The scoring for the Ichabods commenced in the 71st minute as Tera Lynch achieved her second goal for the season to add to the Washburn lead at 3-0.

Jordan Thompson scored the first goal of her Tiger career in the 82nd minute to help Fort Hays State avoid a shutout. The Ichabods maintained their advantage in the closing minutes to take the 3-1 victory.

Both the Tigers and Ichabods ended the match with 12 shot attempts, Washburn with six shots on goal as opposed to four by Fort Hays State. Washburn claimed the fouls column as they were called for 14, compared to just six for the Tigers.

Much like shot attempts, the teams mirrored each other with three saves in the game. Whitney Bockover earned the win on 12 shots faced and improved her season record to 2-0. Megan Kneefel took the loss for the Tigers and dropped to 2-3-2 on the season. She ended the match with one save. Deonna Wellbrock played her first minutes this season, capturing two saves.

The Tigers open up MIAA play on Sunday (Sept. 23) when they travel to Emporia State, a team they have already seen this year in a match that concluded in a 1-1 tie. That contest is slated for 2 p.m.

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team defeated Southwest Baptist on Friday (Sept. 21), 9-0, behind Santiago Agudelo’s hat trick. This was the Tigers’ second hat trick of the season and seventh in school history. The Tigers improved to 4-2-1 on the season and begin MIAA play 1-0, while the Bearcats moved to 0-7 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

The Tigers began the game aggressive by firing off ten shots in the first ten minutes of the match as FHSU scored three goals in the first 7:50 of the contest. Arsenio Chamorro got things started for the Tigers as he connected on his second goal of the season on a pass from Tobias Patino, who placed the ball about 25 yards out from a corner kick that Chamorro drilled into the back of the net.

Agudelo scored his fourth goal of the year in the seventh minute after Chamorro’s shot hit the post and Agudelo picked up the rebound and fired the ball into the net, giving the Tigers an early 2-0 lead. Chamorro increased the Tiger lead to 3-0 just 1:08 later, scoring his second goal of the contest on a pass from Agudelo on the left side of box to the foot of Chamorro who snuck the ball past the goalkeeper.

Coming off the bench, Nathan De La Hoya scored his first goal of the season on a through pass up the middle from Moritz Walther. Then, in the 26th minute Mauricio Etcheverry took a free kick and passed the ball ahead to De La Hoya, who flicked the ball ahead to Agudelo and then beat the keeper near the post for his second score of the contest and fifth of the season.

Fort Hays State took a commanding 5-0 lead into intermission after recording 16 shots in the first period, nine of those on frame.

The second half started about the same way as the first when Patino connected on a pass to Abdoulaye Cisse, who crossed the ball into the box to Agudelo who completed the hat trick in the 49th minute. In the 51st minute of the match, Patino collected his third assist of the contest when he found Agudelo over the top up the middle, who found Luis Torres in the box and scored his second goal of the season, taking a 7-0 lead over the Bearcats.

Alonso Rodriguez found the back of the net for the first time this year when he collected a ricochet off the keeper’s chest to make the score 8-0 in the 60th minute. The Tigers weren’t done yet as Mariano Benitez found Antonio De La Torre on a give-and-go pass that beat the keeper on the left side of the box.

After all was said and done, FHSU broke the school record for goals in a single match (nine) and points in a match (29), while they tied the match record for assists (11). The Tigers produced the fourth most shots in a single match with 31 on the afternoon. The Tigers set the largest margin of victory and the largest margin of victory on the road in school history with the 9-0 final score.

Agudelo set the individual record for the most points in a match (eight). He scored three goals (seventh hat trick in team history) and produced two assists. Patino tied the second-most assists in a match, when he supplied three different Tigers with goals. Caden Frank enters the top-five all-time with seven shots in the match, while tying the record for most shots on goal in a single contest (five).

Fort Hays State improved to 11-0 all-time against Southwest Baptist. Cullen Fisch earned the victory in goal, improving to 4-2 on the young season.

The Tigers are back in action on Sunday as they travel to Tahlequah, Okla. to take on No. 8 Northeastern State for a 1 p.m. kickoff on the pitch.

Fort Hays State received a boost of two spots in the latest D2Football.com Poll, released on Tuesday (Sept. 18). The Tigers are No. 14 in the latest poll after holding the No. 16 spot last week.

Fort Hays State is one of four schools currently in the D2Football.com Top 25. Northwest Missouri State is now No. 2, while Pittsburg State vaults into the Top 10 at No. 9. Both teams are 3-0, the only remaining unbeaten teams in the MIAA. Central Missouri holds the No. 16 ranking this week.

The Tigers, now 2-1 overall on the season, head to Joplin, Missouri this Saturday for a meeting with Missouri Southern at 6 pm. The Lions are 0-3 overall.

Below is the D2Football.com Poll for September 18, 2018.

Team Record Last Week
1 Minnesota State 3-0 1
2 Northwest Missouri State 3-0 3
3 Texas A&M-Commerce 3-0 2
4 Indiana (Pa.) 3-0 4
5 Ferris State 3-0 5
6 Midwestern State 3-0 6
7 Grand Valley 3-0 7
8 West Georgia 3-0 13
9 Pittsburg State 3-0 14
10 Central Washington 2-1 12
11 West Florida 2-1 11
12 Ouachita Baptist 3-0 15
13 Minnesota Duluth 3-0 20
14 Fort Hays State 2-1 16
15 Harding 2-1 17
16 Central Missouri 2-1 19
17 Valdosta State 3-0 NR
18 West Chester 3-0 22
19 Southern Arkansas 3-0 24
20 Colorado Mesa 3-0 25
21 Colorado Mines 3-0 NR
22 West Alabama 2-1 8
23 CSU-Pueblo 2-1 9
24 Indianapolis 1-1 21
25 Winona State 2-1 10

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Fort Hays State Volleyball team fell to No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday (Sept. 18) in straight sets. The Tigers are now 6-9 overall on the season and 0-3 in MIAA play, while the Lopers improved to 14-1 this season and 2-1 in league action.

UNK took an early 5-0 lead in the first set before FHSU got on the board thanks to an attack error on the Lopers. Nebraska-Kearney led wire-to-wire for the first set, claiming the opening frame 25-18. Kayla Vitztum led the Tigers with four kills in the first set.

The Tigers grabbed an early 5-2 lead in the second set, thanks to a couple kills from Vitztum and one by Isabelle Reynolds. The Lopers stormed back, matching the score for the first time in the second frame, 6-6. Back-and-forth play from the squads produced four lead changes and two more ties. After the Lopers took the lead back 10-9, did not look back in the set and headed into the locker room with a two-set advantage after a 25-15 win.

Vitztum’s 11th and final kill put the Tigers in front with a 3-2 advantage early in the third set, before the Lopers grasped the lead and never looked back as they wrapped up the match, 25-14.

Vitztum led the Tigers with 11 kills, while Tatum Bartels picked up another six kills and swung a team-high .278 in the match. Christianna Herron tallied five blocks while Abbie Hayes collected 18 digs.

The Tigers play host to Pittsburg State on Friday (Sept. 18) when they take on the Gorillas inside Gross Memorial Coliseum for the Tigers home-opener. First serve is set for 6 p.m.

MUSKOGEE, Okla. – The Fort Hays State men’s golf team finished tenth among MIAA teams and 18th overall at the NSU Men’s Golf Classic (Sept. 17-18), hosted at Muskogee Country Club a 6,729-yard, par 71 golf course. Senior Mac McNish led the Tigers with rounds of 73, 74 and 72 to post a 6-over (219) and tied for 48th individually. McNish finished the week with five birdies.

Isaiah Grover posted rounds of 73, 79 and 78 to finish in a tie for 85th individually. Grover carded six birdies for the week, most on the team. Connor Schultz finished in a tie for 89th after carding rounds of 79, 76 and 78. Schultz completed the week with four birdies. Colton Bobek fired of rounds of 78, 80 and 79 to finish solo 97th, while posting four birdies. Bryce Cowan shot an 84 before improving with rounds of 78 and 77 in the final two rounds while carding three birdies in the tournament.

Lindenwood took the team title with an aggregate score of 831, breaking the tournament record by besting the previous low by seven strokes. Central Missouri and Arkansas Tech tied for second with a score of 846. Fort Hays State finished 18th as a team with a score of 304-307-305 for a total of 916. Francois Jacobs of Arkansas Tech claimed the individual title after posting a 12-under (201) for the tournament.

This was the first designated MIAA event of the year. Lindenwood topped the conference field, followed by Central Missouri and Northeastern State. The top individual among MIAA golfers was Yente Van Doren of Lindenwood, who was just three strokes off the winning pace at 12-under par (201).

The TIgers will be competing in their third tournament in as many weeks next week when they travel to Monkey Island, Okla. to play in the MSSU Fall Invitational at Shangri La Country Club.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Fort Hays State women’s golf team finished in a tie for 12th at the RMAC Fall Preview (Sept. 17-18). The event was held at Tiara Rado Golf Course, a par-71, 5,952-yard course. The Tigers shot rounds of 324 and 322 to finish 78-over (646) for the tournament.

Senior Hannah Perkins led Fort Hays State as she finished in a tie for 15th individually. She fired rounds of 8-over (79) and 3-over (74) to finish 11-over (153) for the week. Perkins led the squad by carding five birdies in the tournament.

Taylor DeBoer and teammate Kelsey McCarthy tied for 46th. DeBoer shot rounds of 78 and 85, while McCarthy carded rounds of 85 and 78. Madison Roether tied for 65th individually with rounds of 82 and 87. Kira Mestl shot rounds of 90 and 85.

The University of Tampa won the tournament, shooting 37-over (604) as a team. Dixie State University finished second after shooting 615 as a team. CSU-Pueblo finished third with a total score of 615. Kiira Riihijarvi of Univ. of Tampa was the individual champion at 12-under par (130).

The Tigers will be back in action in two weeks as they will compete in the UCO RCB Classic (Oct. 1-2) in Edmond, Okla. hosted at the Golf Club of Edmond.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After playing all 202 minutes for the Tigers through two-consecutive overtime matches, Alex Polignano has been named the newest MIAA Defender of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday (Sept. 18). Polignano, a sophomore defender, has been a vital part of her Fort Hays State team who boasts a 2-2-2 record through six matches this season.

Polignano anchored a Tiger defense which had a 0.44 goals against average for the week, including a shutout 1-0 overtime win against Nebraska-Kearney. Prior to that contest, Fort Hays State played in another extra period match in which they ended in a 1-1 draw against Emporia State. Through the two matches, FHSU allowed 17 shots for the week to conclude with an average of 8.5 per match. Within regulation time, Fort Hays State allowed 15 of those shots with the remaining two coming in their overtime periods.

Her defensive strengths also helped Tiger goalkeeper Megan Kneefel go 1-0-1 for the week, another player who was present for all 202 minutes of the week.

Polignano and the rest of her Tiger squad hits the road for two-straight away matches this weekend. First, Fort Hays State concludes its non-conference schedule with a visit to Washburn in Topeka on Friday (Sept. 21) for a 6 p.m. night match. Following that, the Tigers open up MIAA play with a Sunday (Sept. 23) meting at Emporia State set for 2 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team fell three spots in the latest release of the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Poll. The Tigers are now ranked No. 21 in the nation, released Tuesday (Sept. 18). The Tigers are coming off a week in which they went 0-1-1 in their west coast swing against Point Loma Nazarene and Biola University.

Fort Hays State continues their six-match road slate this weekend as they begin MIAA play. The Tigers travel to Bolivar, Mo. to take on Southwest Baptist on Friday (Sept. 21) before make the trip to Tahlequah, Okla. to face No. 8 Northeastern State on Sunday (Sept. 23).

Below is the United Soccer Coaches Men’s Division II Poll for September 18, 2018.

Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1 Midwestern State 1 5-0-0
2 Ohio Valley 2 6-0-0
3 Simon Fraser 3 6-0-0
4 Young Harris College 4 5-0-0
5 Palm Beach Atlantic 7 6-0-0
6 Merrimack College 6 4-0-0
7 Univ. of Charleston 10 5-0-1
8 Northeastern State 8 5-0-0
9 Univ. of Indianapolis 11 6-0-0
10 Limestone College 12 4-0-0
11 St. Mary’s (Texas) 13 3-0-1
12 CSU-Los Angeles 20 5-1-0
13 Notre Dame College 5 5-1-0
14 Rollins College 21 4-0-0
15 Mercy College 17 4-0-1
16 Lander 16 4-0-0
17 Colorado Mesa 19 3-0-2
18 Florida Southern College RV 4-0-0
19 CSU-San Marcos RV 6-0-0
20 Southern New Hampshire RV 6-0-0
21 Fort Hays State 18 3-2-1
22 Northern Michigan NR 4-1-0
23 UC-San Diego 14 5-0-1
24 Florida Tech RV 4-1-0
25 LIU Post 23 4-1-0
Records shown are through games of Sept. 16, 2018.

Also receiving votes: Colorado School of Mines, Seton Hill University, Wingate University, Northwood University, Barry University, University of West Alabama, Lindenwood University.