KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team slid down three spots in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Poll. The Tigers are now ranked No. 18 in the nation, released Tuesday (Sept. 11). The Tigers are coming off a week in which they went 1-1, with their lone loss to No. 2 Midwestern State (Sept. 6), who moved up one spot to No. 1 this week.

Fort Hays State begins a six-match road swing this weekend. The Tigers travel to the west coast to take on Point Loma University on Thursday (Sept. 13) in San Diego, before make the trek up the state to face Biola University on Saturday (Sept. 15) in La Mirada, Calif.

Below is the United Soccer Coaches Men’s Division II Poll for September 11, 2018.

Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1 Midwestern State 2 3-0-0
2 Ohio Valley 3 4-0-0
3 Simon Fraser 4 4-0-0
4 Young Harris College 5 4-0-0
5 Notre Dame College 6 4-0-0
6 Merrimack College 7 3-0-0
7 Palm Beach Atlantic 9 4-0-0
8 Northeastern State 8 4-0-0
9 Univ. of West Alabama 19 2-0-1
10 Univ. of Charleston 11 3-0-1
11 Univ. of Indianapolis 14 4-0-0
12 Limestone College 17 3-0-0
13 St. Mary’s (Texas) 12 2-0-1
14 UC-San Diego RV 4-0-0
15 Lynn 1 2-1-0
16 Lander 10 3-0-0
17 Mercy College 22 3-0-0
18 Fort Hays State 15 3-1-0
19 Colorado Mesa 21 2-0-1
20 CSU-Los Angeles 18 3-1-0
21 Rollins College 25 4-0-0
22 Saginaw Valley State 24 2-0-2
23 LIU Post NR 3-1-0
24 Western Washington 13 3-1-0
25 Seton Hill NR 2-0-1

WACO, Texas – Following a loss on the road at Missouri Western on Thursday, Fort Hays State moved down to No. 17 in the AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll, released on Monday (Sept. 10). The Tigers were No. 5 in the nation following one week of play, but slide down 12 spots after a 23-13 loss to the Griffons in St. Joseph.

The MIAA now has four teams in the Top 25 of the poll. Northwest Missouri State moved up two spots in the rankings from No. 6 to No. 4, benefitting from losses by West Florida (No. 2 last week) and Fort Hays State (No. 5 last week). Fort Hays State is at No. 17 and Central Missouri is No. 20, both at 1-1 so far on the season after FHSU defeated UCM in the season opener. Pittsburg State jumps in this week at No. 23 after a 2-0 start to the season.

Fort Hays State hosts Washburn this Saturday (Sept. 15) in Hays at 7 pm.

Below is the AFCA Top 25 Poll for September 10, 2018.

Rank School (1st votes) Record Pts. Prev. Week 2 Next Game
1. Texas A&M-Commerce (26) 2-0 812 1 D. William Jewell (Mo.), 27-17 Sept. 15 at Eastern New Mexico
2. Minnesota St. (3) 2-0 780 3 D. Augustana (S.D.), 38-36 Sept. 15 vs. Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.)
3. Indiana (Pa.) (2) 2-0 722 4 D. Millersville (Pa.), 41-7 Sept. 15 at Lock Haven (Pa.)
4. Northwest Missouri St. (1) 2-0 719 6 D. Washburn (Kan.), 38-17 Sept. 15 vs. Missouri Southern St.
5. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 2-0 684 8 D. Delta St. (Miss.), 21-10 Sept. 15 at Northern Michigan
6. Ferris St. (Mich.) 2-0 658 9 D. No. 19t Findlay (Ohio), 59-13 Sept. 15 at Northwood (Mich.)
7. Midwestern St. (Texas) (1) 2-0 656 10 D. No. 2 West Florida, 38-17 Sept. 15 at UT-Permian Basin (Texas)
8. West Alabama 2-0 558 11 D. Miles (Ala.), 37-21 Sept. 15 vs. Valdosta St. (Ga.)
9. Colorado St.-Pueblo 2-0 531 12 D. Chadron St. (Neb.), 34-13 Sept. 15 at Colorado School of Mines
10. West Georgia 2-0 485 13 D. Limestone (S.C.), 42-14 Sept. 15 at Albany St. (Ga.)
11. Winona St. (Minn.) 2-0 470 15 D. No. 14 Sioux Falls (S.D.), 16-15 Sept. 15 at Upper Iowa
12. Ohio Dominican 2-0 391 17 D. No. 18 Ashland (Ohio), 24-17 Sept. 15 vs. Hillsdale (Mich.)
13. West Florida 1-1 384 2 Lost to No. 10 Midwestern St. (Tex.), 38-17 Sept. 15 vs. Shorter (Ga.)
14. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 2-0 326 19t D. Southwestern Oklahoma St., 41-8 Sept. 15 at Southeastern Oklahoma St.
15. Central Washington 1-1 304 16 D. Western Oregon, 50-17 Sept. 15 vs. Humboldt St. (Calif.)
16. Minnesota-Duluth 2-0 259 24 D. Minnesota St.-Moorhead, 60-7 Sept. 13 at St. Cloud State (Minn.)
17. Fort Hays St. (Kan.) 1-1 245 5 Lost to Missouri Western St., 23-13 Sept. 15 vs. Washburn (Kan.)
18. West Chester (Pa.) 2-0 206 23 D. Gannon (Pa.), 31-7 Sept. 15 at Seton Hill (Pa.)
19. Colorado Mesa 2-0 201 25 D. Eastern New Mexico, 34-21 Sept. 15 at Western St. Colorado
20. Central Missouri 1-1 199 21 D. Northeastern St. (Okla.), 62-10 Sept. 15 vs. Missouri Western St.
21. Harding (Ark.) 1-1 182 7 Lost to Southern Arkansas, 28-23 Sept. 15 at Southern Nazarene (Okla.)
22. Indianapolis (Ind.) 1-1 169 22 D. Wayne St. (Mich.), 28-6 Sept. 22 vs. William Jewell (Mo.)
23. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) 2-0 126 NR D. Emporia St. (Kan.), 34-13 Sept. 15 at Northeastern St. (Okla.)
24. Sioux Falls (S.D.) 1-1 112 14 Lost to No. 15 Winona St. (Minn.), 16-15 Sept. 15 vs. Southwest Minnesota St.
25. Southern Arkansas 2-0 92 NR D. No. 7 Harding (Ark.), 28-23 Sept. 15 at Southwestern Oklahoma St.

Dropped Out: Ashland (Ohio) (18), Findlay (Ohio) (19t)

Others Receiving Votes: Colorado School of Mines, 67; Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 64; Valdosta St. (Ga.), 63; Notre Dame (Ohio), 54; Findlay (Ohio), 35; Tarleton St. (Texas), 31; Florida Tech, 24; Kutztown (Pa.), 20; Wingate (N.C.), 19; Ashland (Ohio), 16; Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 16; Shippensburg (Pa.), 13; Shepherd (W.Va.), 12; Fairmont St. (W.Va.), 11; Edinboro (Pa.), 3; Emporia St. (Kan.), 3; Texas A&M-Kingsville, 2; Missouri Western St., 1.

PUEBLO, Colo. – The 90 minutes of regulation was not enough to decide on a winner on Sunday, leaving the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team to settle in a draw against CSU-Pueblo, 2-2. The ThunderWolves, who were previously untouched, dip their record to 3-0-1 while the Tigers move to 1-2-1 overall.

The Tigers gained control first as senior Vianei Sanchez captured her first goal of the season off a scramble in front of the goal to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead early in the game as she capitalized on a solo shot in the 13th minute. This goal would hold steady as the lone point for either team until the 41st minute when CSU-Pueblo’s Hannah Andresen tied up the match at 1-1. The first 45 minutes saw the Tigers only attempting five shots compared to the ThunderWolves 11.

Not long after the beginning of the second half, Mackenzie Bean sealed her second goal of the season in the 50th minute to put the ThunderWolves ahead at 2-1. CSU-Pueblo seemed to be maintaining the pace of the game and hopeful of picking up their fourth win of the season, but Sanchez had other plans. With just 44 seconds remaining in regulation, Sanchez earned an assist from Darby Hirsch and netted the ball to even up the match from inside the box, eventually forcing overtime.

Through two ten-minute overtimes, neither team could get back on top, ending the match locked at 2-2. The ThunderWolves held the advantage in the game in shots, attempting 25 over Fort Hays State’s 15, with the shots on goal margin going 9-13 in favor of CSU-Pueblo. The fouls were frequent in the 110 minutes played with the Tigers picking up 15 and the ThunderWolves being called on 10.

Megan Kneefel continues to be a strong force within the net for the Tigers as she collected 11 saves on the day. Kneefel now owns a record of 1-2-1 with 28 total saves through four matches. Alexa Eastep also notches a tie to her record as she capture seven saves of her own against the Tigers.

The Tigers will make their first home appearance of the season as they play host to two matches this upcoming weekend. First up, FHSU faces off against MIAA foe Emporia State Friday at 7 p.m. On Sunday, the Tigers welcome another conference opponent in Nebraska-Kearney for a 1 p.m. showdown. Both matches will remain non-conference.

HAYS, Kan. – The No. 15 Fort Hays State men’s soccer team produced four goals to defeat Metro State 4-2 on Sunday (Sept. 9). The Tigers improved to 3-1 overall on the season, while the Roadrunners dip to 1-3 on the year.

Tiger striker Santiago Agudelo provided two goals in the contest to help the Tigers stave off the Roadrunners second half surge.

Fort Hays State caught fire in the early-going as Agudelo put the Tigers on the board with his second goal of the season in the fifth minute of the match. Sergio Villalba fed Agudelo with a free kick from 25 yards out, while Santiago beat the keeper for the header goal.

Just 2:16 later, Luis Torres caught a rebound and placed the ball in the back of the net for his first goal of the year pushing the Tigers further in front with a 2-0 lead in the eighth minute of the contest.

The Tigers and Roadrunners settled down into a defensive battle for the next 34 minutes before Caden Frank came off the bench with assists from Ross Boyd and Nathan De La Hoya to score his first goal of the season and put the Tigers out in front 3-0 in the 42nd minute. The score would hold until halftime.

Agudelo netted his second goal of the match and third of the season in the 53rd minute after Tobias Patino found Abdoulaye Cisse, who then found Agudelo on a touch pass that he flipped over the Roadrunner goalie James Tanner’s head to give the Tigers the 4-0 advantage early in the second half.

Metro State used a second half surge to cut the deficit in half with two goals of their own in the 64th and 86th minutes. The Roadrunners took advantage of the Tigers only having ten men on the field after a red card halfway through the second half.

FHSU outshot Metro State 17-12 as well as a 5-1 edge in assists. Cullen Fisch earned the victory in goal for the Tigers, improving to 3-1 on the year.

The Tigers are back in action on Thursday as they make the trip to San Diego, Calif. as they take on #25 Point Loma University for a 6:30 p.m. CT/4:30 p.m. PT start.

SHAWNEE, Okla. – The 15th-ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team dropped their first match of the season as they fell to No. 2 Midwestern State on Thursday (Sept. 6), 2-1. The Tigers dipped to 2-1 on the season, while the Mustangs improved to 2-0 on the year.

The Tigers and Mustangs were very conservative for the majority of the first half as neither team was able to cut through the opposing defense until the 35th minute as Mustang Hikaruhito Meike connected on a header goal on a pass from teammate Carlos Flores inside the left post to grab a 1-0 lead over the Tigers.

Fort Hays State trailed Midwestern State 1-0 at the break, as the Mustang defense stifled the Tiger offense with only allowing the Tigers to break away for three scoring chances. One of which was on target.

The second half was a bit more aggressive from both teams as the Tigers connected on a shot from Moritz Walther. Walther redirected a corner kick from Ross Boyd into the back-right post for his first goal as a Tiger.

MSU picked up the game-winning goal in the 77th minute of the match on a header from Ross Fitzpatrick on a free kick from Dylan Burke inside the right post.

FHSU was outshot by Midwestern State 15-7, with the Mustangs having a 6-2 edge in shots on goal. Cullen Fisch was charged with the loss in goal for the Tigers, picking up four saves in the contest.

The Tigers are back in action Sunday (Sept. 9) as they head back to Hays to host Metro State. The Tigers and Roadrunners will meet up for the first time as kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. inside FHSU Soccer Stadium.
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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Fort Hays State couldn’t overcome three interceptions, one in the endzone and some shaky special teams play as they see their 13-game regular season win streak snapped in a 23-13 loss at Missouri Western Thursday night on a damp night at Spratt Stadium in St. Joseph.

Chris Brown Postgame Press Conference

Matt Wendelberger Postgame Interview

Wyatt Parker Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Grifffons used a 58-yard punt return to set up their first touchdown then had a 27-yard return on a low punt to push the lead to 10 with just under nine minutes to play.

Jacob Mezera completed 34 of 62 passes for 338 yards but threw three interceptions, one in the endzone and the other two inside the 10. Mezera moves to third on the career passing yards list.

Dante Brown connected on field goals of 49 and 26 yards but missed a 44-yard try late in the game.

Harley Hazlett caught 12 passes for 86 yards. Matt Wendelberger hauled in seven passes for 107 yards and the Tigers only touchdown.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team enters the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Poll ranked No. 15 in the nation, released Tuesday (Sept. 4). The Tigers are coming off a week in which they went 2-0, including upsetting the No. 3 Rockhurst on Sunday (Sept. 2).

Fort Hays State now faces the No. 2 Midwestern State Mustangs on Thursday (Sept. 6) in a neutral site match in Shawnee, Okla. The Tigers then come back home to host Metro State on Sunday (Sept. 9).

Below is the United Soccer Coaches Men’s Division II Poll for September 4, 2018.

Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1 Lynn 2 1-0-0
2 Midwestern State 5 1-0-0
3 Ohio Valley 7 2-0-0
4 Simon Fraser 20 2-0-0
5 Young Harris College 11 2-0-0
6 Notre Dame College NR 2-0-0
7 Merrimack College 22 2-0-0
8 Northeastern State 17 2-0-0
9 Palm Beach Atlantic 9 2-0-0
10 Lander 12 1-0-0
11 Univ. of Charleston 1 1-0-1
12 St. Mary’s (Texas) NR 2-0-0
13 Western Washington NR 2-0-0
14 Univ. of Indianapolis 25 2-0-0
15 Fort Hays State NR 2-0-0
16 Univ. of District of Columbia NR 1-0-1
17 Limestone College NR 2-0-0
18 CSU-Los Angeles NR 2-0-0
19 Univ. of West Alabama 10 1-0-0
20 Northwood (Mich.) NR 2-0-0
21 Colorado Mesa 21 0-0-1
22 Mercy College NR 2-0-0
23 Bloomsburg NR 2-0-0
24 Saginaw Valley State NR 1-0-1
25 Rollins College NR 2-0-0

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After leading his team to a 4-2 upset of then-No. 3 Rockhurst alongside a historic hat trick, junior defender Sergio Villalba has been named this week’s MIAA Men’s Soccer Co-Athlete of the Week. The award was announced Tuesday (Sept. 4) by the conference office in Kansas City. This is Villalba’s first honor with the award.

Prior to the Rockhurst match, Villalba helped his Tigers start out the season on the winning foot with their 2-1 win over McKendree. Villalba provided the assist on the game-winning goal by Santiago Agudelo to seal the win.

Villalba’s highlights came during the Rockhurst win as he recorded the sixth hat trick in Fort Hays State men’s soccer history. Two of his three goals came from free kicks from outside the top of the box about 25-yards out. His first goal gave the Tigers a lead in the 24th minute. His next goal pushed the Tigers ahead 2-1 off an assist from Santiago in the box that snuck inside the right post to give the Tigers a halftime lead. In the 77th minute, Villalba completed his hat trick on a free kick, which proved to be the game-winning goal to pull off the upset at Rockhurst.

Villalba and the rest of the Tigers will see another tough test on Thursday (Sept. 6) as they travel to newly named No. 2 Midwestern State in Shawnee, Okla. Fort Hays State will be back at home on Sunday (Sept. 9) at 1 p.m. for a tilt against Metro State.

Fort Hays State moved up one spot in the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll, released on Tuesday (Sept. 4). The Tigers held the No. 9 ranking in the D2Football.com preseason poll before moving up a notch following a win over Central Missouri in Week 1 of the season.

Central Missouri was also ranked in the preseason poll at No. 19, but slipped to No. 21 with the loss at Fort Hays State. Northwest Missouri State remains No. 5 in the poll, while Pittsburg State moved up six spots from No. 23 to No. 17. Pittsburg State is among the teams receiving votes in the weekly AFCA Poll released on Mondays, while FHSU, NWMSU, and UCM are all still in the Top 25 of the AFCA Poll.

Fort Hays State plays at Missouri Western on Thursday night (Sept. 6) in St. Joseph. Game time is set for 7 pm.

Below is the D2Football.com Top 25 for September 4, 2018.

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