RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Junior defender Moritz Walther and freshman goalkeeper Kieran Brown of FHSU Men’s Soccer earned GAC Player of the Week honors on Tuesday (Oct. 15). Walther earned Defender of the Week, while Brown earned Goalkeeper of the Week. This is the first weekly honor for both individuals this season.
Walther scored two of the three goals for Fort Hays State in a 3-1 win at Southern Nazarene. His penalty kick goal proved to be the game winner in the 31st minute, then added another goal on a header off a pass into the box just over four minutes later to help FHSU build a 3-0 lead by halftime. Walther played all 180 minutes possible for the week, also helping the Tigers claim a 3-1 win against Oklahoma Baptist in Hays.
Brown moved to 4-0 on the season with a pair of wins against Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene. He averaged three saves per match in Fort Hays State’s pair of 3-1 wins over Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene. Brown has a .786 save percentage so far on the season in his four matches played.
Walther and Brown joined Jake Simpson of Rogers State (Offensive Player of the Week) as the weekly honorees from the conference office.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In this latest national poll, the Fort Hays State men’s soccer program has earned their spot at No. 18.
The Tigers, who were ranked two positions lower one week ago, have moved up following their 3-1 victories over Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene. Fort Hays State’s six goals in the previous week came from Santiago Agudelo, Alonso Rodriguez, Nathan De La Hoya, and Moritz Walther.
The black and gold hold the top spot in the Great American Conference boasting a 6-0-1 record, and 7-3-1 overall. FHSU will face off against a pair of conference foes in the coming days – Rogers State on Thursday and Northeastern State on Saturday.
The Hillcats currently hold a record of 7-3-1 and received votes but did not crack the top 25. While, the RiverHawks are 6-5 overall. Both programs are 4-3 in the GAC and have suffered losses to Fort Hays State earlier in the 2019 campaign.
The Tigers previous victories came on an overtime goal from Agudelo to seal a 2-1 result against Northeastern State, while Rogers State was handed a two-goal defeat in mid-September.
Harding University, whom FHSU also defeated earlier in the season, also received votes but was not selected in the national poll.
Below is the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll for October 15, 2019:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Senior goalkeeper Megan Kneefel was named MIAA Co-Goalkeeper of the Week on Tuesday (Oct. 15) following a 1-0-1 weekend and recording a shutout victory over Missouri Western last Friday (Oct. 11). Kneefel shares the honor with Lindsey Johnson of Central Missouri.
Kneefel earned a win and a tie in a pair of road matches for Fort Hays State. She picked up her fifth shutout of the season in a 3-0 win at Missouri Western. The only goal she allowed in a 1-1 tie at Northwest Missouri State was on a penalty kick. She stopped 12 of 26 shots she faced for the week, saving four in the shutout at Missouri Western and eight in the tie at Northwest Missouri.
Kneefel joins Central Missouri’s Makayla Toth (Offensive Player of the Week), Allysa Gan (Defensive Player of the Week), and Lindsey Johnson (Co-Goalkeeper of the Week) as recipients of conference honors this week.
MARYVILLE, Mo. – Fort Hays State got off to a slow start but rallied late in regulation to leave Maryville with a 1-1 draw against Northwest Missouri State. FHSU is now 7-3-1 (6-2-1 MIAA), while Northwest Missouri now stands at 3-6-3 (1-2-2 MIAA).
The Tigers could not get much going in the first half. Northwest Missouri was able to capitalize on a penalty kick in the 14th minute by Bri Wawiorka. FHSU only mustered one shot throughout the half, but was only down one goal at halftime.
The second half was a different story as the Tigers came out fast and aggressive. They were able to put three shots on goal within the first five minutes of the half. In the 75th minute, Taryn Schnell found the back of the net in the lower right corner to level the score. She was in the right place at the right time after a crossing pass from Reilly Madden found the foot of Darby Hirsch near the far post. Hirsch’s shot ricocheted off the cross bar right to Schnell who calmly tapped the ball past the keeper for the equalizer.
After two overtimes and a combined 31 shots from both teams, neither could find the golden goal and FHSU escaped with a 1-1 draw.
FHSU made up for the one shot in the first half by taking 13 in the second half and six in overtime. Chloe Montano led the team with seven shots, while Jenna Prince led in shots on goal with five. Megan Kneefel (6-2-1) kept her team in the game by tallying eight saves throughout the match. Northwest Missouri’s Alexis Serna Castillo (2-3-3) stopped nine of ten FHSU shots on goal.
Fort Hays State comes home after two weekends away. They will begin a five-match home stretch on Friday night (Oct. 18) vs. nationally ranked Central Missouri. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at FHSU Soccer Stadium.
HAYS – Charles Tigner rushed for 111 yards and the Fort Hays State defense held Emporia State to just a third quarter field goal in a 19-3 homecoming win in front of 6,735 Saturday night at Lewis Field. The Tigers have won four straight to improve to 4-2. The Hornets have lost two straight and dropped to 2-4.
The Tiger defense was solid from the start, forcing five straight 3 and outs n the first half while holding the Hornets to 93 yards at halftime.
After being forced to punt on their first two possessions, FHSU scored on four straight to lead 16-0 halftime lead. Dante Brown booted field goals of 34, 31 and 42 yards. D.J. Hickman scored the only touchdown of the game on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Chance Fuller with 10:35 to play in the second quarter.
The Hornets only points came on their first drive of the third quarter. After moving the ball to the Tiger seven, they had to settle for a 24-yard Clark Schoonover field goal. They moved the ball to the Tiger 12 on their second possession but missed on a 29 yard field goal try.
The Tigers only points of the second half came on a 21 yard field goal from Brown with 6:19 to play in the fourth capping a nine-play, 61-yard drive.
Brown’s four field goals gives him 41 for his career, the most in FHSU history.
The Tigers had 392 yards of offense, paced by Tigner’s 111 yards on 22 carries. Hickman added 63 on 10 carries.
Chance Fuller completed 10-of-26 passes for 209 yards. Harley Hazlett had six catches for 44 yards. Manny Ramsey added four for 72 yards and Layne Bieberle hauled in three for 51 yards.
The Hornets finished with 276 yards. Quarterback Dalton Cowan completed 14 of 29 passes for 129 yards and one interception and was sacked once.
BETHANY, Okla. – Continuing their run of wins in the Great American Conference, the Fort Hays State Tigers defeated Southern Nazarene, 3-1, on Saturday evening.
With the victory, the Tigers improve to 7-3-1 in the 2019 campaign, while the Crimson Storm fall to 2-9.
Nathan De La Hoya struck first for the Tigers in the 11th minute on an assist from Santiago Agudelo, marking his first goal of the season.
In the 30th minute, defender Moritz Walther made his mark on the scoresheet. Inside of the 18-yard box, Crimson Storm defender Diego Rojas committed a foul, sending the Tigers to the penalty spot. Walther, as he has previously done, calmly stepped up to the ball and struck it with confidence past the goalkeeper. On the converted penalty kick, the junior registered his third goal of the season.
Just four minutes later, Walther got himself back on the scoresheet. Sophomore Rogelio Lopez send a corner kick into the box, finding the head of Walther who slotted the ball into the lower right-hand corner.
Heading into halftime, FHSU controlled a 3-0 lead on six attempted shots.
Southern Nazarene turned up the pressure in the second half, attempting seven shots at Tiger’s goalkeeper Kieran Brown, who made two saves on the day.
The Crimson Storm were able to strike back once at Fort Hays State on an Eric Romero free kick that found the top right corner of the goal.
Now entering the second half of conference play, FHSU will travel to Claremore, Okla. to face off against Rogers State. The Tigers faced off against the Hillcats in their second GAC match this season, resulting in a 2-0 victory. Their second meeting this season is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 17.
HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team came up short against Missouri Western on Saturday (Oct. 12), falling in three sets (11-25, 25-27, 13-25). The Tigers move to 6-11 on the year and 3-6 in MIAA play, while the Griffons are now 10-6 overall and 4-4 in league action.
Delaney Humm led the Tigers with 11 kills while adding eight digs and matching her season high with four blocks. Isabelle Reynolds added eight kills with Morgan West chipping in six. Emily Ellis and Morgan Christiansen led the way with five blocks each. Katie Darnell tossed up 24 assists alongside three digs, one block and one kill. Madison Miller and Abbie Hayes paced the team with 10 digs apiece.
The Tigers posted a .067 attack percentage in the match while totaling 10 blocks and 45 digs on defense.
After falling behind early in the opening set, the Tigers kept pace in the second frame. After the teams alternated points to a 7-7 tie, FHSU scored five of the next six points to force a Griffon timeout. West was a key to the big run, picking up three blocks and one kill in that span.
Missouri Western stormed back with an 8-2 run to retake the lead, 16-14. The Tigers fought back to tie the score seven more times in the set, but the Griffons never allowed FHSU to go back in front. Two Tiger errors allowed the Griffons to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room.
The Tigers head back out on the road next week when they travel to play Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State. The road trip opens with a Friday night (Oct. 18) matchup in Joplin, Mo. against MSSU, with the first serve set for 6 p.m.
VICTORIA, Kan. – After placing four runners in the top 25, the Fort Hays State men’s cross country team finished third at the FHSU Tiger Open Saturday morning (Oct. 12). The Tigers hosted the eighth annual event at their home course, Sand Plum Nature Trail.
Fort Hays State picked up 71 points as a team, just two back of second place. Robbie Schmidt earned a 10th-place finish after traversing the eight-kilometer course in 24:57.6. Israel Barco finished 15th after crossing the line in 25:13.4. Seppe van ‘t Westende (22nd, 25:28.6) and Reed Rome (24th, 25:30.2) were the next two Tigers across the line, finishing less than two seconds apart. Robert Loeffler rounded out the Tiger scoring in 29th, recording a time of 25:37.7. All five runners in the scoring for FHSU recorded personal bests on an 8K course.
Colorado School of Mines topped the field with 31 points after all five runners placed in the top 19. Mines’ Derek Steele won the individual title with a time of 24:08.9. This year’s field in the gold division race consisted of 138 runners representing 13 schools.
In the men’s black division race, Wesley Banguria of Colby set a new course record by more than 21 seconds when he crossed the line in 23:11.8. Thirteen teams and 131 individuals completed the black division race, with Iowa Western taking the team title with 54 points.
The Tigers now have two weeks to prepare for the MIAA Championships, scheduled for Saturday, October 26 in Joplin, Mo. The men’s 8K championship race is set to begin at 11 a.m.
Complete FHSU Results
Place – Name – Time
10 – Robbie Schmidt – 24:57.6
15 – Israel Barco – 25:13.4
22 – Seppe van ‘t Westende – 25:28.6
24 – Reed Rome – 25:30.2
29 – Robert Loeffler – 25:37.7
45 – Justin Moore – 25:59.4
48 – Peter Franklin – 26:07.0
51 – Abraham Garcia – 26:14.8
53 – Kaleb Crum – 26:17.6
59 – Caleb Carrasco – 26:34.7
74 – Guillaume Plagneux – 27:03.9
83 – Michael Eisenbarth – 27:28.7
101 – Jorge Gallegos – 28:00.1
VICTORIA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State women’s cross country team picked up a third-place finish at the eighth annual FHSU Tiger Open Saturday (Oct. 12). The Tigers placed three runners in the top 21 at their home event, totaling 107 points in the event hosted at Sand Plum Nature Trail.
Brooke Navarro was the top finisher for the Black and Gold, completing the five-kilometer course in 18:32.3. Abigail Stewart earned a 12th-place finish, crossing the line in 18:38.2. Tessa Durnell placed 21st with a time of 18:57.1, while Emily Salmans finished 37th in 19:25.9. Averi Wilson rounded out the team scoring after finishing the race in 19:30.3, good for 41st place.
Southwest Baptist edged out Colorado School of Mines for the team title, 40-43, after the Bearcats swept the podium with runners in first, second and third. Elysia Burgos of SBU captured the individual title with a time of 17:23.4.
In the black race, Faith Chepengat of Iowa Western Community College posted the second-fastest time in course history with a mark of 16:53.3.
The Tigers now have two weeks to prepare for the MIAA Championships, scheduled for Saturday, October 26 in Joplin, Mo. The women’s 6K championship race is set to begin at 10 a.m.
Fort Hays State (3-2, 3-2 MIAA) vs Emporia State (2-3, 2-3 MIAA) Saturday, Oct. 12 – 7 pm Hays, Kan. – Lewis Field Stadium
Game Sponsor: Big Creek Crossing Game Theme: Homecoming
Fort Hays State Football returns to action on Saturday at home against in-state rival Emporia State for the annual Homecoming game. The Tigers enter the game winners of three straight, now 3-2 on the season, while the Hornets enter at 2-3. Kickoff is set for 7 pm at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. Listen live on KJLS (103.3) beginning at 6 pm with the Auto World Pregame Show.
The home team has been very successful in this series since FHSU joined the MIAA in 2006. The teams have played 13 times since, with the home team going 11-2 in that stretch. Fort Hays State has won the last two games against Emporia State in Hays, but ESU claimed last year’s meeting in Emporia by a score of 28-24. The home team has won the last four games in the series.
Fort Hays State is coming off a 35-7 win over Central Oklahoma last week in Edmond. The Tigers have now held their last two opponents to seven points or less after surrendering 28 or more to their first three. The Tigers are allowing 22.0 points per game, but that is good enough for second among MIAA teams (Pittsburg State leads the conference at 17.8 per game).
Emporia State is coming off a 34-23 loss to Northwest Missouri State last week in Emporia. The Hornets had a 17-12 lead at halftime in that game before being outscored 22-6 in the second half. The Hornets’ two wins this year were against Northeastern State and Lincoln, while their other losses were to Pittsburg State and Nebraska-Kearney.
Fort Hays State enters the game ranked eighth nationally in passing yards per game at 312.8. Quarterback Chance Fuller ranks seventh for individual average, throwing for 300.4 per game. He has thrown over 300 yards in three of five contests this year, including an output of 310 last week at Central Oklahoma. In that game, he tied the school record for passing touchdowns with five. Fuller ranks third nationally in passing touchdowns (17).
Harley Hazlett has been the top target for Fuller in the passing game, currently with 34 receptions for 497 yards. He ranks third in NCAA Division II for receiving touchdowns (8) and 15th in receiving yards per game (99.4). Both Charles Tigner and D.J. Hickman are averaging more than 70 rushing yards per game. Tigner has been key in the receiving game as well, averaging 112 all-purpose yards per game. Hickman is coming off a career-high 121 rushing yards at Central Oklahoma last week.
On the defensive side of the ball, Jordan Starks leads the Tigers in tackles with 40 after a career-high 11 at Central Oklahoma last week. Tanner Hoekman is right behind him with 39 for the season. Both have two interceptions. Linebackers Drew Harvey and Kolt Trachsel each have more than 30 tackles as well. The Tiger defense held UCO to 238 total yards last week, a new season low by a Tiger opponent.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s soccer team controlled the whole 90 minutes of play Friday evening (Oct. 11), improving its record to 7-3 (3-1 MIAA) after a 3-0 shutout of Missouri Western. The Tigers have won three straight conference games, all on the road, after dropping their league opener last month. Missouri Western falls to 4-6-1 and 1-3 in conference play.
The Tigers got on the board early and never let up, taking a two-goal lead in the first half. In the 15th minute, Jenna Prince intercepted a pass at the top of the penalty box and lofted a shot over the head of the keeper and into the net for her second goal of the year. Darby Hirsch followed Prince just three minutes later with her fourth of the 2019 season. Chloe Montano ripped a free kick from midfield that fell perfectly into Hirsch’s lap inside the 18-yard box. Hirsch cashed in on the chance, firing a shot into the upper left corner to hand FHSU held a 2-0 lead before halftime.
Fort Hays State struck again nine minutes into the second half when Zariah Smith picked up her first goal of the year. The junior took in a pass and made one move past a defender before sending a bullet screaming just inside the far post from 20 yards out. The defense and Megan Kneefel tightened up down the stretch, holding MWSU to just three second-half shots to give the Tigers their seventh victory of the year. Of those seven victories, the Tigers have only allowed one goal, tallying six clean sheets on the year.
FHSU fired off 13 shots, with seven of those on target. Cailey Perkins led the team with four shots and two shots on goal. Megan Kneefel (6-2) stopped all four of Missouri Western’s shots on goal for her 14th career shutout, just one shy of second place all-time.
The Tigers remain in second place in the MIAA standings with the win, moving within one point of the top spot.
The Tigers look to continue their hot streak on Sunday (Oct. 13) in Maryville, Mo. Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri State are set to kick off at 1 p.m.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s soccer team controlled the whole 90 minutes of play Friday evening (Oct. 11), improving its record to 7-3 (3-1 MIAA) after a 3-0 shutout of Missouri Western. The Tigers have won three straight conference games, all on the road, after dropping their league opener last month. Missouri Western falls to 4-6-1 and 1-3 in conference play.
The Tigers got on the board early and never let up, taking a two-goal lead in the first half. In the 15th minute, Jenna Prince intercepted a pass at the top of the penalty box and lofted a shot over the head of the keeper and into the net for her second goal of the year. Darby Hirsch followed Prince just three minutes later with her fourth of the 2019 season. Chloe Montano ripped a free kick from midfield that fell perfectly into Hirsch’s lap inside the 18-yard box. Hirsch cashed in on the chance, firing a shot into the upper left corner to hand FHSU held a 2-0 lead before halftime.
Fort Hays State struck again nine minutes into the second half when Zariah Smith picked up her first goal of the year. The junior took in a pass and made one move past a defender before sending a bullet screaming just inside the far post from 20 yards out. The defense and Megan Kneefel tightened up down the stretch, holding MWSU to just three second-half shots to give the Tigers their seventh victory of the year. Of those seven victories, the Tigers have only allowed one goal, tallying six clean sheets on the year.
FHSU fired off 13 shots, with seven of those on target. Cailey Perkins led the team with four shots and two shots on goal. Megan Kneefel (6-2) stopped all four of Missouri Western’s shots on goal for her 14th career shutout, just one shy of second place all-time.
The Tigers remain in second place in the MIAA standings with the win, moving within one point of the top spot.
The Tigers look to continue their hot streak on Sunday (Oct. 13) in Maryville, Mo. Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri State are set to kick off at 1 p.m.
