HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State men’s soccer netted three goals on Thursday night in its victory over Oklahoma Baptist, 3-1. The home match win marks the 21st consecutive victory at FHSU Soccer Stadium for the Tigers.

Fort Hays State controlled the majority of play in the first half. Santiago Agudelo began the scoring for the Tigers. In the 28th minute, Mauricio Etcheverry sent a cross into the box, finding Agudelo sprinting to the near post. The senior forward finished off the play with a diving header to redirect the ball into the back of the net.

Just three minutes later, Agudelo collected another mark on the scoresheet. From midfield, Agudelo sent a through ball to Arsenio Chamorro up the left side, who was pressuring the back line of the Bison defense. Seeing that Chamorro was set free, the striker followed the play and was ultimately rewarded on a smooth grounded cross from Chamorro to put the Tigers up, 2-0.

Coming out of halftime, the Bison used the wind at their back and increased pressure aggressively. Only taking two shots in the first half, Oklahoma Baptist rebounded by adding another 11 in the final 45 minutes. In the 72nd minute, the Bison managed to grab a goal of their own. Alejandro Castillo fired his shot from 35-yards past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Kieran Brown and into the top left corner of the goal.

Only at a one goal deficit, Oklahoma Baptist added even more intensity to their play. However, the intensity was handled well by the Tigers’ back four of McCain, Bevis, Walther, and Benitez. In the 84th minute, FHSU turned their defense into offensive poise. Senior Ross Boyd beat his defender down the right sideline and swung a grounded cross around the Bison defenders, who were sprinting to get back. Boyd’s cross reached the feet of Alonso Rodriguez who tapped the ball in past the keeper for the final goal of the night.

With the victory, the Tigers improve to 6-3-1 overall and 5-0-1 in the Great American Conference.

Fort Hays State totaled nine shots on Thursday night and only needed four saves by Brown at the other end of the field.

In his 86 minutes of play, Agudelo netted his eighth and ninth goals of the season, moving into the top-five of goal scorers across the entirety of NCAA Division II.

FHSU will be back in action on Saturday (Oct. 10) when they travel to Bethany, Okla. to go head-to-head with Southern Nazarene. That match is slated for a 4 p.m. kickoff.

The MIAA held its annual basketball media day Wednesday at the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City.

After finishing 32-2 last season and claiming both the MIAA regular season and tournament championship the Tiger women were picked first in both the coaches and media polls.

The Tiger men return six players from last year’s 18-11 season and were picked fourth in both polls.

Tiger women’s coach Tony Hobson and men’s coach Mark Johnson addressed the media Wednesday and you can hear their comments below.

Hobson and Johnson press conference

Tony Hobson

Mark Johnson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball received a pick of fourth in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls, released on Wednesday during MIAA Basketball Media Day at The College Basketball Experience. The Tigers were tabbed in the position where they finished last season.

Defending national champion Northwest Missouri State topped both polls following an undefeated 38-0 season. The top four remained consistent in both polls with Missouri Southern second, Washburn third, and Fort Hays State fourth. The top four of the polls nearly mirrors how the regular season standings finished last year, the only difference is Washburn finished second and Missouri Southern finished third in conference play. From fifth through 14th, picks vary in the polls.

Fort Hays State is coming off an 18-11 season in 2018-19. The Tigers went 12-7 in MIAA play to finish alone in fourth place. FHSU saw its season end in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals. The Tigers lost all three of their all-conference performers from last year, which included Brady Werth, Marcus Cooper, and Kyler Kinnamon.

The Tigers have six returners to the squad this season, however, only four were on the floor last year as two redshirted. Aaron Nicholson is the top returning scorer from last year. He averaged 9.0 points per game and led the team in 3-point field goals made (45). Devin Davis is the top scorer off the bench from last year, who averaged 8.6 points per contest. Jared Vitztum is the top returning rebounder, who pulled down 5.3 per game while chipping in 7.3 points per game. Nyjee Wright also returns after scoring 4.8 points per game last year.

Mark Johnson enters his 19th year guiding the Tigers. He is the longest tenured coach in the program’s history and also the program’s all-time wins leader with a career record of 359-172. He has led the Tigers to three conference titles and seven NCAA Tournament appearances.

Johnson brought in eight newcomers to this year’s squad. Five of the newcomers are transfers, while three are true freshmen.

The first action for FHSU will be on Thursday, October 24 in an exhibition contest at the University of Kansas. Tipoff is set for 7 pm at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.

Men’s Coaches Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (13) – 169 points
2. Missouri Southern (1) – 157 points
3. Washburn – 131 points
4. Fort Hays State – 124 points
5. Northeastern State – 99 points
6. Central Missouri – 96 points
7. Lincoln – 93 points
8. Pittsburg State – 92 points
9. Rogers State – 68 points
10. Emporia State – 66 points
11. Newman – 61 points
12. Missouri Western – 58 points
13. Central Oklahoma – 44 points
14. Nebraska Kearney – 16 points

Men’s Media Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (19) – 279 points
2. Missouri Southern (1) – 259 points
3. Washburn – 238 points
4. Fort Hays State – 198 points
5. Pittsburg State – 183 points
6. Lincoln – 156 points
7. Central Missouri – 140 points
8. Emporia State – 123 points
9. Missouri Western – 120 points
10. Newman – 103 points
11. Rogers State – 102 points
12. Northeastern State – 88 points
13. Nebraska Kearney – 64 points
14. Central Oklahoma- 46 points

KEARNEY, Neb. – Fort Hays State volleyball moved to 6-10 on the season and 3-5 in conference play following their 3-0 loss at Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday night.

To open the night, the Tigers and Lopers were going kill-for-kill. At an even set score, 9-9, Nebraska-Kearney began to break away after a few Tigers attack errors. Kills from Delaney Humm and Morgan West created a late push in the first frame by Fort Hays State, but that was ultimately shut down by Sami Mauch who concluded the set, 25-18.

Coming out of the switch, Nebraska-Kearney held all momentum. Beginning the second frame, the Lopers jumped out on a 6-0 run, before a Tigers timeout was called by head coach Jessica Wood-Atkins.

Fort Hays State attempted to produce a run late in the second set, which was ended by a kill from Nebraska-Kearney’s Julianne Jackson. The Tigers were able to snag a couple more points, before an attack error from Isabelle Reynolds finalized the set, 25-14.

Opening the third set, the Tigers and Lopers went back and forth. A kill from the Lopers sparked an 8-0 swing, who finished out the set, 25-11.

Reynolds, Humm, and West led the Tigers with seven kills each while Katie Darnell added 22 assists to her totals.

The Tigers will look to rebound against Missouri Western on Saturday (Oct. 12). The Griffons currently hold a record of 9-5 and are 3-3 in MIAA matches.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Golf finished 20th at the Holiday Inn Express Classic, hosted by Missouri Western. The tournament took place at St. Joseph Country Club, a par-71 venue.

The first round was Fort Hays State’s best, shooting 307 as a team. Unfortunately, the Tigers struggled in the second a third rounds to team scores of 330 and 334 and finished with a three-round total of 971.

Pete Carney led the Tigers individually, tying for 79th. He shot rounds of 80, 76, and 81 for a total of 237. Cole Gritton finished one stroke back of Carney at 238 after rounds of 71, 82, and 85. Marcus Willey shot rounds of 77, 85, and 83. Bryce Cowan and Isaiah Grover tied overall. Cowan shot rounds of 81, 87, and 85. Grover carded scores of 79, 89, 85.

Central Missouri won the tournament with a team total of 857. Washburn was five strokes back in second and Central Oklahoma was 14 strokes back of the lead pace in third.

Fort Hays State heads to the Blue Tiger Invitational next week in Jefferson City, Mo.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Fort Hays State Women’s Golf tied for 21st at the Midwest Classic, hosted by the University of Central Missouri (Oct. 7-8). The Tigers were consistent, shooting 335 as a team both rounds for a total of 670. The Tigers tied Arkansas-Fort Smith in the team standings. The tournament took place at Mules National Golf Club, a par-70 course.

Taylor DeBoer paced the Tigers with rounds of 77 and 83. She tied for 51st overall. Kira Mestl tied for 63rd after two rounds of 81. Kate Peterka posted rounds of 91 and 86, while Madison Roether shot 86 and 92. Katie Brungardt carded a 95 and 85.

Northeastern State won the tournament with a total of 596. Central Oklahoma was eight strokes back with a 604 and host Central Missouri was third at 609.

This was the final tournament of the fall for the FHSU women. They will resume action in spring of 2020.

KANSAS CITY, Mo – The Fort Hays State Tigers men’s soccer program has moved up to No. 20 in the latest national poll. FHSU, who was ranked No. 21 last week, have moved up one spot following a victory in a week with one match. The black and gold defeated Newman University, seeing goals come from Sergio Villalba, Moritz Walther, Santiago Agudelo, and Arsenio Chamorro.

The Tigers currently sit at 5-3-1 overall and 4-0-1 in conference play. The only other program to join Fort Hays State in the rankings is Rogers State who checks in at. No. 25. Meanwhile, Northeastern State and Harding are just outside the Top-25, looking in as both programs received votes this week.

FHSU will play two matches this week, facing off against Oklahoma Baptist in Hays on Thursday (Oct. 10) and ttraveling to Bethany, Okla. to take on Southern Nazarene on Saturday (Oct. 12) in a pair of conference games. Oklahoma Baptist is currently 3-6 in 2019, while Southern Nazarene is 2-7.

Below is the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll for October 8, 2019:

Rank	School	Prev	W-L-T
1	Azusa Pacific University	2	9-0-0
2	Maryville University of St. Louis	3	10-0-0
3	California State University-Los Angeles	5	7-0-0
4	Adelphi University	1	8-0-1
5	Florida Tech	11	7-0-0
6	Lake Erie College	9	10-0-0
7	Francis Marion University	7	5-1-1
8	Lynn University	17	6-0-1
9	Midwestern State University	13	8-1-0
10	University Of Charleston	20	7-2-0
11	Mercy College	8	8-1-1
12	Gannon University	4	7-1-0
13	California State University-San Bernardino	18	5-1-1
14	University Of West Florida	6	7-1-0
15	Coker University	NR	7-2-0
16	Texas A&M International University	10	6-1-1
17	Bellarmine University	22	7-0-2
18	West Chester University	14	7-1-1
19	Wilmington University	15	8-1-1
20	Fort Hays State University	21	5-3-1
21	Lander University	NR	5-1-1
22	West Texas A&M University	19	4-1-1
23	Simon Fraser University	24	5-1-0
24	Palm Beach Atlantic University	25	6-1-1
25	Rogers State University	RV	6-2-1

Fort Hays State Tiger coach Chris Brown held his weekly press conference Tuesday after the Tigers picked up the 35-7 win over Central Oklahoma Saturday. The Tigers host Emporia State University Saturday for Homecoming at Lewis Field Stadium. The Hornets are 2-3 after Saturday’s one-point loss to Northwest Missouri State.

Sophomore defensive back Jhimon Preston and sophomore quarterback Chance Fuller also addressed the media Tuesday. You can hear their comments below.

Chris Brown

Jhimon Preston

Chance Fuller

WICHITA, Kan. – FHSU Women’s Soccer improved its record to 6-3 (2-1 MIAA) with a 1-0 shutout over Newman (5-2-3, 1-1-1 MIAA) Sunday afternoon. Fort Hays State has won four out of its last five matches, including a big win at No. 14 Central Oklahoma on Friday night (Oct. 4). FHSU has outscored opponents 7-3 in that five-match stretch, allowing just one goal in the four wins.

There was not much going offensively for either side in the first half. Both sides only mustered up one shot and no shots on goal. A quiet first 45 minutes had both teams scoreless going to the locker room.

FHSU broke through just seven minutes into the second half. Sophomore forward Cailey Perkins notched a shot past keeper Jackie Lari in the lower left corner. Emily Reitz was credited with the assist. The Tigers were able to hang on for the victory thanks to a solid defensive effort, holding the Jets to just four shots for the entire match.

Fort Hays State put up four shots on goal with Perkins claiming half of those. Newman put three shots on goal, all by different players and all stopped by Megan Kneefel (5-2). Kneefel also recorded her 13th career shutout.

The Tigers complete the weekend with two conference road victories after a tough home loss in their MIAA opener. They will be on the road once again next weekend starting with a Friday night match at Missouri Western. The match is set for 6 pm in St. Joseph, Mo.

EDMOND, Okla. – Chance Fuller tied a Fort Hays State single game record with five touchdown passes and the Tiger defense held Central Oklahoma to 57 yards in the second half of a 35-7 win over the Bronchos Saturday afternoon at Wantland Stadium.

Fuller, who completed 23 of 30 passes for 310 yards and two interceptions, threw four of his five TD passes in the first half as the Tigers (3-2) built a 28-7 halftime lead. Harley Hazlett and Manny Ramsey both had two touchdown receptions. Hazlett hauled in a 36-yard strike on the Tigers first offensive possession. His 23-yard TD catch early in the second quarter broke a 7-7 tie and gave the Tigers the lead for good.

Ramsey scored on passes from six and 11 yards inside five minutes to play in the second quarter.

Jacoby Williams’ six-yard TD catch with 7:56 to play in the game ended a 15-play, 88 yard drive that ate up 7:31 and was the only scoring of the second half. It came after the Tigers missed a field goal and threw two interceptions on their first three second half possessions.

Central Oklahoma (2-3) scored on eight-play, 79-yard drive with 7:20 left in the first quarter which tied the game at 7-7. They would pick up only one more first down the rest of the half. They would be held to two first downs and 57 yards in the second half.

The Tigers picked up 489 total yards of offense, 179 on the ground and 310 through the air. Charles Tigner led the ground game with 83 yards on 15 carries. D.J. Hickman had 80 yards on 16 carries, all in the second half.

Jordan Starks paced the Tiger defense that held the Bronchos to 238 total yards with 11 tackles and an interception.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Late rallies in each set gave No. 13 Central Missouri a 3-0 win over the Fort Hays State volleyball team Saturday afternoon, 25-20, 25-23, 25-19. The Tigers move to 6-9 on the year and 3-4 in MIAA play, while the Jennies improve to 10-5 overall and 4-2 against league competition.

The Tigers controlled the early portion of the first set after tallying the first three points. FHSU led by as many as five, 10-5, before the Jennies slowly closed the gap. After leveling the score at 13-13, UCM took its first lead at 17-16. The Tigers battled back to tie things up at 19-19, but the Jennies rallied to take the set after scoring six of the next seven points.

Fort Hays State jumped out to another lead in the second frame, going in front 8-4 before a big run put the Jennies in front. After trailing by as many as four, 20-16, the Tigers battled back to tie things up at 23-23 thanks to a 7-3 run. Central Missouri bounced back to take the last two rallies in the set, going in front 2-0 after a 25-23 win.

The teams went back and forth to open the third set, leading to seven ties before the score was 11-11. The Jennies began to pull away thanks to a 7-1 run fueled by five kills. FHSU closed within four after a block from Tatum Bartels and Emily Ellis, before the Jennies put the match away with four more kills and one block.

Delaney Humm led the team with 15 kills while adding 12 digs, three assists, one ace and one block. Isabelle Reynolds totaled eight kills with Bartels adding six kills. Katie Darnell contributed 27 assists, three kills and two blocks. Abbie Hayes led the team with 13 digs, while Madison Miller totaled 11 digs.

The Tigers posted a .187 attack percentage while UCM countered with a .306 swing rate. UCM held slight leads in several other statistical categories, including an 8-7 edge in blocks, a 60-56 advantage in digs and a 2-1 difference in aces.

Fort Hays State will take on a third-straight nationally ranked team on the road Tuesday when the Tigers drive north to play No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney. First serve is set for 6 p.m.

HAYS, Kan. – No. 21 Fort Hays State men’s soccer defeated the Newman Jets at home on Saturday, Oct. 5 by a score of 4-0. Notching four goals in the victory, the Tigers continue their relentless streak, netting 12 shots in two games.

The black and gold found their first goal in the 21st minute. Senior Sergio Villalba fired a shot from 25-yards away from goal and pinned it in the upper 90.

10 minutes later, a handball was called on Newman’s Andrey Rios inside of the 18-yard box. Rios began calling for an appeal, but the central referee proceeded with his point to the penalty spot. Stepping up to the spot was ju Moritz Walther. Remaining poised, he struck the ball into the bottom left of the goal for the second score of the contest.

Now, with two goals under their belts to open up the match, the Tigers only needed four more minutes to grab the third. On the strike of a corner kick, Walther and sophomore Alec Bevis leaped into action to win the header – both flicking the ball on, across the six-yard box. Controlling it at his feet was leading goal scorer Santiago Agudelo, who tucked the ball into the back of net from just four yards out.

While the first three goals had come in rapid succession, the next tally waited over 40 minutes. Arsenio Chamorro was set free down the right side of the field by defender Jurgen Ramirez. Chamorro, only requiring one touch with a defender at his back, chipped goalkeeper Jean Consol. That play registered two FHSU firsts – Chamorro for notching his first goal of the season and Ramirez collecting his first collegiate assist.

The Tigers remained in control for the entirety of the match, producing 17 shots, 11 of which were on target, compared to only six that Newman could manage to strike.

Defensively, Fort Hays State held a rock solid back line. Each man of the defense played the entirety of the 90 minutes, including goalkeeper Kieran Brown who added two saves to the score sheet.

With the victory, Brown marked his second career victory and his first clean sheet in collegiate play.

Now 5-3-1 in 2019, the Tigers will be back in action on Thursday, Oct. 10 when they take on Oklahoma Baptist (3-6). FHSU is 4-0 all time against the Bisons.