FHSU Athletics

WICHITA, Kan. – The 11th-ranked Fort Hays state men’s soccer team has a flare for dramatic finishes lately as they won their second straight double overtime thriller. Newman University fell victim on Friday night by a count of 2-1 as Anthony Hernandez provided the game winner a minute and a half into the second overtime.

Newman took control early when Pedro Augusto beat FHSU keeper Michael Yantz in the 23rd minute for his second goal of the season, putting the Jets up 1-0.

However, less than five minutes later MIAA leading scorer Mauricio Castorino netted his sixth goal of the season in the 28^th minute on a free kick after a Newman foul just outside the 18 yard box.

The score remained locked at 1-1 for the next 73 minutes before Anthony Hernandez took a ball from Castorino and netted it for his fourth goal of the season at 101:30 to push the Tigers’ record to 6-1 overall.

FHSU heads back home on Sunday to take on Texas A&M-International looking for its seventh win of the season before entering MIAA play.

FHSU Athletics

EMPORIA, Kan. – Fort Hays State fell in straight sets to Emporia State in conference play on Friday night. The Tigers committed 23 attacking errors in the match as they fell to 8-6 overall and 0-2 in the MIAA. ESU improved to 6-5 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA.

Fort Hays State started the match well, notching five kills without an error to build a 10-4 lead in the first set. With FHSU leading 11-5, a rash of errors, both attacking and handling, shifted the momentum into ESU’s favor. Four attacking errors and a couple of bad sets quickly brought the Hornets even with the Tigers at 13-13. Moments later, four more Tiger attacking errors were part of a 6-0 Emporia State run to seize control of the set at 20-15. FHSU pulled back within four, but two more attacking errors by the Tigers ended the set at 25-18 in Emporia State’s favor. FHSU had nine kills, but 11 errors, finishing with a -.059 hitting percentage for the opening set.

The offense struggled once again in the second set with 11 kills and eight errors for a .064 hitting percentage. The Tigers led 19-16, but hitting errors again led to another set slipping through the Tigers fingers. Three attacking errors, coupled with two Hornet kills quickly pushed ESU into the lead at 21-19. Down 22-20, FHSU had two attacking errors and then a bad set to hand ESU a 25-20 win.

FHSU turned in a better performance in the third with 13 kills and just four errors to hit .273, but ESU countered with their best set of the night at .297 with 17 kills. FHSU held multiple leads of three in the set, but 19-16 was the score once again where the Hornets went on a run, this time a 6-1 burst to take a 22-20 lead. The Tigers could not catch the Hornets from that point, falling 25-22.

Emporia State finished with a .216 hitting percentage in the match, while FHSU finished at .088. Emporia State also notched 11 team blocks on the night to Fort Hays State’s four.

Mallory Flagor led the Tigers in kills with 10, while adding 10 digs for a double-double. Hannah Wagy produced 27 assists and Crystal Whitten had a team-high 15 digs.

Shayla Cotman led the Hornet attack with nine kills. Setter Kimberly Bell had a double-double with 17 assists and 12 digs. Kelly Holden led ESU in digs with 13.

The Tigers head to Topeka for a match with No. 7 ranked Washburn on Saturday evening at 6 pm.

FHSU Athletics

HAYS, Kan. – Southwest Baptist proved a little too much for Fort Hays State on Friday evening in the MIAA opener at FHSU Soccer Stadium. SBU escaped with a 2-1 decision, holding on to the margin it held at halftime.

The 2014 MIAA Offensive Player of the Year, Karla Jamison, scored her seventh goal of the season in the 19^th-minute to push the Bearcats out to an early 1-0 lead. Less than six minutes later a scramble ensued in front of FHSU’s net. The ball was unfortunately headed off a Tiger defender and found its way into the back of a net for an own goal at the 25:03 mark.

FHSU pulled within one in the 40′ when Veronica Kurtz took a cross from Kelsey Steffens and recorded her first goal on the season.

Despite outshooting the Bearcats 6-5 in the second half, the Tigers could not find the equalizer and took their fourth loss of the season. Fort Hays State is now 3-4 overall and 0-1 in the MIAA, while SBU moved to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in the MIAA.

The next match for the Tigers is Sunday when they welcome Missouri Southern to Hays, Kan. The match is set for 2:30 pm.