-FHSU Sports Information
No. 24 Fort Hays State begins a pivotal four-game stretch this weekend to close out the regular season. The Tigers travel to St. Charles, Mo., for a Thursday contest with Lindenwood before returning to Hays to close out the weekend on Sunday versus No. 15 Northeastern State. Game time for Thursday is 7 p.m., with Sunday’s matchup scheduled for Noon.
FHSU (10-3-1, 7-2-0 MIAA) is in the midst of an eight-game winning streak, with six shutouts during that span, and sits second in the conference standings behind Northeastern State (11-3-0, 9-0-0 MIAA). Both teams have clinched berths to the MIAA Tournament, with seeding on the line over the final two weekends of play. Lindenwood (7-5-3, 5-3-1 MIAA) sits third in the standings.
The Tigers boast one of the top offenses in the nation, sitting third nationally in total assists (44), fourth in total goals (42), assists per game (3.14), points per game (9.14) and total points (128) and fifth in scoring offense with 3.00 goals per game. In the conference, FHSU is first in points, goals, goals per game, assists, assists per game, and shutouts (nine).
Diego Cabral is second in the MIAA and eighth nationally with eight assists on the year, while Tanner Brock’s six goals is second most the MIAA this season. Brock leads the Tigers with 18 points for the year (second in the MIAA), followed by Diego Cabral (16 points) and Austin Clifton (14 points) for the team lead.
In the net, Kent Freund has established himself as one of the top keepers in the league, ranking first in the league in shutouts (six) and second with a goals against average of 0.94. Freund’s 39 saves is a team-high in 1,049:49 minutes of game action.
FHSU defeated LWU, 8-0, earlier this season to start its current winning streak, and will look for the regular season sweep on Thursday. LWU’s Andre Hayne leads the Lions with five goals and one assist (11 points), while Mitchel Hunt is second on the squad with nine points (four goals, one assist). In goal, Andrew Hamerlinck has played a majority of time, allowing 21 goals (1.57 per game) with 43 saves for the year.
The Tigers will be looking to avenge an early-season 2-1 loss to the RiverHawks on Sunday, in a matchup between the MIAA’s top two squads. NSU’s Jordan Schmoker is tied with Brock for second in the league with six goals, while leading the conference with 10 assists. Schmoker’s 22 points also paces the league. Juan Peralta and Justin Smith each have four goals as well for NSU. Jackson Biles is first in the MIAA with a 0.83 goals against average, and has 44 saves with just 10 goals allowed, posting six shutouts.