By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Fort Hays State faced off against No. 15 Rogers State University – a match that resulted in a 2-0 victory. For the Tigers, this marks their 19th consecutive victory at home.
Senior forward Santiago Agudelo opened up the scoring in the 32nd minute for his third of the season after scoring two goals on Thursday night against Northeastern State University.
Defender Joey McCain intercepted a pass from the Hillcats and found Agudelo at the edge of the 18-yard box. With a one-touch turn, the forward struck ball into the lower left-hand corner of the net.
In the 46th minute, the Tigers found their back against the wall. With only a one goal lead, the referee awarded a penalty kick to the Hillcats. No. 10 Jordan Watson stepped up to the spot and began his run-up.
On the strike, Watson aimed for the bottom left corner of the goal but was denied by senior Cullen Fisch to keep Fort Hays State’s momentum intact.
30 minutes later, Agudelo had part in another Tigers goal, but this time he was not on the receiving end.
Agudelo, with the ball at his feet and three men to beat, saw a sprinting Rogelio Lopez making a run to the far post. With the outside of his right boot, he flicked the ball in on a grounded cross. Lopez ended the play with a sliding finish back across the goal for his first of the 2019 campaign.
The Tigers ended the day attempting four more shots than Rogers State. Fisch’s poise in net lead to his four crucial saves for Fort Hays.
Agudelo, finding the goal early in the contest, tallied his third goal of the season and the assist was his first of 2019.
The Tigers will hit the road to Arkansas for their next match against Ouachita Baptist, who are 1-4-1 on the season. The two teams have yet to meet in program history.