Story by CAYDEN SANDERS Photos by KATIE KUHLMAN
Tiger Media Network
The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team competed in a non-conference matinee at FHSU Soccer Stadium on Thursday. For the Tigers, it was a team effort to earn a 2-1 victory over Rockhurst University.
“Rockhurst is a really good team. We have a lot of respect for them, for their coaches, their players, [and] their program,” FHSU Head Coach Alex Nichols said. “They are the meaning of class, so we have a lot of respect for Rockhurst.”
Nichols is in his first season at FHSU (1-0-0) and in his first home game for the black and gold, was able to pull out the victory over Rockhurst (0-1-0).
“I think that defense starts at the top and it works their way down, and the opposite goes for the offense as the defense helps start the offense. Everyone is responsible on both sides of the ball,” Nichols said “[The] majority of the things we did today were good, but there still are things we need to clean up but we are excited for the future.”
In the 88th minute, the game was tied 1-1, with Fort Hays State on a corner kick. Graduate Defender Ibrahim Madad took an opportunity with the ball in the box and scored.
“I just wanted to give back to the coaching staff. They work so hard with us every day, and I wanted to give back to my teammates. Everyone is here to work for each other and it showed today,” Madad said.
In the waning minutes of the game after Madad’s goal, there were five yellow cards and one red card assessed, yet the Tigers were able to prevail.
“We want to make our own legacy out here. Yeah, this has been a great program before us, but we want to make this season special for the program,” Madad said. “My first goal is to defend first, but in the last minutes of the game, I found myself in the right position. It wasn’t me trying to be selfish, I just wanted to help the team to the best of my ability.”
In the first half, the Tigers scored in the 36th minute on a header by sophomore forward Elias Ovelar Seminiuk on assists from junior midfielder Tadhg Walsh and graduate goalkeeper Mathis Lefevre.
“I was just doing my part for the team, I knew that if I put it in a good place for the offense, they would take care of it, and they did,” Lefevre said.
Later in the match, Rockhurst took advantage of a defensive lapse from the Tigers and put a goal on the board in the 74th minute from Asier Olano.
“We like to play aggressive and make the other team work hard to get it on our side of the pitch. Only seeing eight shots and giving up one goal is a good day for me and the team,” Lefevre said.
After the game, Nichols made the effort to high-five every player for the win. Madad talked about his experience with the program’s culture.
“It is such a wonderful feeling being a part of the program. We are a one united family, with all different religions and backgrounds.” Madad said, “I am Muslim, and a lot of the team are Christians with different nationalities. My best friend on the team is American. You will never see this team in groups. We will always be one big family.”
Although FHSU was victorious in their first contest, for Nichols, this game proved the team still had some things to work on.
“For the most part, we fought hard today, but there’s still work to be done with this team and we will use that to get better,” Nichols said.
FHSU will next play against NSIC foe Upper Iowa at 5 p.m. on Sunday in Kansas City.
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