Story by ELI BLANKINSHIP, Photos by TROY HEARD, Video by BRYNN RAY
Tiger Media Network
After a historic season that concluded in the national semifinals, the FHSU men’s soccer team took to the pitch Thursday afternoon to begin the 2026 season against No. 13 Rockhurst. It was a familiar foe for the Tigers, as FHSU and Rockhurst have played in their season opener for the past three years.
As was the case in 2024 and 2025, FHSU defeated the Hawks – this time by a score of 4-1.
#11 Francisco Degiorgi & #14 Francesco Valenti Celebrating a Goal together 
FHSU Mens Soccer linup being anounced. 
#3 JJ Espinosa getting ready for match 
#35 Julius Peterson Getting ready to throw in the ball 
#11 Francisco Degiorgi Plyaing ball away from defense 
#7 Juan Linares & #11 Franisco Degiorgi Celebrating together after goal 
#10 Len Valkema Celebrating Call made by Referee 
#11 Francisco Degiorgi & #3 JJ Espinosa Hyping each other up after a goal 
#24 Muhammad Sarwar Playing ball up 
#20 Scott Dillion Getting ready to kick a corner kick 
#31 Dalton Cates Defending off defender 
#10 Len Valkema playing ball forward 
#25 Tom Vincent Viewing the play field 
#14 Francessco Valenti Passing ball into goal box 
#10 Len Valkema passing ball forward
“We’re proud of the win today,” said FHSU head coach Alex Nichols. “We have a ton of respect for Rockhurst. They’re a [well] coached team, and they’ve always got good players. Our guys stepped up today and did a really good job, but we’ve got a long way to go.”
With just five returning players, there were many new faces on the pitch for the Tigers. Juan Linares, a returning sophomore, broke open the scoring in the 17th minute by slotting a penalty kick just past the fingertips of the Hawks’ goalkeeper Samuele Neri in the bottom left corner.
Not long after, in the 20th minute, the Tigers found the net once again. Filippo Moncada, a freshman from Palermo, Italy, scored to put FHSU ahead 2-0 at halftime.
“It’s a brand new team, so it’s hard for players,” Nichols said. “It’s hard for coaches. Brand new is just hard. It’s awesome, but it’s incredibly hard.”
Both sides struggled to create chances right after halftime. Neither side scored until another Tiger newcomer found the back of the net in the 72nd minute. Francisco Degiorgi whipped in a right-footed shot to the back post to increase FHSU’s lead to 3-0.
“This year we have a great group of guys,” said sophomore goalkeeper Payton Roehrich. “It’s all about just keeping the morale high. People might not agree with certain things, but I think it [requires] just buying in, and it seems today that everyone’s done that really well. I really can’t be more proud of this team.”
Roehrich was recently named captain of the squad after being an integral part of the Tigers’ postseason run in the 2025 campaign.
“It’s more or less just keeping the same confidence as last year, but also knowing that I have a role in this team that’s more than last year,” Roehrich said. “It has definitely been a learning experience, but I’m grateful to God for that.”
FHSU’s final goal came from the Northeast (Neb.) Community College transfer Len Valkema. The Dutch sophomore scored a tap-in in the 75th minute to cap off a complete team performance by the Tigers.
In the final moments of the contest, Rockhurst’s Sam McIntosh scored a consolation penalty kick against backup goalkeeper Marco Rosa, who came on to relieve Roehrich of his duties.
The 4-1 victory marks the fifth year in a row that FHSU has won its season opener.
The Tigers will next play Regis at home on Saturday. The game has been moved to 7 pm due to excessive heat from its scheduled 3 pm start time at FHSU Soccer Stadium.
Story submitted as part of Convergent Media Lab, a course within the Department of Computer Science and Informatics at Fort Hays State University