No. 22 Fort Hays State University Men’s Soccer wraps up its regular season this week against Upper Iowa and West Texas A&M. The Tigers travel to Fayette, Iowa, on Thursday, for their final Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association game of the regular season before returning to FHSU Soccer Stadium for Senior Day on Sunday, hosting WTAMU at 1 p.m.
The Tigers enter Thursday’s game with a 10-match unbeaten streak, winning nine straight before a 1-1 draw with No. 15 Northeastern State on Sunday. FHSU led for much of the match off a goal from Drew Wilson, but the RiverHawks scored late on a penalty kick to tie the game with under 10 minutes to play. Goalkeeper Kent Freund recorded eight saves in the draw, a season-high.
Nationally, FHSU is ranked fourth in total assists (47) and seventh in total goals (46). Tanner Brock and Diego Cabral are tied for the team lead in points (18). Brock leads the team with six goals, while Cabral’s 10 assists paces the squad. The Tigers have six players with at least four goals on the year, as Joe Albright, Austin Clifton, Michael Cole and Maurizio Costa each have five goals and Cabral has four scores, second and third on the team behind Brock.
Freund’s six shutouts this season in net ties a school-record for individual shutouts in a season, as the senior goalkeeper has racked up 53 saves with just 13 goals allowed in 14 contests (0.93 goals against average).
Upper Iowa (9-6-1, 5-5-0 MIAA) holds the fourth spot in the conference standings and have won three straight headed into Thursday’s match. Leandro Pena, the defending MIAA Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week, Ryan Pinkerton, and Johnny McBeth each have six goals, while goalkeeper Connor Rortvedt has 61 saves on the season. The Tigers defeated UIU, 3-2, in overtime earlier this season at home.
West Texas A&M (8-5-1) is led by Vitor Cardoso with 16 points (6 goals, 4 assists), followed by Christopher Hutton and Chris Johnson with 13 points (4 goals, 5 assists) and 10 points (5 goals), respectively. Patrick Satorie has spent the most time in the net (1,043 minutes) and has 44 saves. FHSU had one of its seven shutouts earlier this season against WTAMU, a 1-0 win on the road.
FHSU holds the second spot in the conference standings, behind NSU, and with one week to go in the season has locked up a spot in the MIAA Tournament. Postseason play begins on Thursday, Nov. 6 in Olathe.