Fort Hays State University Women’s Soccer closes out its regular season this weekend with a road contest at Nebraska-Kearney and a home matchup with Washburn. The Tigers travel to Kearney, Neb. on Thursday for a game at UNK before returning to FHSU Soccer Stadium for a Senior Day versus WU on Sunday. Thursday’s contest is set for 6:30 p.m. with Sunday’s game kicking off at 3:30 p.m.
FHSU (10-4-2, 8-2-2 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) is third in the conference play, and has clinched a Top 4 finish in the MIAA headed into the tournament. The Tigers have won four straight and are unbeaten in their last six games, picking up five shutouts in that span.
Kelsey Steffens leads the Tigers with 17 points on the year, adding a goal and an assist in the Tigers two wins last weekend. Steffens has scored six goals and assisted in five on the year. Hailey Davey’s nine assists leads the conference, and is just one short of tying the school’s single-season assists record. Davey has added three goals on the year for 15 points. Cenayda Guzman and Jordan Hester have each scored four goals, while Jordan Shaw has picked up three goals and one assist for the year.
Defensively, FHSU is tied for first in the conference with just 10 goals allowed through 16 games (0.62 per game), and is tied for team shutouts. Mallory Diederich (1,510 minutes), Jamie Babyak (1,489 minutes) and Hannah Smith (1,218 minutes) have started all 16 games for the Tigers’ defense, sitting atop the team’s leaderboard in minutes played, respectively.
Two-time MIAA Goalkeeper of the Week Kristen Thompson has played every minute between the pipes for FHSU this season, picking up 68 saves while allowing just 10 goals in 16 starts. Thompson’s 0.60 goals against average is second in the conference.
UNK (4-10-2, 4-7-1 MIAA) sits seventh in the MIAA standings and is still jockeying for position in the final week of the regular season. UNK dropped a 2-1 overtime contest to FHSU earlier this season in Hays, Kan. The Lopers’ Montanna Hosterman has scored a team-high five goals with two assists (12 points), while Meaghan Pasbrig’s five points (one goal, three assists) is second on the team. Katelin Mielke and Regan Zach have split time in goal this season, with Mielke allowing 16 goals with 32 saves and Zach allowing 15 goals with 23 saves.
The Tigers defeated Washburn (0-15-1, 0-11-1 MIAA) earlier this month, 1-0, in Topeka, Kan., and will look to complete the season sweep on Sunday. WU is led offensively by Emily Stauffer, who has two goals, while Sara Specht has three assists on the year. Four Inchabods – Bailey Wobig, Devon Schmitz, Audra Keehn and Sophia Sabala – each have one goal. In the net, Tori Fuglister has started all 16 games, playing 1,396 minutes with a 2.19 goals against average. Fuglister has allowed 34 total goals with 92 saves on the year.