FHSU Sports Information Department
HAYS, Kan. – The 22nd-ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team took their first loss in the MIAA and third loss overall on Sunday (Oct. 4), falling to conference rival Northeastern State 1-0. The RiverHawks, which received votes in the latest NSCAA Poll, moved to 6-4 overall, 2-1 in the MIAA, while the Tigers are now 7-3 overall, 1-1 in the MIAA.
Fort Hays State’s biggest opportunity occurred in the 17th minute when Mauricio Castorino struck a shot that hit the post. With the goalkeeper out of place, Anthony Hernandez had plenty of daylight to bury a shot in the box, but an NSU defender perfectly placed himself on the goal line, sacrificing his body in front of a rocket strike by Hernandez to keep the match scoreless.
Neither team had many other offensive opportunities before halftime, FHSU with five shots and NSU with four, leaving the game scoreless.
Not long into the second half, Northeastern State’s Paul Samia had a fortunate stroke of luck. From 35 yards out on a free kick, Samia placed a nice ball deep into the box intended for a striker. The striker completely missed the ball, but with goalkeeper Michael Yantz expecting a shot, the free kick found its way into the net. That put NSU up 1-0 in the 51st minute.
The Tiger offense perked up in the second half registering 10 shots, but none found the net which left the score 1-0 in favor of the RiverHawks when the final horn sounded. The match was tightly contested as usual between the two squads, 15 total shots for each team. Eric Shephard moved to 6-4 on the season in goal for NSU, while Michael Yantz dropped to 7-3 for FHSU. Each keeper had three saves in the match.
The Tigers look to rebound in their next match as they head to Fayette, Iowa on Thursday (Oct. 8) for another MIAA match against Upper Iowa.