FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The 21st-ranked Fort Hays State women’s soccer team dropped its MIAA Tournament Semifinal match to Central Oklahoma by the score of 4-2 on Friday (Nov. 4). The Tigers dropped to 14-4-2 overall, while the Bronchos improved to 14-5-1 on the season.
It was the first match of the season in which Fort Hays State allowed more than one goal. The Tigers entered the match with only seven goals allowed all season before the rash of four surrendered on Friday night.
Central Oklahoma struck first in the 28th-minute when Katie Killion scored her 10th goal of the season. She took the ball on the right side of the box and placed a perfect shot inside the bottom left post.
UCO was in full command in the first half as it outshot the FHSU 10-1 overall and 4-1 in shots on net.
Killion struck again early in the second half. At 48 minutes, Mikayla Lowery sent a ball from the far right corner to Killion in the box. Killion found the bottom left corner of the net once again.
Jasmine Beaulieu cut the Broncho lead in half when she tallied her third goal of the season. After the Tigers got the ball over midfield a Broncho foul gave the Tigers a free kick about 30 yards out. Beaulieu took the kick and then sent the ball into the top left corner.
Dani Harris evened the score with her fourth goal of the season in the 78th minute. She rifled a shot from the left side of the box to the near post to give FHSU new life.
But in a blink of an eye, the Tigers found themselves trailing once more 49 seconds later when Lowery found the back of the net. Killion sent a through ball behind the Tiger defense that Lowery sprinted to on a breakaway for her sixth goal of the season. The Bronchos put the match away when Killion completed a hat trick. In a role reversal play, Lowery sent a through ball to Killion on the right side and she got behind the Tiger defense and buried her 12th goal of the season.
Abbie Flax did all she could in between the pipes for the Tigers making five saves on the night. She is now 12-4-2 on the season. UCO outshot FHSU 18-7 for the match.
Even in the loss, the Tigers did receive help on Friday as the NSIC Tournament top seed and No. 3 region ranked team, Minot State, also fell on Friday. Augustana knocked off Minot State in the NSIC Tournament semifinals. Fort Hays State jumped Minot State for the No. 2 ranking in the region earlier this week. The two teams advanced the same amount of distance in conference tournaments, but FHSU fell to a region ranked team (UCO is No. 5 in the region) while Augustana is not regionally ranked. The Tigers await to see if they will possibly be hosting NCAA Tournament first and second round matches next weekend.
Find out the NCAA Tournament fate of Fort Hays State on Monday (Nov. 7) at 5 pm with the tournament selection show.