Courtesy of Fort Hays State University Athletics
BY NIKKI SHERRILL
Distribute effectively. React to every ball. Own the box. Protect the ball. Communicate effectively. Together these five phrases add up to create the phrase DROPSE; Michael Yantz and his father’s pre-game ritual. Yantz, who anchors the goalkeeper position for the Fort Hays State men’s soccer team, lost his father two years ago, but with the help of soccer, keeps him right next to him in the net.
“DROPSE were just those little tips from my dad that he reminded me of before every game. I think about those every time I go onto the field; it’s my way of keeping him with me,” said Yantz.
The keeper, who is originally from Warsaw, Ind., realized soccer was what got him through dealing with his father’s death. Although he was used to being away from home with Hays hundreds of miles from Warsaw, the loss of an important figure in his life increased the difficulty of the distance.
“It’s a big change to be here as opposed to home. When my dad died I was playing in the Premier Developmental League in Florida and I flew home for that, flew back for a game, then flew back home again to be there. I flew back because I never missed a game,” said Yantz.
In the goalkeeper position, Yantz is the final line of protection for his team if the ball slips past them. Because of that pressure, he has become a leader and necessity on the field at all times. Even when tragedy struck, Yantz did what he knew his father would make him do.
“My dad was always one who wouldn’t let me miss a game if I was sick or no matter what because I should play and be there for my team. I’m the last line of defense as the goalie so I needed to be there. I didn’t want to miss a game because I knew that was what he would want,” he said.
Being able to keep soccer as a focus during this difficult period in Yantz’s life was critical as he was able to balance everything life threw at him.
“Soccer really gave me a release from all my stress and everything I had going on. I really got into lifting weights and getting in shape and putting everything into soccer because that’s what I knew my dad would want. My dad and I loved to play soccer together, we would go out and play all the time, so it was one way I could remember my dad but still deal with it in a positive way,” said Yantz.
The focus on weights and getting stronger paid off for Yantz, who has played every level of soccer he possibly can up to this point. The highlight of his playing career has been in the Premier Developmental League where he spent three summers playing in Florida, and most recently the 2017 summer in Dayton. The league helped develop Yantz’s competitive play.
“Playing with DI guys who are big name players really has an impact on you. Playing in those leagues keeps you in shape and pushes you in your off season. I played against guys from Michigan, Akron and everywhere else and seeing that I could compete against those guys is a good sign that you can compete at any level,” said Yantz.
Although only one division separates Yantz from his summer competition, the impact he has on his team at FHSU is crucial. Yantz developed a love for the goalkeeper position when he was younger because his father encouraged him to try it. With his position now solidified, his coach during his younger years gave Yantz the task of being the verbal leader on the field because no one else on the team was speaking up. That has remained a constant duty for Yantz, no matter what field or level he is playing.
“I was the one who could see the whole field and I could guide everybody. I developed that trait over time because I am really the only one who sees everything that is going on so it gives me the chance to give other guys advice when maybe I can see something they can’t,” he said.
In his senior campaign, Yantz currently owns a 3-3-2 record in goal with 35 saves. In previous seasons, Yantz earned All-MIAA First and Second Team honors as a goalkeeper, as well being named a Scholar-Athlete and to the MIAA Honor Roll as a finance major. He has a career record of 24-13-6 in goal for the Tigers, owning the school record for wins, goalkeeper matches played (42), and minutes in goal (3,947), while sitting in a tie for the record in shutouts (12) with Kent Freund, his predecessor in goal at FHSU. Yantz’s commitment to the sport and goalkeeping has not gone unnoticed, and his importance on the field for the Tigers has progressed each season.
“There is just something about being a goalkeeper. It gives me a good opportunity to be a leader for my brothers out here. I lead the guys on my team by example by showing them what the expectations are. I can’t always be the most vocal guy in training because I’m off with the other keepers, but I can show the guys that you can work hard and push through things to be better for our team,” said Yantz.
Yantz currently leads a Tiger squad with a 4-4-2 record, while starting MIAA play 2-0. The Tigers have been the Central Region Champion of the NCAA Tournament the last three years, reaching the national quarterfinals each time, and Yantz has been their starting goalkeeper the last two years. At the start of the 2017 season the Tigers returned to the national rankings, a familiar position for the program in head coach Brett Parker‘s tenure, but soon saw the ranking slip away as they went 0-4-2 in their first six matches. However, with leadership on the field like Yantz, Fort Hays State has started to find its stride.
“We had a rough start, but I think that has been good for us. We built a lot of character through it and had to find our identity a little bit. It will really help us going forward because we have struggled and I know we don’t want to go back to that,” said Yantz. “No one likes losing so I know we are going to keep pushing forward and at least strive for what we did last year and I could easily see us doing that, even maybe winning conference and going further. We are just finding our stride.”