By FHSU Sports Information
Another new season is underway for the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team, as they gear up for their first road trip of the season. The Tigers will head to Fayette, Iowa for a pair of opening-season road matches. The Thursday (August 30) matchup pits FHSU against Upper Iowa for a 2 p.m. tilt, followed by a 12 p.m. kickoff on Saturday (September 1) against Southwest Minnesota State.
Fort Hays State is coming off a 10-6-4 overall performance in the 2017 season, alongside a 7-3-1 record in the MIAA. The Tigers advanced to the conference semifinals, before falling to eventual national champion in Central Missouri. Blake Reynolds is back in charge of the pitch for the Tigers in his second season. Reynolds brings back three Tigers who recorded at least one goal last season in Darby Hirsch (3), Olympia Katsouridis (1) and Catalina Hernandez (1). Also leading the charge for FHSU in the new season is a strong senior class in Vianei Sanchez, Paige Utterback and All-MIAA honorable mention selection Taryn Schnell. The Tigers are heading into the 2018 season with a No. 4 placement in the MIAA Preseason Poll.
The first matchup against Upper Iowa, an opponent they have now one three-straight victories over including a 2-0 win early last season. The Peacocks finished 2017 beside a 5-11-1 record, going 5-9-1 in the NSIC. The squad ended in 10th place in the conference standings and missed out on the tournament. The 2018 installment of Upper Iowa brings back 11 returners including leading scorer Jordan Ostrowski who accounted for six goals last season. Defensively, Kelsey Hall looks to anchor the Peacocks as she was a part of the defense in 2017 which limited opponents to 1.76 goals per game. This season, the Peacocks were picked to finish 11th in the NSIC.
In the second matchup of the weekend, the Tigers will see familiar opponent in Southwest Minnesota State. This will be the fifth-consecutive season with the Tigers and Mustangs, with FHSU capturing the victory in each meeting. The latest Tiger win came in 2017 as they ran away with a 6-0 shutout to start out the season. The Mustangs finished last season alongside a 1-16 overall record and 1-14 in the NSIC. Alexandra Miskowiec leads the Mustangs as she already has three goals to her name on the season and the only returner who accounted for a goal last season. Jenna Meyer is back in goal for Southwest Minnesota State following a 74-save season last year.