By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team defeated Southwest Baptist 8-0 on Friday evening (Oct. 12). The Tigers improved to 10-2-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play, while the Bearcats dipped to 1-11 on the season and 0-5 in MIAA play.
Santiago Agudelo led the Tiger offensive attack as he set a new program record for goals in a single match (five) and total points in a single match (ten). Agudelo got things started for FHSU in the 23rd minute when he and the Bearcat goalkeeper battled for a one-on-one ball and Agudelo won the battle and scored his 15th goal of the season.
Agudelo wasn’t done with the aggressive play, however, when in the 32nd minute he connected on a feed from fellow teammates Tobias Patino and Nathan De La Hoya for his 16th score of the year.
The Tigers would take the 2-0 lead into intermission on the cold and frigid night inside FHSU Soccer Stadium.
In the second half, Fort Hays State kicked it into another gear offensively as Agudelo knocked in his third goal of the contest. In the 48th minute, he outmaneuvered the Bearcat goalkeeper once again and placed the ball in the back of the net, increasing the Tiger lead to 3-0.
The Tigers advantage over the Bearcats grew again as Agudelo connected on his fourth and fifth goals of the match. At the 54:31 mark, he took advantage of a misplay by the Bearcats keeper and scored with an empty net. Then, at the 57:09 slot, Agudelo grabbed the rebound off a blocked shot and scored his 19th goal of the season.
At this point, Head Coach Brett Parker put in most of his bench players and senior forward Chris Johnson netted his first goal as a Tiger in the 67th minute by powering a dribble drive past the keeper to give FHSU the strong 6-0 edge.
Another first time goal-scorer, Sami Sabrah recorded the Tigers seventh goal of the contest in the 76th minute on an assist from Chris Johnson. Shortly after, Antonio De La Torre found the back of the net at the 78:06 mark for his second goal of the year with some help from the foot of Alonso Rodriguez.
The 8-0 score would prove to be the final as the Tigers took 35 shots in the match, while holding the Bearcats to two on the night. FHSU recorded 21 points in the match (eight goals, five assists).
Cullen Fisch earned the shutout victory in goal for the Tigers, improving his overall record to 5-2 on the season. Fisch picked up one save on two shots faced in the contest.
The Tigers are back in action on Monday (Oct. 15) as they host No. 17 ranked Northeastern State for a 3 p.m. tilt inside FHSU Soccer Stadium with a chance to seal the MIAA title with a victory.