By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
In the middle of an eight-match win streak, Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer is in the mix for its seventh straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are No. 1 in the first set of NCAA Central Region Rankings, released on Wednesday (Oct. 17). The top two teams in the Central Region are chosen to compete in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers began the year with a pair of wins against McKendree and by upsetting then No. 3 Rockhurst on the road, before falling to then No. 2 Midwestern State in a neutral site match for their first loss of the season. After the Tigers defeated Metro State in the first meeting between the squads at home, they had a tough stretch on the West Coast after coming back with their second loss of the season (Point Loma Nazarene) and their only tie of the year (Biola) to begin the year 3-2-1 through three weeks of play.
Since the draw to Biola, the Tigers have ripped off an eight-match winning streak including securing the outright MIAA title for the second-consecutive season after defeating No. 17 Northeastern State in overtime.
The No. 2 team in the region, Northeastern State, ended the 2017 campaign for the Tigers. However, the Tigers have swept the season series against the RiverHawks in 2018. The RiverHawks are 9-2-1 on the season and has six matches to play yet in the regular season.
Checking in at No. 3 is Lindenwood, giving the MIAA the top three teams in the region, and Harding University is No. 4. FHSU defeated Lindenwood earlier this year in Hays and the teams meet again in St. Charles on October 28.
Below are the NCAA Central Region Ranking for October 17, 2018.
| Rank | Team | Division II Record | In-Region Record |
| 1 | Fort Hays State | 10-2-1 | 9-1 |
| 2 | Northeastern State | 9-1-1 | 8-1-1 |
| 3 | Lindenwood | 7-4-3 | 7-4-2 |
| 4 | Harding | 7-4-1 | 7-4-1 |