By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The No. 11 ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team has been tabbed as the No. 1 seed among the remaining final four teams in the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Championship. The Tigers will face the No. 20 ranked Barry University Buccaneers on Thursday (Nov. 29). Kickoff is slated for 10 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET) inside Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Tigers enter the match at 17-2-1 on the season, while the Buccaneers enter at 16-3-1 on the year. Fort Hays State is currently riding a 14-match winning streak and a 15-match unbeaten streak. The Tigers earned their spot in the National Semifinal match after defeating Ohio Valley, 2-0, on Saturday (Nov. 17), marking the first time in program history the Tigers have advanced this far in the NCAA tournament. Junior midfielder Moises Peralta provided the eventual game-winning goal in the 67th minute after Rogelio Lopez flipped the ball to Tobias Patino who then fed Peralta the ball for his first score of the season. Sophomore midfielder Mauricio Etcheverry tacked on another goal for the Tigers in the 89th frame of the contest. Prior to the victory over the Fighting Scots, Fort Hays State defeated No. 19 ranked Northeastern State, 3-1, in the Central Region Championship (Nov. 15) to earn their fourth region championship in the past five years.
Barry enters the match as the No. 4 seed in the National Semifinals. The Buccaneers upset No. 10 ranked Spring Hill College in the South Region Semifinal, 4-1. They then picked up another upset victory, this time over No. 24 ranked Lynn University in the South Region Championship. The Buccaneers and Fighting Knights were scoreless at the end of regulation and both overtime periods, before Barry defeated Lynn 4-2 in penalty kicks. In the National Quarterfinal against No. 8 ranked Lander University, the Buccaneers held off the Bearcats 2-1 to earn their third trip as one of the final four team in team history.
In the other National Semifinal contest, No. 2 seed Cal Poly Pomona University will face off with No. 3 seed West Chester University at 1 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. ET on November 29. The winners from each match will face each other in the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer National Championship (Dec. 1).