By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State notched its second straight 1-0 shutout of an opponent, winning its home opener over CSU-Pueblo. The Tigers moved to 2-1 overall on the season.
The first half saw persistent offense from both sides. Only three shots were on goal for the half (all by Fort Hays State) and there were 14 total shots taken. Scoring chances were plentiful, and it seemed either side was poised for a breakthrough at some point in the second half.
That breakthrough came in the 76th minute for the Tigers. Sophomore forward Jordan Thompson found herself with just the goalie between her and the net. She dribbled in from the left side of the penalty box, put a nice move on goalkeeper Rylie Martin, and hit the wide-open shot for her first goal of the season. The ThunderWolves put a couple of shots on target in the final six minutes, but the Tigers held on for the victory with a pair of saves from Megan Kneefel.
Head Coach Blake Reynolds was proud of his team’s performance tonight. “CSU-Pueblo is a great team and it was a back-and-forth game for both teams. I told the girls at halftime that it feels like a one goal game. Whoever gets that one goal would be the one to win this game. It took one special moment and Jordan Thompson made a fantastic individual effort. We grinded out another 1-0 win just like last week in Sioux Falls. This was a good win for us.”
Kneefel (1-1) picked up the win in a shutout performance. CSU-Pueblo’s Rylie Martin (1-2) took the loss.
The Tigers get a week off and are back on the road for a matchup with Emporia State (Sept. 20). The match is set for 3:00 p.m.