BY FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – With a fifth-place finish in the MIAA regular season standings, Fort Hays State will enter the 2019 MIAA Tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Tigers will go on the road to face the No. 4 seed Central Oklahoma in Edmond on Friday evening (Nov. 8) at 7 pm. FHSU enters the tournament with a record of 10-5-2 (6-3-2 MIAA), while Central Oklahoma enters at 12-4-2 (7-4 MIAA).
Fort Hays State defeated Central Oklahoma earlier this season in Edmond by a score of 2-1. It ended a 13-match unbeaten streak by the Bronchos at home. Since that loss, Central Oklahoma has won three straight at home.
This is the first time the Tigers have to go on the road in the first round of the MIAA Tournament since the 2012 season. That was the only other year FHSU went into the MIAA Tournament with a seed lower than No. 4. It turned out really well for the Tigers that year as the No. 6 seed as they blazed through the No. 3 (Truman), 2 (Central Oklahoma), and 1 (Central Missouri) seeds to win the MIAA Tournament Championship and claim an automatic qualifying spot in the NCAA Tournament. A berth into this year’s NCAA Championship Tournament field for the Tigers will likely need another tournament championship run as the Tigers sit outside of the top nine teams in the NCAA’s Central Region rankings.
If the Tigers claim a second win in Edmond this year, they will move on to face either No. 1 seed Central Missouri or No. 8 seed Washburn in the semifinals the following week on November 15. The highest remaining seed in the tournament following the first round will host the remainder of the MIAA Tournament next week.