By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The seventh-ranked FHSU Men’s Soccer team will kick off its season at home against 23rd-ranked CSU-Pueblo on Thursday (Aug. 25) at 7 p.m. The Tigers will then travel west on Sunday (Aug. 28) to take on UC-Colorado Springs, set to start at 2:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m. CT.
The FHSU club returns 13 players to the pitch this season including lockdown keeper Kieran Brown and last season’s scoring leader, Blake Arndt. Other returning starters include defender Haruya Iwasaki and midfielder Ethan Doud. The Tigers bring in 17 newcomers including six transfers and 11 freshmen. FHSU averaged two goals per match last season and outscored their opponents 46-21 as they finished with a 15-6-2 overall mark on the year, advancing all the way to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers finished 8-3-1 in conference play then won the GAC/MIAA Tournament. The GAC/MIAA Coaches’ Poll tabbed the Tigers as the regular season conference favorite in the 2022.
The CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves finished the 2021 season 15-6-2 overall as well, and 5-3-2 in the RMAC. CSU-Pueblo reached the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament last year before falling to eventual national champion Cal State Los Angeles. The ThunderWolves posted a .424 shot on goal percentage and averaged 1.65 goals per match. The Tigers lead the all-time series with the ThunderWolves 2-1. CSU-Pueblo won last year’s meeting between the teams 2-1 in overtime in Pueblo.
The UC-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions wrapped up their 2021 season at 8-8-1 overall and 4-6 in the RMAC. UCCS averaged 1.88 goals per game and posted a .413 shot on goal percentage. This will be the first matchup between these two schools since 2016. The Mountain Lions lead the series with the Tigers 2-1 all-time with the last matchup leaning in favor of the Tigers 7-3. Live stats and live video will be available for both matches.