BY CAYDEN SANDERS
With only one month left in the season and an MIAA regular season championship still on the line, the FHSU women’s soccer team is off to a great start under new leadership. Head Coach of the Tigers, Tyson John, is on the brink of doing something that has not happened in program history; maintain a win percentage above .800 and secure both an MIAA post-season trophy and NCAA playoff berth.
These potential accomplishments are made all the more impressive by the relative “greenness” of the Tiger program. Started in 2011 by then head coach Craig Shaw, Shaw’s teams won 66-120 matches for a .550 winning percentage to go along with four conference post-season tournament appearances and one MIAA Tournament championship.
In Shaw’s final year with the program, the Tigers posted a 15-5-3 record. Winning .717 percent of games, going to the MIAA semifinal, and an appearance in the NCAA tournament and appearing in the Central Region Final. That team has been the best the program has ever had, at least potentially until now.
After Shaw departed FHSU, Blake Reynolds took over the helm and appeared in the MIAA postseason tournament each season but couldn’t quite climb over the NCAA tournament hump.
In John’s first year, the team wasted no time in the two-week preseason learning a new system under a new coach.
“We only had two weeks to practice and form a team together,” John said, “I was still learning how to coach this group a couple [of] weeks into the season.”
The team entered the year with a perfect balance of new and old – 12 players from the Reynolds era and 12 players signed by John.
“There wasn’t an added pressure to mold this group together. I think that we all have the same ultimate goal and we have just been able to execute to the best of our abilities,” John said.
And execute the Tigers did. Through the first five games of the season, the Tigers posted a 4-0-1 record, with the tie coming to Augustana in the second game of the season.
Since then, the Tigers have posted a 4-0-3 record. Two of those ties are to an Emporia State team who started the season at 14th in the nation. The other tie of this season’s stint was to ranked Central Oklahoma.
The Tigers are now making waves in the national level as the team is receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll. The team is placed fourth in the Central Region, only behind Central Missouri, Minnesota State-Mankato, and Central Oklahoma.
The Tigers are a fun team to watch as they make the small passes but are very offensive as the team comes out in a 3-3-4 structure with two attacking midfielders, a scheme that has worked well for FHSU thus far.
“This helps us keep the pressure off of our defense and the goalkeeper. If we can continually be on the attacking side of the field with possession that is a win for us,” John said.
With only three weekends left in the Tigers’ regular season, the team has had to rely upon leaders to get to the record they have today, such as junior Hannah Mares on the attacking side of the field. A D-I transfer from Valparaiso, Mares has been a critical part of the offense as she is tied with the season high in goals scored (four), with one of those goals being a game-winner.
Mares has started all 12 games for the Tigers, but the offense doesn’t only run through her as Montserrat Diaz, a freshman from Costa Rica, has been another forward to watch for as she also has four goals on the season, with three of them being game winners for the Tigers. Diaz did not start for the Tigers in the first part of the season but has made her way into the lineup.
“It is really fun to be in a very offensive structure, being a forward in this position lets me know that my team and coaches trust everyone not to give up,” Mares said.
In the midfield, Emily Hutchings is running both sides of the team, connecting the team’s defensive half to the offensive front of the Tigers. An All-MIAA second-team defender, the junior has started in all 12 games for the Tigers. Taking corner kick duties, she secured one assist in the Emporia State game at home when Mares scored the goal off a header.
“I love to see how well this team has been able to overcome some of the challenging parts of this first half of the season,” Hutchings said, “I think that it is a great opportunity to be in the midfield, I do believe that to have a good team. For you to be a good team you need to be able to find the middle ground of the offense and defense when attacking and I am just one of the pieces that connects the two together.”
In the defense, Reilly Madden helps the team be a center-back leader. Madden, an All-MIAA third-team defender in the 2021 season, has pushed the Tigers to be offensive as the defensive line has had little work this season. The senior has one assist from a freekick that was put into the box for Brooke Arneson to score.
“Being a part of this defensive line has been great this season. We try to be offensive as much as we can, that way it takes the weight off of our line,” Madden said. “When the time arises, our defense will be able to set up for the next attack.”
Isabel Robben has been the Tigers’ keeper in the last line of defense. The Hays native has proved that she was ready to take the reins from another Hays product, Deonna Wellbrock. Robben has only allowed five goals in 12 starts to go along with 38 saves.
“Being a part of this soccer program has always been something I have wanted to do. I am just glad to see that this program is on its way up and I get to be a part of it,” Robben said.
The Tigers have five out of the final six games at home. FHSU takes on Northeastern State (Friday) and Rogers State (Sunday) this weekend for Homecoming. The following weekend Missouri Southern and the No. 3 Central Missouri come to town to round out the final weekend of the regular season. The Tigers will be at home for senior night against the Nebraska Kearney Lopers on October 23.
Currently, the Tigers are in second place in the MIAA standings and look to host an MIAA post-season game.
Stay tuned to Tiger Media Network for updated coverage on the women’s soccer team.