By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State faced off against No. 18 ranked Southern Nazarene Saturday afternoon (Oct. 19) at FHSU Soccer Stadium. The match ended in a thrilling 1-1 draw after the Tigers scored with less than a minute to go in the match. The Tigers moved to 7-3-2 overall and 4-2-1 in GAC play, while the Crimson Storm moved to 7-3-3 overall and 4-1-2 in the GAC.
The Tigers started strong with two close attempts on goal, but it was the Crimson Storm capitalizing first, scoring just 10 minutes into the match. Unaiz Shajani picked up an assist on Junior Duran’s goal for SNU.
Despite the setback, FHSU responded with six more shots before SNU managed another. The Tigers dominated the first half with an 11-2 shot advantage, forcing SNU goalkeeper Andrej Krivokapic to make two saves. However, SNU led going to the second half.
With just over 10 minutes remaining in the match, Junior Duran found himself in another one-on-one situation with Tiger goalkeeper Wouter Van der Borch. This time, Van der Borch made a crucial save, stretching his left leg to deny Duran and keep the deficit at just 1-0.
The Tigers finally broke through in the final minute. Bryce Dickerson sent a ball into the box, and although Krivokapic managed to punch it away, the ball fell perfectly to Marcos German, who slotted home the equalizer to make it 1-1.
FHSU dominated the match with a 26-7 shot advantage, including seven shots on goal. Elias Ovelar Semeniuk led the Tigers with seven shots, followed by Bastian Carlman with five, and German with four. Van der Borch finished with two saves in the match.
The Tigers welcome the Arkansas faction (Harding and Ouachita Baptist) of the GAC next week for conference matches in Hays. The Tigers picked up wins over both schools on the road prior to their current homestand.