By MAYAN PAZ
Tiger Media Network
The Fort Hays State University men’s soccer team has been well represented in the weekly Great American Conference player of the week awards. This week alone, Jeremiah Johnson, Wouter Van der Borch and Ben Dixon were all honored.
However, FHSU graduate student defender Marcos German made history in the last two weeks as the first-ever Tiger to win back-to-back player of the week awards in different categories: offensive player of the week in week six and defensive player of the week in week seven.
German, a native of Madrid, Spain, is one of many graduate students who retained eligibility from the COVID-19 season and joined the Tigers this year. But German goes ways back with FHSU Head Coach Alex Nichols. German played under Nichols’ guidance at Central Methodist University in the NAIA where the pair won back-to-back NAIA national championships.
German was also named to the NAIA All-American first team two times and stepped up on the big stage, as the most significant goal for his career was the tying score in the 2018 NAIA national championship game against Missouri Valley, which kept Central Methodist in the game and allowed them to win in a penalty shoot-out.
Nichols had the opportunity to bring German to Hays with him to take advantage of the final year of his eligibility, and it seems like a great benefit for the team so far.
“If I need to find a silver lining in COVID, it is that I was able to bring Marcos here for his final year,” Nichols said. “He has been my guy for a long time, and I’m happy he is here with me.”
German is originally a left-back, but this year, Nichols has been moving him around the field and using him as a midfielder as well. Not only that German has been able to adapt to the different positions, but he is also one of the most important contributors to the team offensively, with three goals and seven assists. In the important game against Southern Nazarene earlier this month, he scored the equalizer for the Tigers in the 89th minute, and he provided a goal and two assists in the most recent game against Ouachita Baptist.
“I’ve been improving through the weeks,” German said. “I like that I can contribute goals and assist. It’s always nice to win individual awards, but it’s important to win collectively as a team.”
In the last game against Ouachita Baptist, which the Tigers won 8-0, German showed his versatility, playing both as a midfielder and as a left back. But for German, it doesn’t really matter where he is positioned as long as he is on the field.
“I just want to play,” he said. “And although my natural position is a left back, I was always an offensive player, so I like that I have the opportunity to score and assist more goals.”
For Nichols, German’s ability to play in different positions is a great asset to the team.
“He has a great soccer mind,” Nichols said. “And he keeps growing into that midfielder position, and that is what great players do. They work hard and keep improving.”
This week, Fort Hays will play on the road against Northeastern State and Rogers State, and with two wins, FHSU can almost guarantee the top seed in the GAC at the end of the season.
“It’s all up to us,” German said. “We play much better at home, and hopefully, we can win our next games and host some post-season games here and go all the way.”
Whatever the outcome of the season might be, Marcos German has been able to make his mark at FHSU, and all he wants to do now is to get as far as he can with that Fort Hays State Tigers team.
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