By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
LEBANON, Ill. – Fort Hays State men’s soccer saw its postseason run come to a heartbreaking end in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament, falling 3-2 to McKendree in overtime on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 24) at Leemon Field. A late twist of fate in regulation gave McKendree an equalizing goal to force overtime and then had more fortune bounce its way in overtime. FHSU finished its season at 13-4-4 overall, while McKendree remained unbeaten on the year at 13-0-7 and advanced to the Round of 16.
The Tigers opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a moment of brilliance from Lucas Garay, who netted an incredible backheel goal for his fourth tally of the season. Garay’s highlight-reel finish came off a pinpoint assist from Jeremiah Johnson, showcasing the Tigers’ attacking creativity. Despite Fort Hays State’s dominance in the first half, including 10 shots with six on target, McKendree equalized in the 39th minute on a goal from Henri Poll in the box.
Coming out of halftime, Fort Hays State wasted no time regaining the lead. Johnson found the back of the net in the 55th minute, finishing off a perfectly placed pass from Jackson Elgas through traffic just outside the box. Johnson’s fifth goal of the season was looking as though it would hold up, but a late break of fortune bounced the way of the Bearcats with about three minutes remaining in regulation. Bailey Winchurch sent a long cross from just in front of McKendree’s bench, which unfortunately was misplayed by the Tigers’ last line of defense and it hopped into the net for the game-tying goal to eventually force overtime.
About two minutes into the extra period, FHSU had a good look from in close that went up over the crossbar. Then about three minutes after that, McKendree struck the decisive blow in the 96th minute when Chris Moore scored a golden goal on a header in the box, advancing the Bearcats to the next round. The Tigers could not get a clearance on a ball that rattled between several players in the box before finding the head of Moore.
The Tigers outshot McKendree 19-16 overall, with 12 shots on goal compared to McKendree’s five. Despite controlling large portions of the game and earning six corner kicks to McKendree’s three, Fort Hays State was stymied by a 10-save performance from McKendree goalkeeper Christian Herluf. Graduate goalkeeper Ben Dixon recorded two saves for the Tigers.
Fort Hays State was the first team this year to score at least two goals against McKendree on its home pitch. It tied the most goals yielded in a match this year by the Bearcats after they surrendered two to Rogers State early in the season in a 4-2 win. It was just the fourth match this season where McKendree faced a deficit.
The loss concludes another strong season for Fort Hays State, which made its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in just 14 years of the program existing. The Tigers were back in the tournament for the first time since 2021 and reached at least 11 wins in a season for the 11th time in program history. It was the first year under head coach Alex Nichols, who led the Tigers to a five-win improvement from the previous season.
Friday
LEBANON, Ill. – Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament with a 1-0 win over Davenport University on Friday (Nov. 22). The No. 10 seeded Tigers moved to 13-3-4 overall on the season, while the No. 7 seeded Panthers ended their season at 9-8-4 overall.
The Tigers dominated possession throughout the match, outshooting the Panthers 29-7. The Tigers had plenty of good chances in the first half, but Davenport keeper Beau Hudd turned away all four shots on goal to leave the match scoreless at halftime. However, less than two minutes into the second half, the Tigers finally broke through with their constant pressure. A ball chipped into the box was mishandled by Hudd and went right to Elias Ovelar Semeniuk, who headed the ball into a wide-open net for the lone Tiger goal.
Bryce Dickerson led FHSU in shot attempts with seven, while Marcos German took six. The pair, along with Semeniuk, all had two shots on goal. FHSU generated 13 corner kicks in the match compared to just two for Davenport.
Ben Dixon posted his first individual clean sheet of the year, making two huge saves in the second half to keep the Tigers on top. One of those quality shots from the Panthers was inside the final five minutes, which Dixon elevated to punch up over the crossbar.
The win leveled FHSU’s all-time record in the NCAA Tournament at 7-7-3. The Tigers are 3-2 in the 10-team Super Regional format that started in 2019.