By KYSON EVANS
Tiger Media Network
Two years ago, a striker from Asunción, Paraguay, arrived with a flurry of goals and a flair for the dramatic with back-to-back braces in October that put his name on MIAA scouting reports.
By 2024, Elias Ovelar Semeniuk was the focal point of Fort Hays State University’s attack, the forward who could turn half-chances into statement wins.
Nine goals later resulted in a first-team All-GAC/MIAA nod plus all-region honors. His reputation highlighted his ability to take a chance from nothing to something.
The numbers back it up as well. Among conference leaders in goals and shots on target, the film shows the moments that are remembered — none bigger than his hat trick against Ouachita Baptist, walking off to a wall of high-fives on the Tiger sideline.
But what has changed now is his responsibility. This fall, the roster is seasoned and ambitious, coming off a conference trophy the previous year.
On Sunday, Semeniuk opened his scoring tally against Metropolitan State University-Denver in the team’s 2-2 draw.
“My ‘Last Dance,’ …a dance that will never end because sport is part of my life,” Semeniuk said. “Through soccer at FHSU in particular, I was able to connect with people from different parts of the world, cultures, ages, personalities, stories — united by the same language: the ball.”
Now a captain, he knows his role stretches beyond goals.
“I am honored and proud to be a captain,” Semeniuk said. “ … (I) seek to do good every day with my teammates, staff, team and community.”
His message to younger players is simple but powerful: “Enjoy with responsibility. Live the present with purpose. Have fun and overcome day by day in a healthy way. This is our family, FHSU.”
His legacy at Fort Hays is also rooted in faith.
“In these two and a half years, I matured and grew a lot in my faith,” he said. “Hays and FHSU will always mean a lot in my heart because here I found a community, true friends in the faith that helped me and continue to help me walk to fulfill my biggest dream: to get to heaven.”
Among his memories, he points to leading the soccer Bible study, finding lifelong friends and traveling on a Peru mission trip in 2025.
Thinking about his last season, Semeniuk admits the emotions are mixed.
“Proud, love, passion, joy, but all of them rooted in the present,” he said. “My goal for this fall 2025 was, is and will continue to be to enjoy every day of each class, training, game and meeting with friends. Each and every one of those moments, living fully and in today, makes it beautiful.”
As for what comes next, soccer might not be his career path, but it will never leave him.
“Soccer or sports will always be part of (me),” he said. “I honestly believe that my path will be to dedicate myself to another of my passions in a few months, which generates me a lot of happiness because it is my legacy, it is my family that awaits me. But I have no doubt that the ball will never stop rolling and at some point, it will put me in front of the goal again to live it again, to add and leave footprints. Sport is a tool for life.”
As he steps into his final season as a Tiger, Semeniuk leaves no doubt about the heart behind his goals.
“May God fill the entire FHSU family with peace and blessings, and may they continue to be part of lives that change when they get to college,” he said.
This story was written as part of INF 322: Sports Writing, a course in the Department of Informatics at Fort Hays State University.
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