Story by MAYAN PAZ Photos by KYLER ROWDEN-STUM
Tiger Media Network
Fort Hays State women’s soccer hosted the Pittsburg State Gorillas on a Sunday afternoon. The Gorillas used a second-half goal to defeat the Tigers 1-0 in front of a homecoming crowd.
To begin the match, both teams tested each other out, but struggled to create actual chances on goal. As the first half progressed, the Gorillas (6-1-1, (1-0-1) gained control over the field and started making threats to risk the goalkeeper Hadley Ostrander and the Tigers’ defense. Pitt State managed six shots in the first half, and Ostrander had two saves to keep the score 0-0 at halftime.
In the second half, PSU managed 11 shots, forcing Ostrander into four saves. However, in the 68th minute, Gorilla defender Abby Hoffman struck from 20 yards and found the bottom left corner of the net to give Pitt a 1-0 lead and the victory.
FHSU was not able to take a single shot in the contest, being outshot 17-0. FHSU Head Coach Tyson John said a significant reason for the shot discrepancy was losing one-on-one situations.
“We were second to everything, and we know that if you don’t win your one-on-one battles, you’re not going to win the game,” he said. “In the second half, I think they have won 13 situations of one-on-one, and we have won four. So yeah, if you don’t win those battles. You don’t win the game. That’s exactly what happened.”
John added that the team and the professional staff will go back to the video of the game and figure out better what went wrong.
“We need to go back and we’ve got to analyze and evaluate, and we’ve got to find a way to get better,” John said. “We have to find a way to create more chances. And it’s literally sensible.”
John did find some positives from his team’s performance, as despite facing 17 shots, they managed to limit the Gorillas to one goal after a solid performance from Ostrander and their defensive line.
“They created probably four really good chances in the game, so to hold them to one goal is a slight bit of a victory,” John said. “But yeah, we’re better than that.”
Pitt State Head Coach Wes Branstetter said he is very proud of his defense and the way they have played.
“We watched Hays play before, and they win a lot of 50-50 chances, so we knew we had to win those battles against them,” Branstetter said. “We did a great job with that and with the help of our assistant coach Lucca Munhoz, who’s in charge of the defense, we knew when to apply pressure and when to drop back.”
The Tigers next go on the road to play No. 10 Central Missouri and will try to get their first MIAA win. First kick from Warrensburg, Missouri, is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday.