By CAYDEN SANDERS
Tiger Media Network
The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team goes on the road this weekend to take on two teams at the top of the GAC/MIAA standings: Rogers State and Southern Nazarene.
FHSU (5-0-2, 1-0) enters the contest ranked No. 13 in the nation, and will face No. 8 Rogers State (6-0-2, 2-0) tonight. FHSU Head Coach Alex Nichols acknowledged that while the current rankings are worth noting, they don’t matter as much as rankings at the end of the year.
“Yeah, rankings are great. You always appreciate any type of recognition you get; you’re thankful for that. It’s something that you know is a little bit of a reward for the guys,” Nichols said. “It’s still just rankings right now that don’t have any bearing. It’s the ones in the end that matter.
Last season, SNU, RSU, and FHSU finished first, second, and third in the conference, respectively, making this weekend’s slate of games important for postseason implications.
“It’s one game at a time. It is kind of a cliché thing to say, but it’s the truth,” Nichols said. “Our first priority is Rogers State because they’re first, but then we have to have a little bit of understanding and organization for Southern Nazarene. But one game at a time, one day at a time.”
The Hillcats have played a challenging slate this year, tying with then No. 4 McKendree and then No. 17 St. Mary’s. Senior defensive back Jackson Elgas said playing against tough teams only helps to prepare for the team’s postseason goals.
“Every game matters, no matter how strong the opponent is, because at the end of the year, we get a regional ranking, and we want to hopefully host the national tournament,” Elgas said. “Every week, every opponent, we’re going to treat them the same. We’re going to try and win by as many goals as possible.”
For the Tigers, it will be a tough game, as the Hillcats love to play physical.
On the back end of the road trip, the Tigers will take on Southern Nazarene (4-2-1, 2-0), who is receiving votes in the most recent United Soccer Coaches poll.
“It’s all about peaking at the right time as a team, because every team during the year goes through ups and downs and then kind of hitting like the highest of highs that we can around the end of the season,” Elgas said.
Southern Nazarene is in the middle of a 4-0-1 stretch, including a tie against current No.18 Midwestern State.
First kick against Rogers State is at 7 p.m. tonight. On Saturday, FHSU and SNU kick off at 3:30 p.m.
“We’re going to compete for the league title this year, and then we have a big week coming up against Rogers and SNU, so we’re hoping to come out with the six points,” Elgas said.