By CAYDEN SANDERS
Tiger Media Network
After winning two matches last weekend against then No. 8 Rogers State and (RV) Southern Nazarene, the Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer team (7-0-2, 3-0) has jumped to No. 7 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches poll.
“Both are tough places to play, so we’re happy with both being wins. Our non-conference schedule has prepared us for games like this,” FHSU Head Coach Alex Nichols said. “Rockhurst’s only two losses are to us and Rogers State and they are not in the top 25 yet. CSU-Pueblo is still in the top 15. At MSU-Denver, we played a man down, so we have learned a lot so far this season.”
FHSU defeated RSU 4-0 and earned two goals from senior forward Elias Ovelar Semeniuk in the 33rd and 51st minutes of the match. FHSU also had scores from sophomore defender Mario Leal Vales in the 77th minute and junior midfielder Collin Hershberger in the 84th minute.
In the second game of the weekend, the Tigers beat Southern Nazarene 2-1. After conceding a goal in the 28th minute, senior midfielder Tadgh Walsh tied the game in the 32nd minute and
Ovelar Semeniuk scored in the 42nd minute of the game.
FHSU jumped into the top 10 after being ranked No. 15 last week and is one of eight unbeaten teams left in the nation. The Tigers are also the highest-ranked team in the Central Region.
This weekend, FHSU plays Harding and Ouachita Baptist, who both sit at the bottom of the GAC/MIAA table with 0-3 conference records and no earned points. While on paper, the contests heavily favor the Tigers, Nichols knows the sport can be unpredictable.
“We chose to love a game called soccer. It doesn’t matter if you’re the more talented team or the lesser talented team. It doesn’t always matter in this game. So it’s a crazy game,” Nichols said. “I think all of us on this team have been a part of a team that’s probably outshot an opponent 25-1 and tied or lost, you can’t take any opponent for granted. We have to take them both seriously.”
Ovelar Semeniuk leads the team in goals scored so far this season with 8 goals through nine games. He is chasing FHSU’s all-time goals leader, Santiago Agudelo, who scored 26 goals in 2018. Agudelo also scored 16 goals in 2019, good for second place all-time.
“First of all, I’m so grateful for this moment, proud of the team. I think it’s easier for me when the team is working and doing their job,” Ovelar Semeniuk said. “We know that we are at the halfway point in the season, so we have so much in front of us. We know our goals and we want to achieve them.”
Nichols said he knew when he arrived at FHSU as head coach that Ovelar Semeniuk would be a great fit in the program and what they wanted to do well, noticing his hard work right away.
“I love that he’s talented. I love that he’s scoring goals. Of course, any coach, any player would, but his mentality is very good,” Nichols said. “He’s a leader. He’s keeping everybody motivated. He’s very motivated himself, and he’s just working hard. He would also be the first to tell you that his teammates, coaches, all need to keep taking it up a notch, because we haven’t hit the ceiling yet by any means, any of us.”
Nichols is also looking at ways for his team to improve, even after the big wins last weekend.
“As always, a few defensive things. We need to know how some teams are playing. We need to figure out in-game adjustments that need to come a little bit quicker. So that’s a coaching thing and a player thing,” he said. “It’s a team game, everybody’s got stuff to work on, but everybody’s up to the task, and nobody’s going into lazy mode. So we just have to up the notch a little bit.”
FHSU and Harding play at 7 p.m. tonight while the Tigers and Ouachita Baptist are scheduled for a noon first touch on Sunday. Both games take place at FHSU Soccer Stadium.