Story by MAYAN PAZ Photos by RORY MOORE
Tiger Media Network
Entering this weekend’s games, the FHSU women’s soccer team was in need of a positive spark. Having lost three consecutive games, the Tigers were without a win in the MIAA. However, the team knew this particular weekend was a great opportunity to gain that debut win, as they lined up against the University of Central Oklahoma and Newman University. FHSU settled for a weekend split, dropping Friday’s home game against UCO 2-0 before going on the road to defeat Newman 3-0 on Sunday.
The Fort Hays Tigers and Central Oklahoma Bronchos being introduced. 
Chaley French being introduced. 
Forward Taylor Hill dribbling. 
Defender Mackenzie Hood attempting to steal from Emma Nichols. 
Defender Megan Wiman playing defense. 
Saylor Richard kicking into Broncho territory. 
Midfielder Payton Porter kicking away from Nichols. 
Forward Sydney Cotter bounces a pass away from Broncho defense as Kennedy Hartzell and Berit Shores assist. 
Portner maintaining Tiger possession between Broncho defenders. 
Porter trying to get a loose ball. 
Porter attempting a shot. 
Midfielder Ava Wariner takes the ball. 
The Tigers defending against a Broncho corner kick. 
Showing respect for a good game after the Bronchos won 2-0.
The Tigers faced more adversity against UCO when co-captain Ryan McCabe suffered a slight injury, which sidelined her for the game. In the 18th minute, UCO scored the first goal of the game when the Tigers lost possession and Caleah Carter netted a goal for the Bronchos.
In the 22nd minute, sophomore forward Isabelle Mull had a scoring chance in front of an open goal, but tried to pass the ball instead and missed out on the best opportunity of the game for the Tigers.
Later in the half, Carter had another shot on goal for UCO that was initially saved by FHSU keeper Hadley Ostrander; however, the ball deflected off Ostrander, allowing Jordan Tanges to squeeze in the shot to put the score at 2-0 for UCO.
Both teams had 10 shot attempts, but the Tigers found the target only once, whereas UCO had five shots on goal. FHSU Head Coach, Tyson John, said the lack of luck has been a frustrating part of the Tigers’ season.
“It’s been the story of our season. And there’s an old saying that you create your own luck. I mean, we had 10 shots. They had 10 shots. The difference is that they had five on target. We had one on target. And so if you can’t hit the goal, you can’t score. It’s simple,” he said. “I think this is a difficult one, because this is one that we needed to win. And I did feel like the game was really even, and us being at home, that’s an advantage. We’re going to head back on the road, and so it’s an advantage that we should have taken care of. So it’s frustrating.”
John said the team needed to bounce back and find a positive result against Newman.
“I’ve told them, we’ve got to bounce back, because Newman drew with Kearney (1-1 on Friday), and we’ve got to get it. We’ve got to get a result on Sunday,” he said. “So we can only sit back on this for so long before we get back to it. The season doesn’t wait for us. We train tomorrow and play on Sunday.”
And on Sunday, the Tigers’ luck did change. With McCabe back in the lineup, the Tigers came to play for their season, as a loss would have meant the end of their MIAA tournament hopes. In the 35th minute, Berkeley Sparks scored her first goal of the season and career. Later in the game, Taylor Hill took charge, scoring two goals in the 79th and 82nd minutes, the latter assisted by Sparks.
Sparks said that it felt good to get a much-needed win.
“It was really good. It felt good to finally get a win and be a part of it with my group,” she said. “It felt like the team chemistry was a lot better than it has been.”
With this win, the Tigers now have 4 points in the MIAA, sitting at 11th place in the standings. However, they are tied with Nebraska-Kearney in 8th, and their conference tournament hopes are still very much alive, as the top eight teams make it to the postseason.
The Tigers will remain on the road this weekend, playing at Northwest Missouri State on Friday and at Missouri Western on Sunday.