By CAYDEN SANDERS
Tiger Media Network
Every team enters the season with expectations — sometimes lofty ones at that.
This year’s Fort Hays State University men’s soccer team was no different than any other team in the country. Goals, figuratively and literally, were on the minds of the players before the first match of the season.
But now, 15 matches into the season, the Tigers have their second-year head coach Alex Nichols a bit in dismay.
“As a coach, you always hope to go into every year having the players having high expectations,” said Nicholas, who led the team to a 13-4-4 overall mark in 2024. “Coming into this year, I knew we would be talented, but I never knew we’d be this talented. I knew we’d have hard-working guys, and I knew we’d have good human beings.”
Why is Nichols smiling with joy like a proud new papa? Well, the Tigers are 12-0-3 overall, 8-0-1 in GAC/MIAA play and, oh yeah, they’re ranked No. 4 in the latest NCAA Division II national poll.
The 15-match unbeaten streak to start the season is the second-longest such streak, rivaling the 16-match marker during the 2018 season. That season, FHSU went 17-2-2 and made the semifinals of the NCAA DII National Championship.
The Tigers have a chance to match or eclipse that mark starting today with a road game at Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. On Saturday, the team battles Harding in Searcy, Arkansas.
In the program’s short history since the inaugural season in 2011, the 2025 Tiger squad is the highest-ranked team during the regular season. The highest rankings for the program ever happened during the 2018 Final Four run, where the Tigers finished No. 4 and started the following season No. 3 in the preseason poll.
“Us seniors have definitely been through a lot here the past couple of years with the previous program and everything,” said senior defender Jackson Elgas, who was part of a team that went 8-8-2 in 2023 before Nichols’ arrival. “So to be able to have a season like this means a lot to us because this was the expectation coming in.
“For us players to end our careers here and to have a positive ending means a lot to all of us, no matter how it goes in the coming weeks.”
Earlier this season, the Tigers tied the school record for most goals in a single game against Jamestown (9) on Sept. 20.
As a team on a national level, the Tigers are in the top six in 12 categories — including eight on the offensive side of the ball.
Fort Hays is first in goal differential (+36) and second in scoring (42 goals) and goals per game (2.80), only one behind national leader Young Harris. The Tigers are second in assists (44) behind North Georgia, as both programs are tied for first in total points (128).
The Tigers are fourth in total shots (272) and sixth in shots on goal per game (7.93). Fort Hays is creating those opportunities off 126 corner kicks — most in the nation, with an average of 8.4 a contest.
“I think the most important thing here is to always keep growing and developing as a team,” said junior forward Elias Ovelar Semeniuk. “It’s more important to be sharp in every game, to look for that win, and we are proud of the work that we are doing all together.”
Defensively, FHSU is second in shutouts (11), with a second-best shutout rate of (.733), which is behind national leader Cedarville (12). The Tigers have only allowed six goals, which is tied for third in the nation. FHSU has only allowed goals in four of the 15 contests this season.
Fort Hays is also tied for second in win percentage (90%) behind Cal State-Stanislaus at 96.4%.
“It starts with the forwards and the midfield, and then obviously the back line has done very well to hopefully not have that many shots against Payton (Roehrich). But when he had to step up, he stepped up big time for us this year.” Elgas said. “We have just worked as a team this season to play as a cohesive group.”
Individually, three Tigers are standing out on the national stage.
Semeniuk is third in program history for game-winning goals in a season (5), and nationally, he is tied for fourth in that category. For his career, Semeniuk has 12 game-winners, one game winner behind Santiago Agudelo (2018 to 2019) and Blake Arndt (2020 to 2023).
“I know it’s my last season playing, so I’m also one of the oldest here,” Semeniuk said. “So I’m proud of all the guys and what they are doing. So for me, it’s so nice to be a good leader. … I want to enjoy the time I have left here. We want to be in the Final Four and the national championship game. So it’s a good motivation, and we just need to keep going.”
Semeniuk has 11 goals this season, which is sixth in program history and fifth-best this season nationally. He is one goal behind Daniel Peralta (2012) and Arndt in 2021.
Senior midfielder Joseph Street is tied for fifth in program history for assists in a season (10), ranking fifth nationally. He is also tied for third in program history in assists per game (.67), which is sixth nationally this year.
Freshman keeper Roehrich has allowed only five goals this fall and has recorded 32 saves.
“I’ve been on teams my whole life where I’ve had to be a lot busier than I am now,” Roehrich said. “It’s nice to be able to walk in and play with confidence, but also know that I have a team that really does have my back.”
Roehrich is tied for third in wins in a season (12) and is sixth all-time in a career. Nationally, he is tied for third in solo shutouts (8), tied for first in a single season in program history and fourth in a career at FHSU. He is sixth all-time in career wins (12).
“We’ve held one of the best teams (Rogers State) in the country to zero shots on target,” Roehrich said. “For me, I try to do the best I can inside the box to give my defense an easier time.”
The FHSU keeper nationally is third this season with a goals against average of (.367), while having a save percentage of 86.5% — fifth in NCAA DII.
“Coming in, my goal was to figure out how to get on the field since it is my freshman season, and be the best player on the pitch,” Roehrich said. “As the season has gone along, it’s about getting better every day, and that’s what my teammates expect of me and I expect from them.”
The Tigers are on the verge of claiming their fourth regular-season championship with a strong finish to the final three matches. Fort Hays is in the hunt for their 11th NCAA tournament appearance, including a chance to host a national regional tourney.
“You never know how everything’s gonna come together,” Nichols said. “You can never control injuries. You can’t control the uncontrollables of this game. The ball doesn’t always bounce your way.
“There are things you can control and things you can’t control, but we knew we could control — within what we had talent-wise — the humans that we had. We were optimistic. We believed in these guys, and it has been a great ride.”
This story was written as part of INF 322: Sports Writing, a course in the Department of Informatics at Fort Hays State University.