Story by MAYAN PAZ Photos by KATIE KUHLMAN and BRYNN RAY
Tiger Media Network
It’s not often that FHSU gets to host a conference tournament in Hays, but thanks to the unbeaten season from the men’s soccer team this fall, the Tigers enjoy the home advantage in this season’s GAC tournament. Playing off the energy from the home crowd, FHSU took charge of the game with two early goals on its way to a 3-1 semifinal victory over Northeastern State.
The Tigers (16-0-3) will play Rogers State (12-2-5) in the conference finals on Saturday after the Hillcats advanced, edging Newman in a penalty kick battle.
FHSU star Elias Ovelar Semeniuk, who led the GAC with 11 goals in the regular season, started the game strong, reaching a loose ball in the box and knocking it in past the Riverhawks’ goalkeeper in the 12th minute. Ovelar Semeniuk stayed active and was the target of a long pass from Tonnes Daland just three minutes later, which set Ovelar Semeniuk up for a one-on-one situation. He stayed composed and, with a one-touch finish, sent the ball to the net and doubled the Tigers’ lead.
Ovelar Semeniuk had a chance to score a hat trick in the 23rd minute after the Tigers were awarded a penalty kick after a foul on a Tigers player in the box, but couldn’t convert, as he drew a fantastic save from NSU goalkeeper Jaron Nobel. After a dominant performance in the second half, the Tigers took a 2-0 lead to the locker room.
After the game, Ovelar Semeniuk spoke about his strong start.
“I think we always start games strong as a team, and it was good that I got to score two early goals,” he said “I was a little disappointed with missing the penalty, but happy with how we played in the first half.”
In the second half, FHSU started strong again, pressuring the NSU players into their own box. But in the 54th minute, Tiger defender Mario Leal Vales committed a foul in the box, and NSU’s Carter Adams capitalized with a penalty kick goal to bring NSU back into the game.
However, a costly penalty from NSU created another chance for FHSU. In the 74th minute, Nobel committed a foul in the box with a dangerous challenge, and FHSU forward Dylan Ashford scored the penalty kick, setting the final score of the game at 3-1 for the Tigers.
FHSU Head Coach Alex Nichol said after the game that the team has played okay for the most part, and it is important that they move on to the next round.
“We played well in the first half, and it showed in the score. In the second half, we made some mistakes that allowed NSU to get back into the game, especially that penalty we gave away,” Nichols said. “I am glad that we got away and won this match, but we have to be smarter in the future and to avoid those mistakes.”
Ovelar Semeniuk also said the most important thing for the Tigers right now is to keep thinking ahead and prepare for the next match.
“We played good, but we need to keep playing like that and every game from now on is very important,” he said.
In the second semi-final final Rogers State played Newman for the chance to face the Tigers in the final. The Hillcats took a 1-0 lead after a slow first half, but the game turned around in the second. Newman equaled the score about 10 minutes in the second half, RSU took the lead again, and the Jets responded with another goal to set the score at 2-2 after 72 minutes.
The Hillcats had another chance in the final minutes, as an attempt to score hit the goal post, and Newman also missed a big chance to score in the last seconds of regulation, as the game went to overtime.
In overtime, the Jets were the ones to send the ball to the woodwork, and in the final seconds, as the buzzer went off, the Hillcats had a header opportunity that hit the crossbar and the goal post, bounced on the line, and after an extensive check by the referee, reviewing the video of the incident, it was called as no goal and the teams went to a penatly shootout.
In the penalties, Newman kicked first but missed the first chance, giving RSU the opportunity to gain the lead in the shootout. The Jets proceeded to miss all 4 kicks, and Rogers State won the shootout 2-0.
The Tigers and Hillcats will face off in the GAC tournament final at 1 p.m. on Saturday at FHSU Soccer Stadium.