Story by CAYDEN SANDERS Photos by RORY MOORE
Tiger Media Network
The Fort Hays State University men’s soccer team hadn’t lost a single match all season entering Saturday’s GAC/MIAA Tournament Championship match. That streak was in jeopardy, though, as Rogers State clung to a 1-0 lead midway through the second half. However, in comeback fashion, the Tigers scored twice in the second half to secure their second-straight tournament title.
Garay catching a pass. 
The Fort Hays Tigers Men’s Soccer team cheering for each other during introductions. 
Huddling up before playing the Rogers St. Hillcats in the GAC Championship Game. 
Midfielder/Defender Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye kicking away from Hillcat defense. 
Preparing a shot toward the Hillcat net under pressure. 
Midfielders Collin Hershberger and Tadhg Walsh sandwich Hillcat Goalkeeper Jaxon Kendall for a score. 
Forward Lucas Garay applying defense. 
Forward Agustin Ayala and Defender Jackson Elgas challenge Brandon O’Rourke for possession. 
Carlman fighting Sam Ryder for a loose ball. 
Forward Elias Ovelar Semeniuk dribbling while fending off tough defense from Ryder. 
Celebrating the Tigers’ second goal of the game, scored by Forward Juan Linares. 
Linares blowing a celebratory kiss into the air. 
Defender Oliver Wright colliding with Kaleb Trussell while hustling toward the net. 
Goalkeeper Payton Roehrich catching a Hillcat shot. 
Forward Dylan Ashford hugging a teammate after the Tigers claim the GAC Championships 2-1. 
Roehrich rejoices with Tonnes Daland. 
Tiger fans celebrating the Tigers’ title. 
Gathering around to sing a classic Soccer victory song. 
Hoisting the GAC Championship trophy.
“I just feel like this team is just incredible. They came back from the dead, losing one-nil. I’m sure a lot of people would have thought it was done, but they made the comeback,” graduate defender Dimitry Tchantcheu said. “It’s just incredible. I think we have only trailed a few teams this season, and we always came back. So I wasn’t scared or I wasn’t stressed, and they made it happen.”
After FHSU equalized the match in the 65th minute, the Tigers and Hillcats played even until the final moments of the contest before freshman forward and second-team all-conference honoree Jaun Linares scored his 9th goal of the season – including his 5th game-winner – to push the Tigers ahead.
“I’m very proud, but above all, I’m proud of the team’s work, more than the individual. I think that 20 games without losing and 17 wins is very complicated,” Linares said. “Now we just have the little thorn left that we have stuck with the national tournament. I think that if we keep working the same way we have been, we’re going to achieve our goal.”
Junior forward Elias Ovelar Semeniuk continued his offensive explosion this year, as the GAC Offensive Player of the Year scored his 14th goal of the season and 30th goal of his career to tie the game 1-1.
“When you miss a shot or something, you realize that you give life to the other team. So it’s kind of nice to have an opportunity in a final to help the team achieve our second dream of this season,” Ovelar Semeniuk said. “We know that we have more to show, more to do. I am proud of the team, how humble we are, how we work so hard, we’re grateful for everything.”
The Tigers conceded a goal in the waning minutes of the first half to RSU sophomore forward Noah Preston-Watkins. Rogers State nearly scored again late in the second half while the game was still tied 1-1, but freshman goalkeeper Payton Roehrich made a crucial one-on-one save.
“I got set and he took another touch, and in my head, I had nothing to lose, so I just got big and used my frame, and tried to make a save for our team,” Roehrich said. “It worked out, we got the win, which is the most important thing.”
Roehrich was awarded GAC Newcomer of the Year this season, to go along with being the best keeper in the conference. For Roehrich, the awards do not matter because the team has higher goals.
“The awards to me, as long as we win everything, I couldn’t care less if I win an award, as long as I do my part on this team and help this amazing team win and do great things. That’s all I can ask for,” Roehrich said. “I’m grateful that God put me here, and I’m just excited to see where this team goes. I think we can go all the way.”
Fort Hays had five players on the All-Tournament team: Tadhg Walsh, Joseph Street, Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye, Tonnes Daland, and Ovelar Semeniuk.
Walsh became the first player in the conference to be a four-time All-Tournament player.
Tournament MVP went to freshman defender Daland, who stepped up after a season-ending injury to Tchantcheu.
“It’s incredible to have him like a brother and a friend. I talked to him a lot, and when he got injured, it was my turn, and I stepped up,” Daland said. “We’re like best friends, he is like my big brother. So it’s been really nice knowing he had the same journey as me last year, so I think it’s good to see me do that well in his absence.”
For Tchantcheu, this was a moment that he and Daland had been practicing for.
“I’m just glad to see him step up like that. I’ve been spending time with him this whole year, teaching him what to do. I’m just glad to see him explore this full potential,” Tchantcheu said. “Everything happened for a reason, and he got his MVP today, and I’m just happy for him, and I spent all season preparing for this moment.”
Tchantcheu did not play much for the Tigers last season but stepped up in the 2024 tournament to become tournament MVP. Tchantcheu’s season was cut short by a season-ending injury a couple of weeks ago, but he was still awarded All-GAC/MIAA First Team defender – an honor Tchantcheu said is validating of his hard work and dedication to the sport.
“Last year, I was kind of struggling. I came into the tournament struggling, and I got MVP. I’m just glad to see the results of all my hours of practicing and trying to be better,” he said. “It’s my last season. I’m just glad to receive that award, and seeing my work from the off-season.”
After the championship celebration, Linares had a call with his parents, who were watching from Aguadulce, Spain. Linares expressed his emotion and love for his family, making the effort to watch him and this team all season.
“The truth is that I’m very proud of my family, because they watch all the games. There is a seven-hour difference, and they’ve seen all the games,” he said. They’ve come here for a week, and the truth is that I’m proud to be able to talk to them every day, especially since they’re supporting us from so far away.”
The FHSU forwards have been phenomenal all season and stepped up when needed. The trio of Ovelar Semeniuk, Linares, and sophomore forward Bastian Carlman has accounted for 29 of the Tigers’ 59 goals this season, 11 of which were game winners.
“I think that little by little we’ve seen that we understand each other better. It’s true that when Elias (Ovelar Semeniuk) is out, Bastian and I are fine. When Bastian is out, Elias and I are fine,” Linares said. “In the end, we understand each other very well on the pitch; the important thing is that we’ve had 17 wins and 0 losses. The truth is that all of us here have come to win it all. The coaches wanted to make a very competitive team, and I think we’re achieving that.”
FHSU Head Coach Alex Nichols and the Tigers believe that the third part of the season has arrived, as it is the national tournament, a win-or-go-home scenario.
“We’re proud of the guys, but we’ve got high goals, and we know now it’s single elimination time,” Nichols said. “So we’ve got to humble ourselves, look inward, and figure out what we can do better, because there’s no more learning lessons after today. If you lose, you’re done, and I don’t think this team is ready to be done.”
With the win, the Tigers will likely retain the No. 1 spot in the Super Region rankings, after No. 2 Lincoln fell in the Great Lakes Valley Conference finals. FHSU will find out its official seeding and opponents during the NCAA Selection Show set for 6:00 p.m. CST on Monday.
“We don’t know who it’s going to be, but we’ve been working on it for a couple of weeks, mainly focusing on the opponent who’s next up, because that’s what we have to do. We have a lot of respect for Northeastern State and Rogers State, so we had to focus on them,” Nichols said. “But at the end of the day, we have ideas of who we could potentially see and are doing the best we can. But until we get it official, we don’t know who we’re playing. So we got to wait till Monday night, and then we’ll start working real hard from there.”