Fort Hays State Women's Soccer struck early in a 3-0 shutout victory over Northwest Missouri State on Friday (Oct. 17) evening.
 
The win for FHSU (7-4-2, 5-2-2 MIAA) was the third consecutive shutout for the Tigers, and eighth of the year – tying a school record for team shutouts in a season.
 
FHSU grabbed a 1-0 lead just 3:24 into the game, blitzing the Bearcats early on as Cenayda Guzman scored her fourth goal of the year.  Hailey Davey started the scoring play by dribbling just past the top of the box before dishing it wide left for Kelsey Steffens.  After gathering the ball, Steffens hit a low cross back towards the box for Guzman, who finished from five yards out into the low left net.  Davey and Steffens picked up assists on the goal.
 
In the tenth minute, Kylee Loneker scored her first goal of the season and gave FHSU a two-goal advantage.  Steffens crossed the ball to Davey midway between the box and midfield, where Davey struck a through ball that led Loneker towards the box. Loneker took aim from around 18 yards past a diving goalkeeper, where it deflected off the left post into the net.
 
The Tigers nearly made it 3-0 just out of the break, as Steffens and Gabrielle Makatura fired two shots in rapid succession, but two diving saves from goalkeeper Ashley Malloy within four seconds kept the lead at two.
 
NWMSU's only shot on goal came in the 53rd minute after a header was blocked by the Tigers defense.  The Bearcats' Taylor Trotter gathered the ball in the box off the deflected shot and fired towards the net, but Thompson stood guard and kept it scoreless with her only save of the contest.  Thompson continued to set a new single-season shutout mark with her eighth save of the year – playing all 90 minutes in the win.
 
Just inside 10 minutes to play in regulation, Fiorella Fustagno scored her first career goal and pushed the Tigers' lead to three.  Davey fired a long cross from the right side of the field, over the head of the Bearcats' Malloy to the back post, where Fustagno flew in for the header from two yards out.  The assist was Davey's third of game, tying her own school record for assists in one game from earlier this season, set on Sept. 7 against Sioux Falls.
 
Guzman, Fustagno and Jordan Shaw led the team with three shots for the game, while Loneker, Makatura, Davey, Hannah Smith and Jordan Hester had two shots.
 
The Tigers close out a pivotal weekend of conference play on Sunday (Oct. 19) against Missouri Western.  FHSU is fourth in the conference standings, while the Griffons sit fifth with five regular season games to play.  Game time is set for noon at FHSU Soccer Stadium.