No. 24 Fort Hays State kicks off Homecoming athletic events this weekend with a Thursday (Oct. 9) matchup against Upper Iowa at 5 p.m. FHSU will close out its weekend with a rematch against Southern Nazarene on Saturday (Oct. 11). Saturday's game is slated for 2 p.m.
FHSU (6-3-1, 3-2-0 MIAA) has won four straight in impressive fashion, outscoring opponents 18-0 while pushing its record above the .500 mark.
Michael Cole (11 points) and
Diego Cabral (10 points) are tied for the team lead in goals (four), while sitting first and second in points.
Austin Clifton's nine points (three goals, three assists) is third highest on the team, while
Anthony Hernandez has scored twice and leads the team with four assists (eight points). Cole, Cabral and Clifton have started all 10 games for the Tigers, as has defender
Eric Hymer.
Hymer's 879 minutes leads the team, just ahead of
Drew Wilson's 870 minutes. The pair has anchored a defensive unit that has surrendered seven goals and only 52 shots on goal over the first 10 games of the season.
Kent Freund has picked up three consecutive shutouts over the last two weeks, lowering his goals against average to 0.79 with six total goals allowed over eight appearances. Freund's 33 saves is also a team-high, as he's compiled a 5-3-1 record in net.
UIU (6-3-1, 3-2-0 MIAA) has outscored opponents 19-13 so far this season, led offensively by Johnny McBeth's four goals and one assist (nine points). Second on the team in points is Ryan Pinkerton, with eight (three goals, two assists), while Greg Marshall and Rhys Williams each have two goals and three assists (seven points). Connor Rortvedt has played a majority of time at goalkeeper, allowing 12 goals (1.17 goals per game) while racking up 44 saves.
SNU (2-8-0, 1-4-0 MIAA) defeated FHSU earlier this season in Bethany, Okla., 2-0, and is led by top scorer Edgar Pineda, who has four goals and one assist (nine points). Blake Rodgers' seven points (three goal, one assist) is second best for the squad, which has dropped three straight after its victory over the Tigers. In goal, Jeff Ray has started nine of 10 games with 20 goals allowed (2.23 goals against average), picking up 51 saves.
Thursday's game will be broadcast through Tiger Media Net and Stretch Internet on a pay-per-view basis. Click
here for a link to live video.
