After a 0-0 draw on Sunday against Missouri Southern snapped their three-match winning-streak, the Fort Hays State women's soccer team is back in action trying to get back on the winning side. With the tie, the 2017 Tigers now hold the program-record of ties in a season with three. FHSU now owns an 8-3-3 overall record alongside a 5-1-1 MIAA mark.
This weekend sends the Tigers to Oklahoma for two away MIAA matches, with the Friday contest pairing them up with Northeastern State and Sunday capping off the weekend with a meeting against Central Oklahoma. Last season, Fort Hays State captured both regular season wins against the two programs, but fell in the MIAA semifinals to Central Oklahoma, 4-2.
Senior striker
Eden Stoddard leads the Tigers as she has netted a team-high eight goals so far this season. Stoddard ranks No. 3 in the MIAA for total goals with her eight. Stoddard also ranks No. 4 in the conference for shots as she has attempted 50, just 16-shy of breaking the FHSU program record.
Darby Hirsch also is a strong player in the conference as she holds a No. 4 ranking in assists with five on the year.
The first match of the weekend will pair up the Tigers against the RiverHawks of Northeastern State who currently own an 11-2 overall record with a 5-2 spot in conference play. The only two losses for the RiverHawks have come in the past three matches as they were on an eight-match winning-streak prior to losses against Central Missouri and Missouri Western State. Paulina Chavez leds her Northeastern State team also with eight goals to her name along with two assists. Four other RiverHawks have score four or more goals, while six have gotten on the board with one. The RiverHawks have out-shot their opponents 33-12, while outshooting them 187-134. Meg Smith has served as the main anchor in goal for the RiverHawks as she holds a 6-2-0 with 51 saves. The meeting on Friday will be the first of the season for the two programs.
Sunday will pit Fort Hays State against a Central Oklahoma team who interrupted their chance at an MIAA tournament title last season. The Bronchos are currently 6-6-2 overall this season while earning a 3-2-2 mark in conference play. Central Oklahoma is out-scoring its opponents 38-26 in 14 matches, while outshooting them 200-141. The Bronchos rank third in the conference in total shots as a team with 200. Asha Haile and Kelsie Eason are leading the charge for Central Oklahoma as they have each netted seven goals on the season, accounting for 14 of the 38 the team has scored. Falyn Dodd owns a team-high three assists on the year. Ally Salls is the force in the net for the Bronchos as she has collected 25 total saves alongside a 5-2-0 record this season.
Friday's match against Northeastern State is slated for a 7 p.m. start in Tahlequah, Okla., while Sunday's meeting with Central Oklahoma looks to kick off at 1 p.m. in Edmond.
