After securing the No. 4 seed in the upcoming MIAA tournament, the FHSU women's soccer team gets the chance to avenge a mid-season tie against No. 5 seeded Missouri Southern. The Lions bring in a 5-9-3 overall record alongside a 5-5-1 conference record to earn a place in the top-eight of the MIAA and a chance to play for the title. The Tigers are coming off two-straight 1-0 wins and bring in a 10-5-3 record with a 7-3-1 MIAA mark to give them hosting duties for the opening round.
 
Back on Oct. 15, the Tigers and Lions met in Hays with a 0-0 outcome through two overtimes. FHSU out-shot Missouri Southern handily at 16-6 with seven hitting near target. Senior striker Eden Stoddard led the way with a game-high five shots, while Julia Liberty for the Lions accounted for two for her team. Megan Kneefel was in net for the Tigers as she collected three saves.
 
This match will be the first MIAA tournament meeting between FHSU and Missouri Southern. Last season, the Tigers fell in the conference semifinals to Central Oklahoma 4-2, while the Lions did not finish in the top-eight to earn a spot in the bracket. The Tigers have won all four of their previous first-round matches in the MIAA tournament.
 
Stoddard leads the offensive charge for the Tigers with a team-high eight goals, but has been held scoreless in the past-five matches. Jasmine Beaulieu has picked it up offensively for FHSU as she has netted the game-winning goals in the previous two wins. Stoddard has, however, been the distributor for Beaulieu as she has assisted on both goals. In goal, Kneefel and senior Kristen Thompson have been splitting goalkeeping duties. Kneefel heads into the conference tournament boasting a 4-2-2 overall record with 40 saves, while Thompson has collected 43 saves with her 6-3-1 record anchoring for the Tigers.
 
For Missouri Southern, they are riding a three-game shut-out streak after a 2-0 blanking of Central Oklahoma to secure the No. 5 seed. Taylor Beck owns a team-high of three goals, including the game-clincher against the Bronchos late in the second half. On the offensive side of the ball for the Lions, they have been outscored 22-14 by their opponents this season, while being out-shot 234-153. Luz Galindo has been solid in goal for Missouri Southern as she has amassed for 49 total saves, good for seventh in the MIAA.
 
The Tigers and Lions are set to dual on Wednesday to open up the 2017 MIAA Conference Tournament at 7 p.m. The tilt will take place at FHSU Soccer Stadium in Hays. The winner of the match will meet up with the winner of Game 1 between No. 1 Central Oklahoma and No. 8 Emporia State for a Friday contest in the conference semifinals.