The Fort Hays State men's soccer team looks to add to its 2-0 start in MIAA play with a five match road trip, including four straight conference games. The first two of which are this weekend as the Tigers travel to Fayette, Iowa, to take on the Peacocks of Upper Iowa for the first time this season on Friday (Oct. 6) for an afternoon inception set for 2 p.m. The Tigers then make their way to St. Charles, Mo., to face the Lindenwood Lions on Sunday (Oct. 8) for an 11 a.m. kickoff.
 
The Tigers are coming off two strong weeks that consisted of FHSU picking up four straight victories to move their record to 4-4-2 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA. The Tiger offense played a huge role in these wins as they outscored their opponents 17-1 in that stretch. FHSU currently sits in 20th in the nation in total points on the season.
 
Senior Derick Gonzalez has been a vital part of this offense the entire season as he leads the Tigers in every offensive category. His assist on the fifth Tiger goal on Sunday against Southern Nazarene landed him in some great company in the men's soccer team history. He tied Mauricio Castorino and Tanner Brock as the only Tigers to provide a point in seven straight matches. Gonzalez not only leads the MIAA in assists with seven, but also stands in second in the nation in the setting his teammates up for success and ranks 21st in total points in Division II.
 
Abdoulaye Cisse has given the Tigers another offensive weapon over the course of the past two weeks by recording a goal in four straight matches and tallying a total of 11 points (four goals, three assists). The offense hasn't stopped there as Raul Fierro became the fifth Tiger to net a hat trick in program history in the 7-0 drubbing of Southwest Baptist (Sept. 22). The Tigers have also seen six different players (Christopher Johnson, Caesar Jones, Nathan De La Hoya, Brian Ness, Caden Frank and Benji Granillo) score their first goals of the season.
 
Not only has the offense been firing on all cylinders lately, the Tiger defense has held opponents to only one goal since their draw with Western Washington (Sept. 16). Luis Torres, Killian Gorman and Sergio Villalba have vested their time on the pitch as they sit in the top three in minutes played on the season. Michael Yantz will look to get over .500 with a victory on Friday as his overall record stands at 3-3-2 on the year.
 
Upper Iowa welcomes the Tigers with a 4-4 overall record and a 0-3 MIAA record. The Peacocks are on a three game skid as they have only provided one goal and are being outscored 7-1 in conference play. However, the Peacocks are 2-0 at their home stadium. Upper Iowa's main offensive threat is Ruairidh Crawford. He leads the Peacocks in goals (three) and total points (seven).
 
Lindenwood brings a 5-4 overall record to the table. The Lions have started conference play with a 2-1 record including a 5-1 victory over Southwest Baptist on Sunday (Oct. 1). Michele Ganz leads the Lion offense and the conference in goals on the season with seven to his credit. Ganz also sits second in the MIAA in total points with 15, two behind the conference leader, FHSU's Gonzalez.