CLAREMORE, Okla. - For the second time in the 2019 campaign, the Fort Hays State Tigers defeated the Rogers State Hillcats in conference play. The first result, which occurred at home in Hays, was a 2-0 victory for FHSU. Thursday night's (Oct. 17) match on the road ended 1-0 in favor of the black and gold. 

Back and forth play filled the majority of the rematch. At the conclusion of the match, the Tigers held 52-percent of the possession, with a large portion of that number being controlled in the midfield. Meanwhile, the Hillcats spent a large portion of their 90 minutes in the attacking half of the field. 

Although Rogers State pressured the Tigers with 11 shots throughout the match, they were unable to find the back of the net due to a strong defensive presence from Fort Hays State's back line. Each of the four defensive players (Mariano Benitez, Alec Bevis, Moritz Walther, and Joey McCain) played all 90 minutes in the victory. 

Freshman goalkeeper Kieran Brown, now 5-0 on the season, collected two saves en route to his second career clean sheet.

With just over 10 minutes remaining in the second half, Alonso Rodriguez struck Fort Hays State's eighth shot of the match. From a few yards inside the 18-yard box, the sophomore midfielder slotted the ball in the lower right-hand corner of the goal, registering his third goal of the season. Santiago Agudelo picked up his fourth assist of the year on the play.

Almost two minutes later, Rogers State's James Connor attempted to equalize the scoresheet, but had his shot ring off the crossbar. That was the last threatening push for the Hillcats as the Tigers closed out the match for their fifth-straight win.

Now 8-3-1 (7-0-1 GAC), FHSU will battle against conference foe Northeastern State University on Saturday afternoon in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The Tigers and the RiverHawks clashed in Hays earlier this season when an overtime goal by Santiago Agudelo sealed a 2-1 win for FHSU. Their second matchup this season is slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff.