Fort Hays State Men's Soccer closes out the 2026 regular season on Wednesday (Oct. 28) at home when it plays host to Southern Nazarene at 3:30 p.m. The No. 9 ranked Tigers enter at 12-2-3 overall and 10-0-1 in the GAC, while Southern Nazarene is 8-6-1 overall and 5-4-1 in the GAC.

How to Watch
Both contests this week are on The MIAA Network. Subscription rates apply.

Tigers Unbeaten in Five Straight vs. Southern Nazarene
Fort Hays State is 3-0-2 in its last five matches against Southern Nazarene. Earlier this year in Bethany, Okla., the Tigers won 3-0 when both teams held a national ranking. The Tigers were ranked No. 13, while the Crimson Storm was No. 21.
 
One More to Go in Conference Regular Season Play
Fort Hays State is 10-0-1 in conference play. The Tigers won their first six in conference play before tying Rogers State, but have since won four more in a row. The Tigers are on their second round of playing all the schools in the conference, which closes with Southern Nazarene in Hays. The Tigers are looking to match their conference record from the previous season when they went 11-0-1 in GAC play.
 
Tigers Up to No. 9 in National Poll
Fort Hays State moved up three spots in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll this week to No. 9. The Tigers have been in the Top 25 of every poll so far this season, which includes the preseason and nine regular season polls. FHSU has been in the top 25 of the national rankings for 25-straight polls going back to the 2024 season, which is a new program record for most in a row. They are back in the top 10 for the first time this season since the preseason rankings when they were tabbed No. 3.

Tigers Clinch Second-Straight GAC Regular Season Title
Fort Hays State clinched the GAC regular season title and the right to host the GAC Championship Tournament with a 3-0 win over Ouachita Baptist last week. It was FHSU's fifth conference regular season title and second since joining the GAC in 2019.
 
Tigers 3rd in NCAA NPI Rankings for Super Region 3
Fort Hays State is currently the only team from the GAC in the top-10 of the NCAA NPI rankings in Super Region 3. In the third release of the rankings on Monday, FHSU moved up from 4^th in the rankings to 3^rd. NPI rankings are a new system the NCAA is using in place of the previous regional rankings system used for several years in NCAA Division II. The NCAA Power Index, or NPI, is a ranking system used in Division II and Division III to evaluate team performance. NPI considers game results and the strength of opponents to calculate a team's NPI value and ranking. NPI calculations update throughout the season as teams continue to play game and opponent NPI values change. A team's final NPI is not determined until the final games and rankings of the season are complete.
 
Players of the Week
FHSU has nine GAC Player of the Week honors this season. Payton Roehrich was the Goalkeeper of the Week five times this season (Sept. 8, 22, 29, Oct. 13, 20). Juan Linares was the Offensive Player of the Week twice (Sept. 22, Oct. 27), while Francisco Degiorgi was the Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1. Kuan-Yi Li earned Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 20.
 
GAC Points Leaders
Midfielder Juan Linares leads FHSU and the GAC in points with 22 this season (8 goals, 6 assists). Linares is tied for the GAC lead in goals with teammate Len Valkema, both with eight. Valkema ranks second in the GAC in points with 18.
 
GAC Assist Leaders
Francisco Degiorgi and Juan Linares lead the Tigers in assists this season, accounting for 12 of the team's 28 assists. Degiorgi and Linares both have six assists for the season. Len Valkema, Mario Leal Vales, Mathis Gaultier, and Kuan-Yi Li all have two assists for the Tigers this season.
 
Strong Between the Pipes
Payton Roehrich continues to produce strong numbers in goal. He holds a 0.43 goals against average for the season and an .848 save percentage. He ranks second nationally in goals against average and sixth in save percentage. He was named the GAC Goalkeeper of the Week for a fifth time this season earlier this week.
 
Scouting the Opponent
Southern Nazarene
-The Tigers are 8-6-1 overall and 5-4-1 in GAC play so far, currently third in points in the conference.
-Wesley Rodriguez leads SNU in points with 12, all generated on his team-leading six goals for the season.
-Aimar Aramendia has a 1.78 goals against average and .681 save percentage this season in goal.
-Trevor Harmon is in his ninth season leading SNU and has an overall record of 75-68-15.