NCAA Tournament Second Round
(3) #12 Fort Hays State (15-2-3) vs.
(6) Lake Erie (11-4-4)
Sunday, November 15 - 1 p.m.
Hays, Kan. - FHSU Soccer Stadium

Fort Hays State Men's Soccer plays host to Lake Erie College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday (Nov. 15). The No. 12 ranked Tigers enter the match 15-2-3 overall, while Lake Erie holds an overall record of 11-4-4. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at FHSU Soccer Stadium.

How to Watch
The contest will be available on The MIAA Network and NCAA.com.

12^th Appearance in the NCAA Tournament
Fort Hays State is making its 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The program is only in its 16th year of existence. FHSU narrowly missed making the national tournament its first year of 2011, but then went on a nine-year streak (2012-2021) of making the NCAA Tournament which was the nation's longest active streak in NCAA Division II until it was snapped in 2022. The Tigers are back in the tournament for a third year in a row after returning in 2024. Fort Hays State's 12 appearances in the NCAA Tournament is the third-most by a D2 program in the last 16 years, only trailing Cal State L.A. - 14 and Charleston (W.Va.) - 13.
 
Another Unbeaten Conference Regular Season
Fort Hays State went 11-0-1 in conference play for the second-straight year. Last year, the Tigers became the first team in GAC men's soccer history to navigate a conference regular season slate unbeaten for an NCAA championship season (Rogers State went 4-0-2 in the abbreviated COVID-19 spring season of 2020-21 when there was no NCAA postseason play).
 
11 Wins is the Standard
Fort Hays State produced at least 11 wins in a season 13 times in its 16 years of existence. In one of those years (2020-21 spring), 11 was unattainable due to a COVID shortened season when FHSU played only 7 matches. FHSU won 8 matches in both 2022 and 2023, which is the low for the program, and the Tigers have never had a losing season. FHSU has an all-time record of 193-73-41 (.695).
 
Tigers No. 12 in National Poll
Fort Hays State is ranked No. 12 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll. The Tigers have been in the Top 25 of every poll so far this season, which includes the preseason and 11 regular season polls. FHSU has been in the top 25 of the national rankings for 27-straight polls going back to the 2024 season, which is a new program record for most in a row. They have been in the top 10 twice this year, which included the preseason poll (No. 3) and the October 27 poll (No. 9).
 
Accustomed to Deep Runs
Fort Hays State has at least made the national quarterfinals in 6 of their previous 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers were national quarterfinalists three straight years from 2014-2016 before taking a bigger leap in 2018 to the national semifinals in Pittsburgh, Pa., where they fell on
penalty kicks in a scoreless tie with eventual national champion Barry University (Fla.). The Tigers returned to the national quarterfinals in 2021 and then last year, advanced to the national semifinals for the second time in program history with three straight wins before falling to Rollins (Fla.) in Colorado Springs, Colo.
 
Record in the NCAA Tournament
Fort Hays State owns a record of 10-9-3 in the NCAA Tournament, making its 12th appearance in program history this year. FHSU has posted a winning record in four of its NCAA Tournament appearances, going 1-0-1 in 2015, 2-0-1 in 2018, 2-1 in 2021, and 3-1 last year.
 
Record Against Lake Erie
The Tigers are 1-0 all-time against Lake Erie. The teams met in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 in 2021, which the Tigers won 3-2 in double overtime in Indianapolis. FHSU trailed 2-0 in that match at halftime before scoring in the 74^th and 88^th minutes to force overtime. Blake Arndt had the game-winner in the 106^th minute.

Players of the Week
FHSU had 11 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 (Sept. 1) and Len Valkema (Nov. 2) were Offensive Players of the Week once. Kuan-Yi Li (Oct. 20) and Tom Vincent (Nov. 2) each earned Defensive Player of the Week honors once.
 
GAC Points Leaders
Forward Len Valkema and midfielder Juan Linares lead FHSU and are tied for the GAC lead in points, each with 26 this season. Valkema enters the NCAA Tournament with 11 goals and 4 assists, while Linares has 9 goals and 8 assists. Valkema is the conference leader in goals, while Linares is the leader in assists. Both were All-GAC/MIAA First Team selections at their respective positions. Valkema was the conference Offensive Player of the Year, while Linares was the Midfielder of the Year.
 
Strong Between the Pipes
Payton Roehrich continues to produce strong numbers in goal. He holds a 0.38 goals against average for the season and an .863 save percentage. He ranks second nationally in goals against average and fourth in save percentage. He was named the GAC Goalkeeper of the Week five times this season. Roehrich was the All-GAC/MIAA First Team selection at goalkeeper for the second-straight year and was an All-America selection last year by both United Soccer Coaches and D2CCA.
 
Scouting the Opponent
Lake Erie
-The Storm was the G-MAC regular season champion. It was their first regular season title since 2021. They enter this contest with a record of 11-4-4.
- Nicolas Vagujhelyi is the points leader for Lake Erie with 15 for the season (5 goals, 5 assists). Veljko Radovanovic is right behind with 14 points (4 goals, 6 assists).
-Cal Babiash is the team leader in goals with 6.
-Patrick Bassett is the primary goalkeeper for Lake Erie, holding a .718 save percentage and 0.73 goals against average.
-Head coach Louie Rolko is in his 10^th season leading the Storm. He has an overall record of 101-62.