Fort Hays State Men's Soccer continues Great American Conference play this week, heading on the road to Oklahoma where it will face Southern Nazarene on Thursday (Oct. 1) in a matchup of nationally ranked teams. The No. 13 ranked Tigers enter at 6-1-2 overall and 4-0 in the GAC, while the No. 21 ranked Crimson Storm is 5-2-1 overall and 2-0-1 in the GAC. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. in Bethany.
 
How to Watch
The contest will be on the GAC Network. Click on the link below to subscribe to the match.
Watch Live at Southern Nazarene
 
Tigers Unbeaten in Four Straight vs. Southern Nazarene
Fort Hays State is 2-0-2 in its last four matches against Southern Nazarene. Last year the Tigers won 2-1 in Bethany before playing to a scoreless draw in Hays. FHSU has won the last two meetings between the teams in Bethany, Okla.
 
Good Start to Conference Play
Fort Hays State is off to a 4-0 start in conference play. The Tigers have defeated Rogers State, Northeastern State, Harding, and Ouachita Baptist so far in four conference matches. The Tigers still have Southern Nazarene and Newman ahead to complete their first round through their six conference adversaries. This matchup between FHSU and SNU features the two schools still without a loss in GAC play.
 
Up to No. 13 in the Latest National Poll
Fort Hays State moved up one spot to No. 13 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 five regular season polls. FHSU has been in the top 25 of the national rankings for 21-straight polls going back to the 2024 season.
 
Players of the Week
FHSU has one more GAC Player of the Week honors on Tuesday (Sept. 29). For the third time this season, Payton Roehrich was named Goalkeeper of the Week (Sept. 8, 22, 29). Juan Linares was the Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 22, while Francisco Degiorgi was the Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1.
 
Linares Lead in Points
Midfielder Juan Linares leads FHSU in points with nine this season (3 goals, 3 assists), while forward Len Valkema has eight points for the season. Linares leads the GAC in points, while Valkema has the highest points/game average in the conference since he has played just seven of nine matches.
 
Multiple Assists
Francisco Degiorgi and Juan Linares lead the Tigers in assists this season, each with three. Scott Dillon, Gregoire Henri, Daniel Granado, Julius Petersson all have one.
 
Strong Between the Pipes
Payton Roehrich continues to produce strong numbers in goal. He holds a 0.46 goals against average for the season and an .833 save percentage. He is among the top 15 nationally in each category.
 
Nichols Lands 200^th Career Win
Alex Nichols In the 2-0 win at Harding last week, Alex Nichols picked up his 200^th win as a collegiate head men's soccer coach. He is now 201-44-24 in his career and this is his 13^th season overall. He is in his third season at FHSU and holds a 39-6-9 record leading the Tigers.
 
Scouting the Opponent
Southern Nazarene
-The Crimson Storm is 5-2-1 overall and 2-0-1 in GAC play.
-Southern Nazarene is coming off a 3-3 draw with Northeastern State.
-Wesley Rodriguez, the reigning GAC Offensive Player of the Week, leads SNU in points with six, all on three goals.
-Aimar Aramendia holds a 1.43 goals against average for the season and a .756 save percentage. He has two individual shutouts this season.