HAYS, Kan. - Fort Hays State fell 1-0 to Southern Nazarene on Saturday in a battle for the GAC/MIAA regular season title. The Crimson Storm found their winning goal in the 78th minute on a strike from Daniel Trojman near the top of the box. The GAC/MIAA has now seen three different regular season champions over the last three seasons with FHSU in 2019, Rogers State in the brief 2020-21 spring season, and now Southern Nazarene in 2021.
Neither team could find the net early on, but the Crimson Storm scored late with the wind at their backs and the Tigers could not muster much of a counter the final 12 minutes. With the win, Southern Nazarene moved to 12-6 overall (9-3 GAC). FHSU fell to 11-5-2 (8-3-1 GAC) and finished second in the conference regular season standings.
The Tigers were aggressive on offense in the first half, recording eight shots compared to four by the Crimson Storm. They had their scoring chances, but could never put any of the golden opportunities in the net.
With the result, Southern Nazarene will now host the four-team GAC/MIAA Championship Tournament next week in Bethany, Oklahoma on Friday and Sunday (Nov. 12 and 14). Match times will be announced in the coming days. Currently sitting on the good side of the 10-team bubble in the latest NCAA Regional Rankings, the Tigers may need to win the GAC/MIAA Tournament next week to earn a selection to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament champion receives an automatic bid into the tournament.
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