FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. — Fort Hays State is moving on to the national quarterfinals for the sixth time in its program history after a 2-0 victory over Rockhurst on Sunday (Nov. 30) at FHSU Soccer Stadium in a battle of top-10 nationally ranked teams. The Tigers netted both goals in the second half, while Payton Roehrich recorded two saves to maintain a clean sheet. With the win, No. 4 nationally ranked and super region top seed FHSU moved to 19-0-3 overall for the season, while No. 10 ranked and fourth-seeded Rockhurst's season ended at 12-5-4 overall.
Fort Hays State maintained offensive pressure throughout the first half, registering five shots compared to just two for Rockhurst. The Hawks had a strong opportunity to score in the 37th minute, but Roehrich was up to the challenge in close range to keep the match scoreless by halftime.
Fort Hays State capitalized on its opportunities in the second half, securing a 2-0 advantage. The breakthrough came in the 68th minute when Marcus Dalseide scored his first goal of the season with an assist from Dylan Ashford in the box. A few minutes later Mario Leal Vales extended the lead in the 73rd minute with his 4th goal of the season, putting the ball back toward the goal after Rockhurst was trying to get the ball out of the box. Despite Rockhurst's attempts to rally late, Roehrich capped the shutout in the 87th minute with a save to preserve the lead.
For the Tigers, it was their first-ever win over Rockhurst in the NCAA Tournament. The two previous meetings went the way of the Hawks, a tie that was settled by PKs in 2015 in Kansas City and then a 1-0 result in 2016 in Hays. The win pushed FHSU to 6-3-3 against Rockhurst all-time, including a 6-1-1 record in the last eight meetings.
Up next
Fort Hays State will now face an opponent it knows very well in the national quarterfinals (Super Region 3 Championship) on Saturday. The top-seeded Tigers will face No. 2 seed Rogers State, a team it has played three times this season and won all three matches. Rogers State will enter with an overall record of 13-3-5, with all three losses at the hands of Tigers. The match will be at FHSU Soccer Stadium in Hays.