INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State returns to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth straight year, the longest streak in the nation, as the No. 6 seed in Super Region 3. By winning the GAC/MIAA Tournament on Sunday, the Tigers elevated in the seeding to avoid playing an opening round matches designated for the No. 7-10 seeds. Instead they have just one match this weekend, playing at No. 3 seed Wisconsin-Parkside in Racine, Wisconsin on Sunday (Nov. 21) at 12 pm. The Tigers enter the tournament with a record of 13-5-2.
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Fort Hays State made a drastic leap in the seeding order after the dust settled from four conference tournaments to determine automatic bids in Super Region 3. The Tigers were No. 9 in the first two sets of super region rankings released by the NCAA, then went into the conference tournament ranked No. 10 after the third release of the rankings. But by winning the GAC/MIAA Tournament, the Tigers jumped from on the bubble for the 10-team super region bracket to No. 6.
The FHSU Men's Soccer program has put together an impressive run in its young history. After falling just short of making the NCAA Tournament in 2011, the program's first year of existence, the Tigers have went on a run of making the NCAA Tournament every season since 2012. The tournament was canceled in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the Tigers have made the national tournament field in nine of 10 championship seasons. The Tigers have won at least 11 matches in every year of the program's existence, excluding the COVID-19 shortened 7-game spring season of 2020-21.
If the Tigers get a win on Sunday, they would advance to the Round of 16 which is slated for either December 2 or 3. Site of the Round of 16 and national quarterfinal matches will be determined by results within the super region bracket this weekend. Wisconsin-Parkside was regular season and tournament champion of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
Sitting on the same side of the bracket in the super region along with FHSU and Wisconsin-Parkside are No. 2 seed Lake Erie, No. 7 seed Lewis, and No. 10 seed Davenport. Lewis and Davenport will play Thursday for the right to face Lake Erie on Saturday.