FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – A golden goal off the foot of Thalya Dwyer handed the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team a 1-0 victory over Lindenwood Friday evening (Sept. 30). The Tigers are now 2-0 in conference play and 6-2-1 overall, while the Lady Lions took their first conference loss to fall to 1-1 in the league and 4-3-1 in 2016.
The Tigers managed 16 shots in the contest, placing eight of those attempts on frame. Lindenwood rifled off 10 attempts in the match but put just four shots on goal, with sophomore goalkeeper Abbie Flax making the save on all four occasions. Flax improved her record to 4-2-1 on the year, placing her in a tie for third with nine career wins at FHSU. Dwyer netted her fifth goal of the season, second-most on the team.
FHSU dominated possession over the opening 45 minutes, allowing the Lady Lions just one shot attempt that sailed wide in the half. The Tigers took six shots in the opening half but were unable to find the back of the net. Junior Jasmine Beaulieu had a chance to score in the 23rd minute but instead had back-to-back shots blocked by a Lindenwood defender.
The Tigers had three more shots turned aside by the Lindenwood keeper and two others blocked in the second half. The Lady Lions turned up the pressure over the final five minutes, taking three shots after taking just four over the first 85 minutes.
Fort Hays State had the first chance to score in overtime after Kelsey Steffens had a shot saved following a corner kick, one of five corners for the Tigers in the match.
The Lady Lions put two shots on goal in the second overtime period, but Flax handled them both with ease. As the final whistle drew near, the Tigers mounted one final offensive effort when Eden Stoddard sent a ball over the defensive back line. Dwyer grabbed the pass before beating a defender to have an open look at goal. The junior forward then struck towards the left post from inside the 18-yard box, beating the keeper to give Fort Hays State its second-straight victory.
The Tigers will return to the pitch on Sunday when they face off against Central Missouri, who is currently undefeated and ranked second in the nation. The match is scheduled to commence at 1 p.m. from the South Recreation Complex in Warrensburg, Mo.