UNK edges Fort Hays, earning spot.in MIAA soccer tournament
KEARNEY — Junior Hanna Schimmer scored twice, setting a new single-season goals record, and the defense was feisty as the University of Nebraka at Kearney beat Fort Hays State, 2-1, Wednesday night at Cope Stadium.
With the win, the Lopers (8-5-5, 4-5-3) reached the MIAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 and ended a 13-game losing streak to the rival Tigers (7-7-4, 4-6-2).
UNK came in with 12 league points, needing a win (three points) to vault over Pittsburg State and Emporia State (14 points apiece) to make the eight-team tourney.
UNK is the seventh seed and faces second-seeded and 21st-ranked Missouri Western State (14-1-3, 9-1-2) Sunday at noon in St. Joseph, Missour. The winner advances to Wichita, Kansas, for the semifinals the following weekend. The Griffons posted a 1-0 win against UNK on Oct. 18, scoring in the 81st minute.
"It's a weight off. Relief. Appreciation. And unlimited amounts of joy," UNK head coach Rob Breton said. "I can't express how proud I am ... that's a team. What a group."
On a blustery night at Foster Field, Schimmer got the Lopers on the board five minutes in as senior Ivana Siles found her in the box with a long ball from the wing. That was her ninth goal, tying the mark set by lefty Raliegh Mercer in 2013.
"That was a huge piece for us, being able to go up early and set the tone and being able to control it. You could see for the rest of the night they were trying to play catch up," Breton said. "It was such a big step for us in the right direction."
Fort Hays had all seven corners in the game with Gracen Chaney placing the ball in front of the Loper goal almost every time. Additionally, she and her teammates kept sophomore keeper Susan Bovaird busy in both halves with multiple shots from a long distance.
"They were pressing us heavy and really making us work for it. Since the Missouri Western game, our defense has stepped up across the board," Breton said. "They made every game available, and told the offense, 'go do your job.'
"In this program's history, the defense has always been resounding and now the offense is finally rewarding consistently for them."
Early in the second half, freshman Daniella Iaquinta found Schimmer free on the left wing and she promptly made it 2-0 and set the record. However, just six minutes later, Fort Hays finally struck paydirt on a corner as reserve Montserrat Diaz headed in ball initially struck by Chaney.
"After they scored, no one dropped their heads, stopped or gave up. We responded very well," Breton said.
Overall, the Tigers had a 12-7 advantage in shots on goal with Bovaird having 11 saves. UNK also established new signal-season school records for shots (249) and shots on goal (126).
