Game Notes:
-After winning its third MIAA title in the last five seasons, the Lindenwood men's soccer team has advanced to the NCAA central regional final at Fort Hays State on Friday evening. The match will be played at 7:00 p.m. from FHSU Soccer Stadium in Hays, Kan.

-Lindenwood earned the No. 2 seed in the region, with Fort Hays securing the region's top spot. The Lions ended the 2016 regular season with a 13-3-2 record, including a 7-1-0 mark from within the MIAA. Lindenwood won 12 of its final 13 matches to conclude the regular season.

-Lindenwood and Fort Hays matched up two times during conference play in 2016, splitting the season series. The road team prevailed in each match, with Lindenwood securing a 3-2 victory in Hays, Kan. and Fort Hays earning a 2-0 victory in St. Charles, Mo.

-Dating back to the start of the 2012 season, Lindenwood owns the edge in the all-time series, 6-4-2. The Lions and Tigers have met in postseason play four times since 2012, with three of the meetings coming during the MIAA tournament, and one match occurring in the NCAA tournament. Lindenwood was victorious in each postseason match, outscoring Fort Hays by a total of five goals to one.  

Lindenwood Notes:
-Xhovani Dokaj was honored as the D2CCA Central Region Player of the Year and the MIAA Player of the Year. In addition, Dokaj was selected to the first-team all-central region, and the all-MIAA first-team.

-A senior transfer, Dokaj established a new MIAA single-season record in goals scored with his 16 scores. Dokaj also boasted a conference leading 37 points, as he scored in 12 of the 18 games this season for the Lions.

-Dokaj poured in a conference-leading four game-winning goals. Thomas Hutcheson, Nijaz Muratovic, and Jose Sanchez each netted two game-deciding scores.
On Oct. 9 at Fort Hays State, Sanchez recorded the game-winning goal in the match's 89th minute. Dokaj and Muratovic also found the back of the net during Lindenwood's 3-2 road victory over Fort Hays.  

-Joining Dokaj as all-central region first-team performers are goalkeeper Aleksa Nenadic and Sanchez on defense. Second-team all-central region selections included midfielder Kyle Weinrich and defenders Stefan Andric and Jeremy Tutas.
 
-Nenadic turned in 50 saves over his 1,414 minutes in net. Nenadic led the conference with 13 victories and tied for the conference lead with three shutouts. The goalkeeper ranked 22nd nationally in goals against average with a mark of 0.76, and 26th in Division II in save percentage with a mark of .806.

-All six Lions to be selected as all-central region performers were also named as first-team all-MIAA selections. Also receiving first-team all-MIAA honors was midfielder Nikolas Kondic. Lindenwood landed three players on the all-MIAA second-team as Ryan Butchart, Hutcheson, and Muratovic all earned the distinction.

-Despite playing in just 14 matches, Hutcheson ranks second on the team in goals scored and points with eight and 19, respectively. Hutcheson, a two-time MIAA men's soccer athlete of the week in 2016, registered three separate multi-goal performances.

-Weinrich dished out a team-high eight assists to lead the Lions. Weinrich ranked 26th nationally, with an average of 0.5 assists per game.

-For the first time in its NCAA era, Lindenwood has six players with double-digit point totals. Dokaj, Hutcheson, and Muratovic are the team's top-three scorers, followed by Gaspar Alvarez, Gabriel Jaimes, and Adnan Mahmutovic who all have accumulated 10 points.

-Lindenwood ranks eighth in Division II men's soccer with an average of 2.89 goals per game. The Lions also rank eight nationally in terms of total goals scored with 52.

Fort Hays Notes:
-The Fort Hays State Tigers enter postseason play with a record of 13-4-1, and were 6-2-0 from within the MIAA. The Tigers were victorious in six of their final seven matches down the stretch.

-Fort Hays is led offensively by the trio of Maurizo Costa, Derick Gonzalez, and Mauricio Castorino. Each player surpassed the 20-point plateau and was selected to the first-team all-central region.

-Michael Yantz and Alex Rodela shared the duties in goal for the Tigers in 2016. Yantz made 12 starts between the pipes, while Rodela started in five matches. Rodela had the edge in save percentage, totaling a mark of .875 in nearly 470 minutes played. Rodela also had a team-low 0.57 goals against average.

-The Tigers have a record of 5-1 at home this season. Lindenwood dealt Fort Hays State its only home loss of the season on Oct. 9.

Looking Ahead:
-The winner of the match between Lindenwood and Fort Hays will advance to take on the midwest regional champion on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in Hays, Kan. The midewest regional final between Rockhurst and Drury will be held on Friday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. from FHSU Soccer Stadium.