HAYS, Kan. – An unprecedented season by Ohio Valley men’s soccer came to a conclusion on Saturday in the NCAA Division II Championship quarterfinals against Central Region champion Fort Hays State, 2-0.
 
The Fighting Scots, already the first Great Midwest Athletic Conference program to advance this far in a tournament bracket format, won three games in the NCAA postseason before bidding to make the final four.
 
Winds were gusting up to 30 mph in the dusty plains of Kansas, a cold and chilly day as OVU’s storied season came to an end as the No. 4 seed.
 
Ohio Valley was crowned the Midwest Region champion with a win against No. 3 seed Saginaw Valley State. Previously, OVU knocked off top seed and region host Tiffin in the semifinals and took down No. 5 seed Maryville in the opening round.
 
Fort Hays State broke open a scoreless game in the 66th minute as Moises Peralta was able to find a crease in the defense. OVU kept pressing with the wind at their back, but couldn’t quite drive home the equalizer against the FHSU defense.
 
The game was put out of reach with about two minutes until the end of regulation as Mauricia Etcheverry gave the Tigers a 2-0 cushion.
 
Fort Hays State was ranked 11th in the country going into the contest. OVU was unranked, but started the preseason ranked seventh and moved up to as high as second for two weeks in the regular season.
 
The Fighting Scots finished their 2018 campaign with an 18-6-1 overall record.