SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- In search of its first win of the 2015 season, the John Brown mens soccer team (1-2-1) used a 43-0 shooting advantage and received a pair of goals from senior Zeke Zumbro and freshman Ryan Williams to earn a 6-0 victory tonight (Sept. 5) over Evangel (Mo.) at Alumni Field.
Although racking up 23 shots, John Brown could only muster one goal in the first half. The second half, however, featured five goals for the hosts in the lopsided win.
Zumbro notched his first two goals of the season while Williams recorded his first collegiate goal in the 62nd minute. Sophomore Collin Smith also collected the first strike of his career in the 88th minute before assisting on freshman Corey Fergusons first-career goal in the 90th minute. Freshman Conner Haney picked up two assists in the victory, his first two points as a Golden Eagle, as four JBU players posted multi-point games.
Additionally, freshman keeper Britt Wisener relieved starting keeper Adam Holt in the second half, recording his first collegiate action in net.
After suffering a clean sheet in two of its three games, the Golden Eagles finally broke out, spurred primarily by the newcomers.
“It was nice to finally bury a few goals tonight,†said head coach Scott Marksberry. “The chances have been there all season, but we have lacked the final product. The first goal wasn't much to watch, but the movements and finishes of the next four were fun to watch.
“It is nice to our freshmen coming alive a bit. We knew that these young guys had some quality, so it is good to see their confidence growing this early in the season. We have to give a lot of credit to our team defending tonight; it is rare to play a full college match without allowing a single shot. Our team pressed well, and did a great job of eliminating any chances.â€
Senior Will Simonds, sophomore Douglas Oliveira and freshmen Hazeley Pyle and Giovani Bejarano played the majority of the match on defense, keeping the Golden Eagles in possession for nearly the entirety. This relieved Holt (1-2-1) and Weisener in the back, as the two keepers share the team shutout.
Zumbro tallied his first strike of the game in the 16th minute when a Guilherme Barbosa shot ricocheted out of EU keeper Adrian Plascencias (0-2-0) hands. Zumbro, undefended, fired home the rebound for a 1-0 lead.
That score would hold until Zumbro buried his second of the evening in the 48th minute. Bejarano crossed a ball from the right flank that found Zumbro on the left post. Zumbro made no mistake, bouncing a shot past Plascencia for a 2-0 advantage.
In the 62nd minute, Williams entered the scene. Haney unleashed a shot from 15 yards out, forcing Plascencia to redirect the shot into the center of the box where Williams fired home his first collegiate goal. Not yet done, Williams doubled up his goal total four minutes later when Haney sent a through ball between the Evangel defense. Williams was able to deflect the ball past an oncoming Plascencia and tucked in a goal without an EU player within five yards, handing John Brown a 4-0 lead.
The momentum continued as Zumbro earned his fifth point of the night by sending freshman Ashby Clark up the left flank. After beating a defender, Clark centered a low, hard pass into the box that found Smith crossing through. Smith redirected the pass with the outside of his foot just yards from the goal line, forcing a 5-0 advantage in the 88th minute.
With just 37 seconds left in the match, Ferguson uncorked a strike from 15 yards out which slipped through the hands of EU backup keeper Sean McLaughlin. McLaughlin allowed John Browns final two strikes of the contest.
In the win, six Golden Eagles recorded their first collegiate point. Freshman Jorge Cea, Axel Betancourt, David Moots and James Pollard each made their first collegiate appearance.
Plascencia made 10 saves in the loss for Evangel (0-2-0) while Holt was credited for the victory for JBU.
John Brown will return to action on Thursday (Sept. 10) when it welcomes Saint Francis (Ind.) to Alumni Field for a 7:30 p.m. showdown.
