SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The 2018 season opener couldn't have started in more dramatic fashion for the John Brown University men's soccer team as the Golden Eagles netted the match's lone goal with just 21 seconds left in the contest to upset No. 19 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) by a 1-0 final on Friday (Aug. 24) evening at Alumni Field.
In matchup that saw John Brown (1-0-0) upset MNU last season in Olathe, Kan., courtesy of a late Ryan Williams penalty kick, the Golden Eagles decided to do the home crowd one better this season as junior Amilcar Gonzalez capped off a perfect passing play through the Pioneer back line to the delight of the capacity home crowd.
The match remained scoreless late, even through a JBU penalty kick attempt, which caught the right post. The keepers combined to make six saves, three apiece, but the 0-0 deadlock wouldn't break until the final moments, initiated by a pair of freshmen making their first collegiate appearances.
Freshman Micah Herrmann began the play in the midfield by slicing a pass through the MNU back line to freshman Goncalo Verissimo, who timed his run perfectly to stay onside. As Pioneer keeper Andrea Dorella came out to challenge him, Verissimo unselfishly dumped off a pass to his left to an oncoming Gonzalez, who made no mistake by depositing the game-winner with just 21 ticks left on the clock.
In a defensive battle for the majority of the contest, senior Britt Wisener (1-0-0) made all three saves requested of him as the keeper earned his first-career collegiate shutout. Opposite him, Dorella made three saves on four John Brown chances.
The victory saw freshmen Adrian Immel land his first collegiate appearance while Verissimo, Herrmann and Ari Johannesen all came off the bench to don the Blue and Gold for the first time in their careers.
The defensive back line of Giovani Bejarano, Santiago Vanegas, David Moots and Immel, along with help from Elias McCloud, Collin Smith, Johannesen and Ryan Williams all banded together to keep the Pioneers off the scoreboard. MNU was shutout only one time in all of 2017.
With only three days to rest, John Brown returns to action on Tuesday (Aug. 28) and will travel to North Newton, Kan. to take on Bethel (Kan.) in a matinee affair as kickoff is slated for 4 p.m.
