SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- In what started off like a dream for the John Brown University men's soccer program ended in difficult fashion as No. 20 Columbia (Mo.) erased a 1-0 halftime deficit and posted a pair of second half goals to hand the Golden Eagles a 2-1 setback on Saturday (Sept. 7) evening at Alumni Field.
Off the opening kickoff, sophomore Jack Bos booted a ball deep into Columbia territory that was corralled by freshman Jacob Zamarron. The striker laid a pass back to the top of the 18 that freshman Oscar Carballo stepped into with force, ripping a shot to the top right corner past Cougar keeper Ryan Harrisskitt just 14 seconds into the match.
The Golden Eagles (3-1-0) out-shot Columbia 8-5 in the opening half and looked to lock down defensively to carry an undefeated record on its Kentucky road trip next week, but the Cougars, fresh off a 2-1 come-from-behind win at Grand View (Iowa) instead made an encore performance.
Columbia's Nick Brandt leveled the match at one apiece in the 77th minute when a Charles Norman throw-in from the right flank was flicked on into the box by Nathan Durdle. Brandt blasted a six-yard shot to left pocket of the goal to knot the score.
Then disaster struck in the form of a hand ball inside the box. Brandt's attempt to stuff home a cross just two yards from goal was deflected off a Golden Eagle defender's hand before the shot hit the crossbar. The center official awarded a penalty kick - taken by Casey Bartlett-Scott with just two minutes remaining in the match.
Bartlett-Scott made no mistake on his take from the line, as he struck to the right of senior Britt Wisener - sending the Cougars back to Missouri with a stunning result. Columbia battled back to hold a 10-6 shooting advantage in the final 45 minutes.
Zamarron and Carballo paced the Golden Eagle attack with four shots each, while junior Jessie Zavala added a pair of attempts.
Wisener was dinged with his first loss of the season, despite making a pair of saves. Harrisskitt saved the remaining four JBU shots on target in the match in redemption, to grab the win and keep the Cougars (4-0-0) still undefeated on the season.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will now make their way to Columbia, Ky. to take on a perennially strong Lindsey Wilson side on Thursday (Sept. 12) at 2 p.m. JBU will complete the road trip with a short jog to Midway, Ky. to take on Midway the following day at 3:30 p.m.
