SILOAM SPRINGS -- Senior Erick Diaz scored with 11 seconds left in the first half and junior Kyle Hix made three saves – also rejecting a game-tying opportunity late – as the John Brown University men's soccer team opened the 2023 campaign with a 1-0 win over Friends (Kan.) on a blistery Tuesday (Aug. 22) evening at Alumni Field.
Due to excessive head conditions, the match that was originally scheduled for 6 p.m. was moved back to 7 p.m. and even had another 50-minute delay because of the extreme heat.
Once the sun peaked below the trees that surround Alumni Field, the Golden Eagles (1-0-0) went to work, out-shooting the visiting Falcons (0-1-0) by a 10-4 margin in the first half. Friends carried the possession early, but after about 10 minutes John Brown controlled the pace of play and dictated the pitch.
𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗙𝗨𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥-𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗞 Senior Eric Diaz netted the lone goal of the match, setup by Jose Almanza, to power #goJBU MSOC to a season-opening 1-0 win over Friends (Kan.)!
Posted by John Brown University Athletics on Wednesday, August 23, 2023
After challenging Friends' keeper Felipe Garcia four times through the first 44 minutes of play, the hosts broke the level score once Jose Almanza sent a ball to the left side after winning a turnover. Running into the pass was Diaz, who ripped a shot back to the far right side of goal for a 1-0 John Brown advantage.
With a 1-0 lead coming out of intermission, the Golden Eagles nearly doubled its lead in the 64th minute when junior Alejandro Ramirez rattled the right post behind Garcia. Despite the clang off the metal, the advantage remained at one.
While Hix made a pair of saves in the second half, the biggest of the night came in the 78th minute with the Falcons pressing. A hard tackle just outside the top of the box setup the visitors with a glorious opportunity to level the match at one. Caique Pereira's free kick whistled towards the top shelf of goal, but Hix managed to deflect the ball over the crossbar before any damage was done.
John Brown then cleaned up and cleared the ensuing corner kick opportunity.
Despite the frantic attempts of Friends to equalize the score, John Brown allowed just one shot towards goal – which was blocked by the defense – in the final 10 minutes of play, granting Hix his seventh-career clean sheet in the process.
JBU out-shot Friends by a 13-5 margin and took seven of the 11 corner kicks on the night.
The Golden Eagles return to the pitch on Friday night (Aug. 25) when the lads welcome Southwestern (Kan.) to Alumni Field to participate in First Friday Fútbol. The kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. and will air live on the SAC Sports Network.
FOLLOW THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Don't miss a minute of the latest action surrounding JBU Athletics by following the Golden Eagles on Twitter (@JBUathletics), Instagram (@JBUathletics) and Facebook (/JBUathletics). Catch every Golden Eagle home game and select away games on the SAC Sports Network, available online or for download on your favorite streaming device.
