SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Battling through a fierce second-half pressure and playing down a man, the John Brown University men's soccer team held its ground against No. 15 Columbia (Mo.), securing a 1-1 draw and extending their unbeaten streak to an impressive seven matches on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 21) at Alumni Field.
Both teams scored within a brief three-minute span midway through the second half. Columbia took the lead in the 67th minute when Brady Freeman, unmarked in the box, scored to the left side of goal, assisted by Joao Pimenta to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
However, the Golden Eagles (3-0-4) responded quickly in the 70th minute with a goal from Atim Roper, who scored unassisted an a heroic one-man effort up the right flank to tie the match at 1-1. Roper's goal, his second of the season, came just moments after Freeman's opener.
In the final moments of the match, John Brown nearly snatched a victory. In the 87th minute, Marco Brizuela directed a loose ball in the box on goal, but Cougar goalkeeper Alejandro Munoz made a crucial save. Just before, John Brown had earned a corner kick, but the ensuing opportunity was also thwarted by Munoz. On the other end, senior goalkeeper Kyle Hix came up big, stopping a shot from Columbia's Joao Pimenta in the 86th minute to maintain the tie.
Columbia had several chances to break the deadlock late in the second half, with Wil Essner and Marcos Mateos both coming close, only to be denied by the John Brown defense.
The Golden Eagles had to play most of the second half with 10 men, as starting goalkeeper Adam Tebbs received a red card in the 55th minute. Hix replaced the sophomore in goal and leaned on the JBU defense to clear a ball off the goal line, keeping the score level at 0-0 at the time.
In a tale of two halves, John Brown out-shot the visitors by a clean 6-3 margin in the first half, only to see Columbia shed its road legs in the latter frame, building an 11-3 shooting advantage in the second half alone, also in part to playing a man up.
Munoz picked up the win in goal for the Cougars, while Hix saved one of two shots sent his way to earn the draw in in 35 minutes of action.
The Blue and Gold will now open Sooner Athletic Conference play on home grounds, welcoming Texas Wesleyan to Alumni Field on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 28) for a 3 p.m. kickoff. The SAC Sports Network will carry the match live.
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