PLAINVIEW, Texas -- Junior Alejandro Gallardo supplied a goal and an assist off the bench while junior goalkeeper Juan Almanza turned aside five shots as the No. 14 John Brown University men's soccer team blanked Wayland Baptist (Texas), 3-0, on Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 21) in a pivotal matchup at J.V. Hilliard Field.
John Brown struck inside the opening three minutes, doubled the advantage midway through the first half and put the match away shortly after the hour mark. Gallardo directly influenced the final two goals, setting up freshman Kevin Acosta only 24 seconds after entering in the first half before scoring moments after returning to the field in the second.
The victory kept John Brown (9-3-1, 5-2-0 Sooner Athletic) alone in second place with 15 points and two league matches remaining. Mid-America Christian leads the table with 19 points, while Texas Wesleyan sits third with 13.
Constantin Bauer gave the Golden Eagles an immediate advantage in the 3rd minute, scoring his team-leading sixth goal of the season to put JBU on the front foot. It was also the sophomore's second consecutive game-winner.
Wayland Baptist (4-6-4, 3-3-1) responded with pressure of its own, but Almanza denied Renato Katrip in the 10th minute and Baptiste Hervaud in the 22nd to keep the hosts off the board.
Gallardo entered in the 24th minute and needed little time to make an impact. Just 24 seconds after checking in, the junior set up Acosta for his second goal in as many matches, doubling the Blue and Gold advantage in the 24th minute.
The Pioneers continued asking JBU questions before halftime. Almanza produced two more stops over the final 14 minutes of the period, turning aside Hervaud again before denying Felipe Dos Santos in the 44th minute to send John Brown into the break ahead 2-0.
JBU resumed the attack after halftime and eventually found its third through another immediate contribution from Gallardo.
The junior re-entered in the 60th minute and, moments later, headed in a corner service from senior Marco Brizuela for his first goal of the season and a 3-0 advantage.
From there, the Golden Eagles managed the match while continuing to generate chances. JBU finished with an 18-12 advantage in shots, placed 10 attempts on frame and generated nine corner kicks.
Wayland Baptist made one final push over the closing stretch. Freshman Ignacio Abarca provided a defensive save in the 84th minute before Almanza stopped Dos Santos less than 30 seconds later to preserve the clean sheet.
The teams traded shots off the woodwork in the final two minutes, with senior Gabriel Cabrera striking the crossbar for JBU before Katrip answered at the other end.
Almanza (7-3-1) finished with five saves in the shutout, four coming before halftime, to complete his fourth clean sheet of the season. Benjamin Godard made six stops for the Pioneers in the loss.
John Brown continues the closing stretch of the regular season Friday (Oct. 23) in Goodwell, facing Oklahoma Panhandle State at 2:30 p.m. from Anchor D Stadium at Carl Wooten Field. The road matchup can be followed on the Urban Edge Network and SAC Sports Network.
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